katiemoon

Well, we've lived the dream - with some nightmare moments and are looking to the now-no-too-distant future - retiring to France was our long-term goal even before the Canadian adventure came up.

Anyone any suggestions about the pros/cons, moving companies etc, all comments welcome

Katie

Aviator

Most on here are going the other way. You may want to try here http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=76

katiemoon

thanks for the advice I'll post my question there
Katie

MillieF

As one who has just arrived from the other direction, I would advise to proceed with caution.

katiemoon

Hi Millie

Sounds like you've had a bad experience!

We have owned a house in the Charente for the past 10 years and always spent as much time there as we could when we lived in the UK.
We went back for a visit this summer and realised it's the place we want to be - close enough to travel backto the UK (without jetlag!) to visit family & friends - and have them visit us more often.
My ancestry on both sides is French (a long way back, but I always feel at home whenever I'm there) and we have good friends in the area - both English & French - something we are short of here in Alberta.
Plus, the Canadian weather - whilst wonderfully sunny and lots of blue skies - has no Spring to speak of, hardly any Autumn and very long winters...

Katie

MillieF

Katie, not really a bad experience...mostly we were very happy. I had a house there for 25 years, that I mainly only used for holidays, as I was working in the Middle East. Then I met my Canadian husband, and we moved there permanently and had our son. I lived in Sarthe, between Angers and Le Mans. It was great when our son was small, but as he grew we realised that long term it wasn't going to be ideal educationally, so we were going to have to move somewhere else. Added to that my husband works on a four week off, six week on schedule, and we lived in a small village so I was frequently alone, with our son, and you just know that I was always alone when the car decided to quit, my ankle decided to break or the boiler went on the blink.

Classic scenario...I move to a small village and then blame the inhabitants for being villageoise! I made some wonderful friends over the years, and they had the same problems as me...French beauracracy is no nicer to the French, they put their own countrymen through the mill too. I loved my house, but it trapped me, as I knew I'd never live anywhere more beautiful. Also, after so long I was ready for a new adventure. I had also bought the house thinking that it would be a forever holiday home, I'd never planned on OH and kidlet pitching up.

If I didn't have a child, and had married a European, I would move to France like a shot, as long as the move were not dependant on me finding work. The employment situation is pretty dire. Excellent time to buy a house there now as there are some great bargains due to the Euro crisis...trust me I have that particular scar!

Everybody's family circumstances are different. In other places I could possibly have been happy for ever.....just not where I was, when I was?
Very best of luck.