What We Did on November 19

We, like everyone else who lives here, are amazed by the weather. All plans for the day went out the window on Thursday when we discovered that it would be sunny and 17 degrees. Time for another long hike.
There are many surprises about French life and one of them is the great interest in hiking. There are hiking trails criss-crossing the country, well maintained we are told, by various municipalities and clubs. All around La Rochelle are various randonnées and we have tried out several of them. By taking a city bus to the end of the line, we can begin the walk, following the sometimes confusing directions from our little book. Last month we did what is now called The Long March. We became completely confused by the directions but carried on as it was so beautiful. It was only when we returned home that we discovered our mistake. We had missed the correct bus stop and had begun much further away than planned. In fact, we had walked 14 kilometres. Even our French friends were impressed!
We started out on Thursday with bus map, randonnée directions, sun screen and snacks to the Place de Verdun for the bus to an ancient village called Nieul sur Mer. It was the week of the Rights of the Child and it seems that many French children were being schooled in the French art of the "manifestation".

A very quick bus ride and we arrived at the Mairie, the centre of administrative life in all French towns. Often in grand buildings, Nieul sur Mer is no exception. Their marie is in an 18th century mansion once owned by an Irish member of the French army!

The town, about 8 km. from La Rochelle began its life over a thousand years ago, much closer to the sea than it is now. A combination of natural sedimentation and land recovery has pushed the ocean back. The swamps that were once used for salt recovery are now oyster beds. The once verdant wine fields were decimated in 1880 by the scourge from North America, phylloxera and never recovered. Now the village seems sleepier than ever and is a bedroom community for La Rochelle as well as a summer place for people from away.

We set off through the narrow streets, past all sorts of interesting houses and strange doorways. 

This was a stone over the doorway of a rebuilt wall. One can guess what the trade of the ancient owner was.

 And then it was time for un bon café crème at a curiously named café, that has sat on the main square since 1923. We were amused but tempted by its decidedly non Tex-Mex menu. I went inside to use the washroom and was confronted by a little group of elderly men, working out their bets for the PMU (pari mutuel urbain) the horse racing betting forms. They all looked as worried as students writing final exams as they licked their pencils and frowned furiously at the newspapers. The actual toilet will be a blog for later!!

 

We walked on out of the village, along a lovely lane, running beside a stream, called strangely the Gô. Lots of signs of wild life, some pretty swans and ducks and very few people. 

Suddenly the ocean was before us, a gentle wind off the land, the sound of the waves hitting the limestone cliffs.

 We carried on along these cliffs for several kilometres, past some old oyster beds 

until we stopped for a small picnic. As we were munching, another hiking couple approached. "Bon appétit!" they called. They may have thought that apples and cheese weren't quite up to scratch for a proper lunch!

The path doubled back to the old village of Lauzières. Here there was evidence of the continuing importance of oyster farming: many cultivated beds and signs for fresh oysters for sale as well as the other uses for the shells.

 To our delight, we also found 

so named because the paving stones, now covered by asphalt, were the ballast of 17th century sailing ships from Canada.  Further on, we felt for the poor WWI soldier whose legs, made of the local calcite stone, have been eaten away by the weather. He looks as though he has monumental varicose veins.

 And after five hours (and 10 km.), we were back again at the Mairie and the bus stop, blessed with this day of peace and adventure.

I Could Never Do That! Part II

More information about our preparations for this year.   
                         Packing/shipping  
This was easy! Comparing the cost of extra baggage on the plane, shipping companies like Purolator, moving companies and Canada Post, we chose Canada Post. The long experience of my daughter led us to use large Rubbermaid tubs (lighter than suitcases, sturdier than cardboard boxes) for our plane baggage as well as for shipping. We drilled holes along the edges and used heavy plastic ties to secure the lids (along with great Canadian duct tape). All the boxes arrived intact. The one cardboard box we sent at the last minute looked very sad with the sides split. It was fairly well repaired by one of the post offices but we would now always use plastic boxes.

Health Care
In Ontario, as in all provinces in Canada, most of our health care is paid for by taxes. However, payment for treatment outside Canada is low and you are encouraged to buy personal health insurance. In Ontario, if you are away more than six months there can be a delay in obtaining coverage when you return. If you are not leaving for work or studies, you may leave Ontario for one year without this penalty only twice in your lifetime. You must register at a Ministry of Health office where you will receive a document stating that you are "eligible to be eligible" to receive provincial benefits immediately upon your return. We strongly suggest that you do this. It makes a difference in the amount that you will be charged for your out-of-country health insurance. In the event of a serious health problem while abroad, the insurance company is then able fly you home where you will be covered by provincial insurance. We have heard that you can find medical coverage in France once you arrive. However, since health insurance was a major requirement of the Long Stay Visa, this avenue may not be open to you.  


Housing in France
Most of the books we read had idyllic descriptions of living in a village and we were attracted by the idea. However, the more we thought about it the more we realized that only a city would give us what we wanted--some cultural activities, access to French learning, the possibility of making friends with people who shared our interests in music, art, hiking and the outdoors. We also wanted to be able to live without a car. Investigation into various rural transit systems made us realize that we could be isolated in a village, dependent on bus systems that may run only in the morning and evenings for working people. Finding a rental apartment for one year is difficult in France as generally leases are for a minimum of three years. Additionally, most rental apartments are "bare bones" without kitchen appliances and sometimes even lacking kitchen cupboards. Furnished apartments are also quite rare. We looked first at university towns, thinking that student accommodation might be the answer and then, in a stroke of brilliance, wondered about tourist rentals. What do people do with their apartments after the summer tourists leave? We figured that "tourist landlords" might be more flexible and open to what we wanted used as they are to people coming and going. I called 27 landlords in La Rochelle. Most were very pleasant, interested in our adventure and open to the idea of long term rental. In the end, we had a short list of eight potential places. With the help of our friends, Gery and Marie, we narrowed it down and finally decided on Rue des Bonnes Femmes. Now that we have been able to see the others on our short list, we know we made the right decision.  

Visa Application 
The visa application was not a piece of cake! The Consulate of France in Toronto has a very good web site. Having read and been told about the strict adherence to process by French bureaucrats, we followed the instructions on the web site religiously. We also heeded some advice we had been given to put together documents that were not on the list, just in case they asked for them. We took the contract we had worked out with my daughter, the lease for the basement apartment, a letter from our investment adviser to prove that we had the resources to look after ourselves in France. Taking heed of the web site admonition that processing a Long Stay Visa (for a period of 6 months to a year) is a lengthy process, even longer through the summer, we collected all our documents (in triplicate) and made a date for the "Appointment of Personal Appearance" in May for our departure in September. We arrived with the idea that we would be interviewed by some urbane French diplomat who would be judging our suitability (as well as our Personal Appearance!) for French life. We arrived dressed to the nines to discover that the urbane French diplomat was a very nice, very young French clerk dressed in jeans. Imagine our disappointment when she sent us away with instructions to return much later as their computer system will only process departure dates that are two months away. The instructions on the web site are just to get one going and not have an expectation that visas will be issued willy-nilly. Our second visit was problem free. We had our document file organized in the order in which they are listed on the web site, which impressed her! She went through the financial and health care documents with a fine toothed comb, asked for lots of information to clarify each of these, smiled and told us we could return to pick up our visas in 10 days. What celebration when we left the office! Our adventure was really beginning!

Top Ten Tips
1. Start early--it took us over two years.

2. Research, research, research! Use the internet, libraries and bookstores for information on the places you are considering.

3. Talk to everyone you know about your plan. They have ideas and their circle of friends might be helpful. We met several people through friends who had very helpful advice.

4. Very early on, work on a budget. If you have debts, get rid of them.

5. Realize that you will get frustrated and wonder whether it will ever happen. This is normal and will occur at least every two months!

6. Stay positive! Look on the bright side when red tape seems endless.

7. If you are going as a couple, talk about how it will be for you to be the only people in each others lives. How will you manage this? What problems are likely to arise?

8. Start learning or improving your language skills as soon as you decide where you are going. It will make an enormous difference to you when you arrive.

9. Listen to the naysayers. They are irritating but often make you think of some problem you may have overlooked.

10. Imagine, daydream, spin stories. This will help you work out what sort of place you want to be in and how you might like to spend your time. It will also keep your dream alive through the planning and organizing.

Helpful Internet Sites
www.transitionsabroad.co
www.expatsforum.com 
www.escapeartist.com
www.transitionsabroad.com
www.internationalliving.com

. . . and Books 
French or Foe? Polly Plat 
Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong Jean Benoit-Nadeau, Julie Barlow
International Living magazine
Belonging Isabel Huggan 
Paris to the Moon Adam Gopnik 
On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town Susan Loomis 
I'll Never be French (No Matter What I Do): Living in a Small Village in Brittany Mark Greenside 
Chasing Matisse: A Year in France Living My Dream James Morgan