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Hi everyone,
I currently live in Seattle Washington. We have been studying French for 4 years and want to go live in France in June 2011 for a month....travel around France, and return for a year to live the following year.
I am so overwhelmed on where to go.
Perhaps you can help....
Here are my interests in order of preference:
-Small Chic city or small chic village
-not too much tourism
-not too far from Paris. I want to be able to go to city once in a while for shows etc. perhaps under 2 hours.
-i dont care about the weather. (i live in seattle!)
-culinary and wine important
-adventure sports
basically we like to be healthy by day doing adventure sports, then get dressed up at night to be with "the beautiful people", eating and drinking.
Annecy looks amazing... a little far from Paris, but if its that great of a place, then perhaps it would be worth it.
I lived in the tropics for 15 years, so I dont really want to be in south...unless someone can tell me of a perfect place that fits my description.
Nowhere in my book.
I'm French and my dream is to leave this "country of mine" for ever.
Too many problems here (and besides the winters are freezing cold and grey).
Pigeonhole, I am intrigued by your response. My British husband and I (NYr) currently live in Oregon and are seriously thinking of relocating to France. We both think the USA has lost its collective mind. We are retired and thinking of the Toulouse region (Languedoc?). We are healthy but US health insurance is a $1,200 out-of-pocket monthly expense for us. I'd be happy to pay for medical insurance but feel we are being gouged here.
We can't do anything for at least another year but are serious about leaving the USA for awhile and France looms largely on our list. What are your thoughts on this? Where are you interested in going?
Thanks in advance!
How about Chartres,in the Eure et Loir region? It is about one hour by train,not too big,but with a decent centre and nice older quarter of town.
There are a number of tourists though,owing to the famous cathedrial,but mostly day trippers.
A number of younger French of a certain persuasion consider the States superior in the sense they can earn more money pay less tax and have little concerns for later in life. They like to put down old Europe as being passe.
Have met a few Americans who retired in France. Most quite happily. Recall one couple though who found it a little difficult establishing contact with locals,although they spoke French.
How about opting for the South of France? Aix en Provence is a chic city, quite touristy but it's both residential nice and lively, ideally located to travel and visit many places, including Paris as it is only one and a half hour away with the TGV (and there are special "ID-TGV" tickets that are very cheap! + the South of France way of life is really very pleasant.
Nothing is too far from Paris if you take the train.
My favorite cities/towns always seem to have these two qualities: A beautiful centre, and walkability.
They are all over France, from Lille in the north to Nantes in the west to Toulouse in the southwest. Rouen (like Chartres) is touristy by day but divine by night.
A month in June gives you time to skip about here and there.
Pigeonhole, I am intrigued by your response. My British husband and I (NYr) currently live in Oregon and are seriously thinking of relocating to France. We both think the USA has lost its collective mind. We are retired and thinking of the Toulouse region (Languedoc?). We are healthy but US health insurance is a $1,200 out-of-pocket monthly expense for us. I'd be happy to pay for medical insurance but feel we are being gouged here.
We can't do anything for at least another year but are serious about leaving the USA for awhile and France looms largely on our list. What are your thoughts on this? Where are you interested in going?
Thanks in advance!
Boy are we ever on the same page. We are both irish and have two boys. But we also feel that the USA has lost its luster for us after 25 years.
We hope to visit Brittany in the next few months. The south of France is also on our list. Just somewhere we we can work, live a comfy life, and relax.
fontainebleau 40 miles from paris and versailles 15 miles from paris, two beautiful 'chic' towns
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