sarahwh

Hello, my parents (ages 75 and 80) are going to the South of France for 3 months, but they are not sure which place is best to go to where they will have the best chance to meet other retirees. They want to rent a place for about 3 months, but want to choose a place where they won't feel too lonely. There must be many others in the same situation. Where do people of this age group congregate and socialise the most?
thank you

Ka Ora!

Welcome to the Forum, Carcassonne in Aude is an area where you find a lot of older folk Mirepoix in Ariege as well Roger will know more of the goin's on around Carcassonne. People are prone to congregating on market days and around bars etc. Im couldn't say if there are any older folk groups aimed at brits, I know our town has a Municipal old folks home "A few of them" and there are lot of folk chatting outside them all the time. I once had to stop and recover one who had fallen over and hit his head.

dmu

Hi, I don't want to sound facetious, but all the elderly British expats that I know have either returned to the UK, are in a retirement home (with communication problems with the staff) or stuck in their own homes, dependent on visits from friends and neighbours for a social life.
But maybe your parents are healthier and more active and/or speak French.
Is there a special reason for coming to France for 3 months and choosing the south in particular? When were they intending to come?
If they do speak French, they can live anywhere and join in all the activities available to French Seniors. Otherwise, I imagine they'd find English-speaking groups anywhere along the Côte d'Azur, not in the Hérault, anyway...

sarahwh

Thanks for the suggestions, Ka Ora.

Yes, my dad speaks fluent french, but not mum, and they are both very healthy (touch wood) and active. They were thinking of going around June to September and renting a place there. The reason they want to go is complicated - to put it in a nutshell, it's some much needed timeout for them

They thought of renting a flat in the middle of Annecy city, but I would have thought that a cottage in a village would be a better place to meet others. What do you think?

Ka Ora!

IMHO cities crowded but very lonely places anywhere in the world unless you manage to find the perfect village community within the larger one, Smaller town or village would probably suit them more but then it depends on what they plan to do to occupy themselves.

dmu

A lot depends on whether they want to be in the thick of things, with the noise of the town, or live more quietly in a village. A town would have more activities, but life in a village would be more peaceful. Check on public transport to the nearest town if they prefer a village and won't have a car for shopping, etc...
There have been a few posts on Annecy recently and the locals will be able to give you more info on the area.
If your parents are outgoing, they'll find convivial company anywhere, whether in a city, town or village!

Roger O

What about Pezenas - seems to be a right hotbed of expats there!
Try looking for a Languedoc forum which may be more locally orientated?
http://www.ot-pezenas-valdherault.com/index.php?lang=en
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=508073

As for Carcassonne - more polyglot than expat orientated with 3 million visitors per year from the big world! There is an Irish bar there but in the main expats tend to be rather more "discreet" than in many places.
I've never seen any expat clubs (not that I'm looking for them) nor have I seen clumps of expats in the market place, for example.
On the other hand, the medieval Cité and the Canal du Midi make for more variety than is usually the case in such a smallish town (approx 45-50,000).

dmu

Yes, maybe, and Béziers and Montpellier have their share, but how many of them are Seniors? Quite apart from the question of meeting people of the same age, I wouldn't recommend 3 summer months in the Hérault to older folk, it's overbearingly hot, even with the Tramontane blowing.

Tweedpipe

"A hotbed of expats". Nice one Roger!
Conjuring up that image made me smile
Quote from the American Heritage Dictionary:
Hotbed = "An environment conductive to vigorous growth or development, especially of something undesirable".

So what do they do there, hold midnight black-magic orgies?
Now just what were those exact SatNav coordinates for Pezanes.......??

sarahwh

Thank you. The Pezenas website looks great - lots of carnivals etc that my parents would love. Will pass on the information

Roger O

Pezenas (approx):

Latitude = 43.4579, Longitude = 3.4229
Lat = 43 degrees, 27.5 minutes North
Long = 3 degrees, 25.4 minutes East

If you want to point a satellite TV dish at Satellite= 13 East orbit longitude

Beam elevation= 38.9, Azimuth= 167.0 (magnetic compass), Polarisation= -10.0

Well, there's a local expat Languedoc forum commented by quite a few living there - so you can browse that.
Personally, I wouldn't know - but there are a few medieval "goings-on" in Carcassonne!!
Like... there's an old dungeon location in the Cité, man.... with all the trappings!

dmu

But how many are in the OP's parents' age-group?

Pézenas is a jewel of a town, Olde-Worlde yet dynamic, and I love it, but I wouldn't recommend an elderly couple from the north of Europe spending a whole summer there, or anywhere else in the plain of the Hérault, baking under the sun.
Upon reflection, the spa town of Lamalou-les-Bains might just suit them. In the Haut-Languedoc, the heat is more bearable, and the town caters for curists of all ages, offering activities, outings, theatre/cinema, even a Casino... and short-term rentals are the norm since cures only last 3 weeks.
http://www.ot-lamaloulesbains.fr/fr

Tweedpipe

Roger,
I was joking about the SatNav coordinates!
(Mme Tweedpipe won't even allow Black Magic chocolates in the house.......)

sarahwh

Thanks DMU; will look into it, but what is a "curist"?

dmu

Sorry, it's some one who goes on a "cure" (hydrotherapy), i.e. spends 3 weeks taking the waters (or bathing in them in the case of Lamalou, although they do bottle sparkling water from another spring), hoping their ailments will be cured. I'm somewhat cynical as to the results, but a lot of French people swear by them.