Some Adjustments Required
Welcome back to our blog. This is our 8th post (3/16/2025).
We bought this map, and it finally arrived on Friday. I took this picture of it so you can see the area that we will visit soon during our scouting trip. You can see the Dordogne Department in the southwest. If you look closely, you can see the Dordogne River running through the south part of the department and a closer look you see the cities of Bergerac, Sarlat le Caneda and the capital of the Dordogne Department, Périgueux. You can see Paris in the north. Sorry, I didn’t include Corsica. I wanted to make the map as big as possible.
This week we will talk about some of the things that we have learned in our travels to France that are different from Venice, Florida and will require some getting used to. I bring this up because as we think about and plan our move, we need to remind ourselves that even though we are not heading into the totally unknown, we are immigrants in a foreign country and will have to adjust to that reality.
We just need to remember to stay calm and enjoy the ride. CRAZY TALK, right? A lot of what we mention below are things that we have noted during our previous trips to France. So below are some thoughts on our minds as we plan our adventure. I’m also including info about things we have learned over time.
We are immigrants and a minority
This goes without saying. However, there is so much to learn that we take for granted at home. I mean just going to the market is different. Grocery markets won’t have all of the brands that we are familiar with, and their hours of operation are different also.
We will probably be staying in a VRBO early on. For that time period we won’t need to know about utility contracts. Eventually we will have to arrange those things and adjust to that process. French language required. We will get help for this.
That reminds me about our learning curve at the VRBO in Amboise during our visit in 2024. You will remember that my sister Cindy and her boyfriend Don arrived at the VRBO the day before Elizabeth and I did. Because of the language differences, Don and Cindy didn’t get the instructions on how to lock the entry door of the place clearly. They had to leave it unlocked the first day and night. The next day we contacted the owner and got instructions (in French language) and a demonstration on the procedure. It took a little practice to get used to. The way some of their door locking mechanisms work is way different from what we are used to not to mention some of the keys they have to their older buildings….skeleton keys! No problems after that except…
All was good until we washed clothes in the little washing machine. I wish that I had taken a picture of the machine. It was different than we were used to. Of course, the knobs on the machine were identified in French. Got out the phone and google translate app and figured it out except…
We thought that we had a combo wash and dry machine. Oops, not exactly. It turns out that clothes dryers are not all that common. There were some interesting looking racks tucked in alongside the washing machine which we figured out are drying racks. The French prefer to line dry their clothes. Anyway, we distributed the drying racks around the apartment and eventually had dry clothes. We will definitely have to get used to that. Looking back, it is pretty funny.
Shopping hours
One thing that we found interesting is that most shops, including restaurants take a two-hour lunch break each day and many are not open on Sundays. We found a small grocery store open on Sunday. However, they close at noon, so we had to rush to get our groceries. I’m still not clear on the hours. We will have to adjust to this more laid-back lifestyle. I can handle it.
Language
Despite the fact that a lot of younger French people understand and speak English, French is the language. The older folks don’t do English. Our plan is to visit towns and villages all over the country, so we definitely want to learn the language. At least some basics.
While in Amboise, Elizabeth and I were at a tiki bar by the Loire River. We decided to have a glass of red wine. So, I went to the counter and tried my best to order in French. I was very tentative and struggled, the young man behind the counter let me try my French then very nicely asked, in English, what it was that I wanted. He appreciated that I tried despite my butchering the attempt badly. I got over my embarrassment and ordered the next round easily enough.
Bureaucracy
While we haven’t had to deal with French bureaucracy really yet, we have heard many, many accounts of how slow and tedious it can be. The advice that we hear over and over: “be prepared to wait and when you think you are going to scream, calm down and wait.” We have heard that even in line at the boulangerie, be prepared to wait. I will tell you that our experience hasn’t been all that bad so far. I guess if it does come to it, we have been warned and will learn to go with the flow.
Speaking of bureaucracy, we will want to get a better understanding of the basic government structure. What I’m getting at for example is that the area that we are interested in moving to is the Dordogne Department, the Prefecture of the department is Périgueux which is also a commune, and the sub-prefectures are Bergerac and Sarlat la Caneda. In addition, the Dordogne department is within the region called Nouvelle-Aquitaine. So, we want to understand what a department, commune, region, and a prefecture is. What about the French Parliament. We have a lot to learn and adjust to.
Transportation
Public transportation in France is awesome. We will adjust to this transportation system as soon as possible. Trains, buses and air transportation are so convenient that many French people don’t need to own a personal vehicle.
We hope to travel throughout Europe via train. We just have to adjust to the process and system.
Banking
Banking in France is different than here in Florida. We haven’t signed up for a French bank account yet. We are working with French Connections HCB to help us get an account remotely. This will be a big help because I have heard that banks in France can be difficult. HCB will help making the adjustment to the French banking system a little smoother. Luckily, we won’t be using a mortgage to purchase our home in France. This is mainly because seniors over 70 years old just can’t get a mortgage. I’m pretty sure that it is 70 maybe 75. Anyway, I’m too old to get a mortgage from a French bank.
We will keep our current bank account in Florida for now. I expect that we will keep that account indefinitely even though we will have a French account too.
Real estate
A quick reminder, Elizabeth and I are looking for a place to live that is not Paris, Nice, Lyon, or any of the big cities. We are looking for a place in the French countryside, more rural or village type areas. That is why we are interested in the Dordogne department.
The real estate market is much different than what we are used to. One big thing is the fact that there is no Multiple Listing Service (MLS) in France. So, finding a home is complicated by having to go to individual agencies in each community. The thing is that these agencies can only show you the properties that they represent because essentially, they don’t know about other places. That is because there is no MLS. There are some companies that can help you with this search as they have contacts with several agencies.
There are many You Tube channels that feature properties in specific areas. Thus, kind of limited. However, some of the companies that have these channels have offices in multiple areas in France. One company whose You Tube channel we like is Leggett Immoblier. They represent a lot of properties in the Dordogne Department. They also have offices in other parts of France, and we enjoy watching their channel featuring different areas and OMG, we are seeing so many other beautiful living area options.
Social norms
Here is an example of social norms that make living in France a little more comfortable.
Lawn mowing hours are limited in many areas so that you don’t have a loud motor of a lawn mower or weed blower during your 2-hour lunch break. That is kind of wild.
I just had to share that.
Questions?
- What about Social Security?
- Can we get our SS check in France?
- How about Medicare?
- Will you buy a car?
Yes, we still get our Social Security checks. We paid into the system, so we still get the check we are owed. The fear is that the amount will be reduced, and the buying power will not keep up with inflation.
Social Security checks can be sent directly to your French bank. That said, I am going to continue to have mine sent to my Florida bank account. I don’t want to make any changes to my account at this time out of concern with the manpower reductions at the Social Security Administration taking place now and the resultant potential for complicated errors. It adds the step and expense of moving the money to our French account, but it is an adjustment we can live with for now.
As I understand it, my Medicare will NOT work outside of the United States except in an emergency. The French government requires that we have some minimum medical insurance coverage for 1 year. So, we will need a new plan. These plans are relatively inexpensive. and not hard to get. Then, 90 days after our Long Stay Visa is authenticated, we will be eligible for the French medical system. (French Social Security) All that we have to do is apply and then within a few months we will receive our Carte Vitale, and we are in the system. We can cancel our other insurance and receive a refund for unused months. With the Carte Vitale all of our medical expenses are covered 70%. To have the remaining 30% expenses covered we will buy the inexpensive “Top Up” insurance plan.
Elizabeth will apply for her SS online when she is eligible and can have her checks sent to our French bank account or to our Florida account.
About the car: Well, it really depends on where we live. If we live in or around a city, we probably won’t need to buy a car. In a pinch we can rent. If we end up in a smaller village, a car might be needed. There are lease options as well. Since our drivers’ licenses are from Florida, within the first 12 months we simply trade our license in for a French license. There are 18 states that have this agreement with France. Folks from the other states will have to take a driving test before they are issued a French license.
Summary
Sorry, this post ran a little long. I wanted to share just a few of the things that are different from Florida that we will need to adjust to. There are a ton more and as I write this summary more are coming to mind.
I’m so glad that I could finally post a picture of the French map.
I have been looking forward to telling the story about our clothes washing machine experience in Amboise and the shopping hours. That is pretty interesting. I remember when I was a kid the downtown area of our little town closed up on the weekend. I think the 2-hour lunch thing should be introduced in the US. LOL!
Of course, the language, transportation, banking, real estate, and social norms are high on the list of things that we will adjust to. We will adjust for sure and looking forward to the other countless stuff we will learn and adjust to. Feels like we are kids.
Thanks for reading this week. Next week is a big week for us. We will be getting ready for the sales agent and her videographer as she prepares to market our house.
We will be meeting Kim, a friend of a friend, on Wednesday. Kim lives in France so we will get some insights from an expat living in southwest France.
Elizabeth double checked on our flights and VRBO places, so we are starting the count down. Getting excited about our scouting trip. All the trips before were just tourist stuff.
Thanks again for reading our blog. Have a great week!
A bientot
