Bonjour!! Please read: We've realized based on the comments we gave NO context for this video! Especially for those of you who might be new. To be clear: we LOVE living in the French countryside. But not everything is perfect...it never is, anywhere. We make so many videos that are overwhelming positive about living in France, we thought it was fair to make a video about some things that are different than we know many of our fellow Americans imagine them to be and maybe even a little annoying, even if totally worth it. We want our channel to be a place that is real about the experience of living in France, as much as can be when sharing only a few minutes of life here. That includes everything. Thanks for watching! ❤ - Raina and Jason
About the activities (yoga, sport of any kind and all the things you can imagine - quilt, sewing, stamp collection etc), most of the towns including small ones are having a "journée des associations " generally after summer. And you can choose one or several among what's available. Some municipal teams are very dynamic... About the bugs and insects, hopefully, you didn't go in Spain. I remember a house we rented some years ago and during the night, some huuuuge cockroaches were going around us 😱 I was told they are everywhere there, no matter the cleanliness of houses.
The big spiders are called "Tégénaire" and are friendly, don't chase or hurt them. They'll never bite you, and are fearful. They are your best friend to keep your home clean of mosquito, fly, bug.
I guess the presence or absence of insects depend on pesticides used by farmers, farms and agricultural holdings (extensive or not). You can't know it but years ago, when I was a little child, there were even more insects in the countryside. They are all disappearing little by little. Just imagine that here in France, in 30 years, we lost 70% of insects. In Germany, it is 80%. So, if you have insects in your house or properties, well, I won't tell you to "cherish" them, but it means that there are less pesticides used in your area. Think of it 😉
@@BaguetteBound Except asian hornets. Those ones, you can kill them (and make kill the nest by a specialist). I know there are a lot in your department (they arrived in Europe first in Bordeaux, so they're very populous in the south west). They are a real plague, they're invasive and they kill other insects (especially apis mellifera, the domestic bee, and other pollinators).
In France, we say "want the butter and the money of the butter" and sometimes add "and also the dairywoman ". I lived in small villages with less than 200 people without shops. It took 10 km to go to a small town of 3,000 people and 50 km to go to a big city. It was a choice. For the garbage I learned over time that it is best to produce as little as possible for nature and because it costs more and more to treat them . And a spider is a sign that the house is healthy. They hate moisture. As you write, nothing is ever perfect.
Some of the points you make are maybe specific to the area that you're living? I'm on the South coast, not far from Narbonne. The village here has numerous recycling points and none are controlled by card or anything like that. We've got 2 boulangeries, a small supermarket, a restaurant, a pizza and burger takeaway, a hairdressers, a tabac, a grocers shop and a bar, in a village/small town of 3500 people, but we're surrounded by vineyards. One of the first things we learned was to stop comparing everything to the UK (where we moved from). We moved for a change of life, to get out of the rat race. The pivotal moment for me was when I stopped referring to our trips back to the UK as "going home", but started referring to our return to our home in France as "coming home". Vive la difference. 😎
I often watch your videos and you're always smiling and super positive about France and where you live so I think it's fair that you talk a little bit about the downside of living in the countryside 😊 and all of the points you made are true, that's also why a lot of french people don't want to live in a village so it's important to show to foreigners how it really is in the countryside !
Exactly! Some of the comments above are rude. They're letting primarily US citizens what to expect. I can say we live in the US in an area with a lot of spiders. My wife and kids scream when they see a spider, so it's up to me to take care of them. Now, seeing all the bugs they show in the French countryside isn't something we could live with in our home. I appreciate they're letting us know what to expect.
thank you for this reality check. SO many of us are enamored with the picturesque scenes that we see in movies but it can be quite different when u actually get there!
Thanks, guys. We in SC USA are accustomed to insects, even the large cockroach, named Palmetto bugs, from The Palmetto state (SC). The difference I see in France when we were there in spring, was no screens. We hope to move next year to SW France so will be adding screens of some sort. We try to keep insects outside if possible.
Hi, One thing you didn’t mention, but it’s true of any country lifestyle : animals. Roosters crow, manure smells, farmers start work early. Here in Burgundy, it’s time to fertilize the vines. The favored fertilizer is well-rotted pig manure. Our town has acquired a certain air about it that usually lasts until first frost. In the heat of summer it means being awakened by the sounds of tractors cultivating, cutting, or spraying vines as early as 4 AM. If you don’t understand these things, it can cause difficulties. Yes, I complain about them, but I know that I’m not likely to change them. Well, with the exception of the 4AM bit. I politely asked the farmer/vigneron to till his parcels away from the village first, and leave the bit right behind the houses until 6 at least. He’s a good neighbor, so he complied. As for finding services, the best advertisement is word of mouth, and the best announcers are your neighbors. Need a plumber (for your dodgy septic system) ask your neighbors who they would use. Ditto for the other services and activities you might want or need. As always, integrating into the community is a must, especially in a small town. Cheers
So many good points in this video. My husband and I have talked for a year about whether we should buy our retirement property in the countryside, a village, or a small city in France. As appealing as a home in the French countryside seems, we determined that, at our age of retirement and with our desire to travel, our best option would be to buy an apartment or townhouse in a small city. We are looking in Tours in the Loire Valley. It's just the right size, with great public transportation and good walkability to markets, restaurants and such. We currently live in a countryside home about an hour outside of Washington, DC. It's beautiful, and we love it, but it has its cons as well. Keep up the great content! We love your videos!
Tours est déjà une grande ville et donc tous ses inconvénients. En France, dès 10 000 habitants, normalement vous avez quasiment toutes les commodités (plusieurs supermarchés, DIY store, doctor, dentist, lawyer, train station, sewerage, trash collected in front of your home, little hospital ...)
This was exactly why we wanted to make it - we love the French countryside, but the things we mentioned are things I think not every American would love about it. Our goal is to inform. 🙂 Thanks for watching and good luck with your move!!
I live in Tours. It’s a gorgeous region. If you compare to a village it’s quite big. The urban area (Communauté de communes) is about 500k people. The city itself is ~140k. Of course there is everything you need. A good compromise close to Tours between a rural and an urban area is a city like Amboise (or Vendôme). It's about an hour in high speed train from Paris.
@gabelov We have a trip planned for next year to spend a few weeks in Tours and get a vibe for town-living in Amboise, Langeais and Loches, as well. Since we will be retirees, having access to good healthcare nearby is something to consider, which is one reason Tours is very appealing. The TGV in Tours is also a big plus for travel. Amboise is beautiful and definitely on our list to consider. We have about 2 years to decide and find a place before we retire. For now, it's really fun to investigate, learn from others, and make our plans.
You are starting to "complain" like real French people. That's a good sign! You are "assimilating". Don't hesitate, on occasion, to try this national sport called "the demonstration". Yes, perfection is not of this world. Thank you for your videos.
Hello to you both! Just wanted to say that we love your videos and can relate. My wife and I also moved to France in 22! And we are not that far away from each other. Keep up the great work and take care.
Les français n'aiment pas être envahis par les publicités et les démarchages des compagnies commerciales, cette publicité est donc très réglementée, c'est pourquoi vous devez faire vous-même les démarches pour trouver une activité sportive ou culturelle, concernant les poubelles il s'agit de responsabilité individuelle, il est bien trop facile et déresponsabilisant de tout avoir à sa porte ....
Je vois pas en quoi avoir 2 poubelles avec 2 compartiments différents et faire le tri directement chez soi serait " déresponsabilisant " ? J'ai du mal à comprendre pourquoi dans certains coins comme le sud ouest faut encore se galérer à aller porter ses bouteilles dans une sorte de " mini-déchetterie " au coin de la rue plutôt que d'avoir un système de ramassage efficace qui fait le tri directement dans le camion comme on a dans plein d'autres coins en France ... en tous cas dans le Nord région Lilloise , ça fait 30 ans que ça marche comme ça.
Peut-être mais concernant le sujet des ordures ménagères, c'est du grand n'importe quoi. Cela varie beaucoup d'une communauté de communes à l'autre et les tarifs ont fait un bon incroyable pour de moins en moins de service! Ex : 190 € de taxe annuelle pour 12 passages dans l'année alors qu'il y a quelques années nous payions 50 € pour 2 passages par semaine, chercher le loup! évidemment lorsqu'on proteste, nous nous voyons rétorquer que nous sommes bien les seuls à nous plaindre et que tout le monde est très satisfait...
Aah, the charms of the countryside! You are lucky with the kind of farming in your area. Vineyards and orchards are rather pleasant compared to pig or dairy cattle breeding, sugar beet harvest gives also a potent smell . There are many funny (not for everyone) stories about French people from large cities, generally known as "parisiens" even if they don't come from Paris, moving into small villages, complaining about the noise of roosters, church bells, smells.
I spent the summer of 1985 in the southwest of France. Loved it. I was 25 and it seemed like such a better quality of life than the US. My opinion has not changed
In the past, French people would never have bought a house fi they didn't find any spider in it, because a house was considered "healthy" if there were spiders.
I am in Toulouse at the moment at the tail end of my 6 week exploration of France. I want to retire here and was hoping to get a feel for the type of location that would be right for me. And I have reached some clarity. I’m NOT a big city person. I’d rather live in a smaller town and visit cities when the need and mood strikes. But I have discovered the importance of being in or near a good size town that doesn’t ‘die’ in the off season. So far, Bergerac, Agen, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, are the types and sizes on my radar. I have learned a lot and now know that I will need a car even if I only use it once a week, that I will likely live on the edges of a bigger town or in a village with some services, and to NEVER drive in the bigger cities (not that much of an adrenaline junky!) your advice from previous vlogs about not placing too much importance on needing a Train station was good. However the train system is great, and I do want to be within 20-30 minutes from one…thanks for keeping it real!
So glad you had time here to figure out the right fit for you before choosing a long term spot! Because everything you mention, it's individual and no one can tell you what is going to feel the most like home...you have to know for yourself. Amazing and good luck with all that comes next!
We are near Villeneuve sur lot. 2 years here. We like Agen. A good train station. Parking lot. Not an overwhelming city ( we are from NYC). Nice museum there too. Pretty areas all around. Plus prefecture is there for govt paperwork!
One must mention South west of France is known to be a remote place, either to retire, for holidays, enjoying doing nothing looking at landscapes, for foodies and tranquility seekers. A gorgeous place though. Some other countrysides have more services although it's true public services decreased everywhere in the recent decades.
Hello Baguette bound. I live less than 3 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean in cape May NJ but not on the over developed island of CM itself. I live in a farm house built in 1890. Systems, electrics, plumbing, windows and structure have been upgraded but I still have a well and septic system. No sidewalks around here but ants, ticks, flees, hornets carpenter bees abound outside of winter. Beautiful sunset and fabulous tomatoes and vegetables everywhere in season. I’ve been looking into buying a house in France perhaps in southwest Brittany, Rochechouart, or the Saint-Mathieu areas. You’re a family while I live alone. Still I’m trying to not be very discouraged by your post today. My point is everywhere there are downsides. Please keep your posts coming and I appreciate your efforts to provide full disclosure. Regrettably i had to postpone my exploratory trip due to severe sinus infection. Im planning on rescheduling sometime after the new year. All best to the three of you. Joe and Gigi.
In laws have a holiday home in central Brittany. My advice , take your time, be careful not to limit yourself to English speaking agents. A tactic we found years ago is they will start with the worst properties and end with a magnificent recently updated one, which they or a ‘friend’ happen to own. That derelict property next door that you presume will be remodelled soon may well stay like that for 40 years.
Thank you so much. We just completed our house in Medillac, and are looking forward to moving there, but also want a realistic idea of what it will REALLY be like to live there. Thanks. ❤
@@peterchapman9423 I wish you a happy life in France ! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it overall, with all its ups and downs. 😚 I’m from France but lived in the US and now in Canada. You already know that but nowhere is perfect. However, if I had to chose between living in the US or France, I’d definitely chose France. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the US and still live to visit. But the « downs » of living in the the US (in my opinion) when it comes to work life balance, healthcare, daycare, education etc. Are waaaay worst than any « downs » of living in France. Now if I was really wealthy, I’d probably go for the US 😆
Yes, of course, Euros bills are not falling from trees and these villages and small town have to work with limited budgets, especially when there are no sizeable businesses bringing much needed local taxes. Everything is a tradeoff: Having a big enough home with a good yard, at a low price often means being further away from more lively areas. In French countryside, you definitely need a car.
Thank you for your nice videos.❤ Dumping has become more and more difficult and expensive too. My sister lives in a very small village and is not able to drive. So, most of the time, her trash stays behind her house until a nice neighbour takes it to the station, 10 km away. The day to go there must be chosen with care as, very often, the bins are full. 😢
@@marieadriansen2925 Oui malheureusement le savoir-faire des boulangeries se perd, chez moi le pain de chez Lidl est meilleur que la plupart des boulangeries de la commune et bien moins cher qui plus est.
I live in cape may nj and it is impossible to buy real bread. The plastic bag stuff is everywhere. So, I make my own baguettes, boules, pan loafs, brioche and focaccia. I know exactly what’s in it and my friends love it too. Simple solution for me.
Thanks for getting real! I'm still in the States but spent a month in a little medieval town in the Southwest of France and experienced some of the things you mentioned. We are very spoiled here in the States with curbside trash pick-up weekly and biweekly recycling of both organic waste and hard goods (like plastic, glass, wood, and paper).
There are a lot of trade offs to consider when deciding to living in a city or the country side. There's no perfect situation. You're very right that there are a lot of bad industrial bakeries, or even no bakeries at all in small villages. I think you made that point in another video. Train stations or post offices tend ti disappear from small villages. Even schools. France is getting poorer overall and may not have the resources to fund all this public services unfortunately. Another big issue can be healthcare. Some sectors have no hospitals nearby, and sometimes even no family doctors. I think you would find more carte postale villages in provence but that would be more expensive too. Regarding things like sport clubs, many of these are non lucrative and not businesses like in the US. They will be cheaper, but you can't have the same expectations. For instance, my boxing club in NYC cost me 200 dollars a months, but 300 euros a year in France. In France there were less sessions, and they close in the summer. I personally prefer the vibe of a non lucrative club, it makes for more genuine relationships. Despite all these issues, i hope you'll stay with us and manage to make yourself a good life here.
Le système de consigne des bouteilles en Allemagne,est vraiment mieux.(J'habite pas loin). Le fait qu'il y'est une majorité de piste cyclable le long des routes en Allemagne facilite les déplacements.. l'Allemagne a des défauts aussi, n'en douter pas .
I used to think I would move back to France and sell insect screens. In France we grew up with mosquitoes in the bedroom in the summer, flies in the kitchen, spiders, daddy long legs and millipedes in the shower :-) Love the insect screens in the US!
I live in a little town (about 6000 inhabitants) in southern France not far from Spain. We have 8 (or maybe 9) boulangeries. One has the best bread but I buy my viennoiseries in another one. A third one has the best flans ever and very good sandwiches. There are two where I never set foot because they're not good. You start to "raler", that means you're integrating. Congratulations !!!
Hello, I live in the countryside as well but in the north of France. I think that the quality of pastries comes from the training of the pastry baker. In the countryside, many have a baker's diploma because it is important in the daily life of the French. They also make pastries but it is less "fine". This is the case of a bakery I know that makes wood-fired breads that are magnificent! Sometimes, it's the other way around, there are some who will be more specialized in pastry. When bakeries and pastry shops are larger, there is often both a baker and a pastry chef. They are artisans, each bakery and pastry shop is different even in the city. I prefer to buy my bread in one particular bakery and the cakes in another. That's my analysis, maybe I'm wrong? The bread freezes very well (I take out the slices and toast them in the toaster, it's very good). For cakes and pastries, I've never made ... maybe we should try for croissants etc. I don't have any insects inside the house except sometimes a spider like everywhere. I don't know why you have so many bugs.
@@marieadriansen2925 It's true , but 'im from Lille , and there is also a lot of mosquitos in summer, it's not as if you were in Siberia , there's only a few degrees difference.
For the bins, I live in the countryside in the north of France and there are only the glasses that you have to throw in a special bin. For the rest, the garbage service comes to the home. I have 3 different large bins for sorting. Perhaps I didn't understand everything you said? There are small farmers who have very low incomes or who are elderly and have more difficulty maintaining their buildings.
Do you have to carry all your garbage? I have not understood well and I do not know this system. If it's all the garbage, it's a very bad system. It is important to know that smallholder farmers have very low incomes and are struggling to get by economically. Est ce que vous devez porter toutes vos ordures ? Je n'ai pas bien compris et Je ne connais pas ce système. Si c'est toutes les poubelles, c'est un très mauvais système. Il est important de savoir que les petits agriculteurs ont de très faibles revenus et ont du mal à s’en sortir sur le plan économique
If you want to be quieter when you go to the market, you should go early in the morning, there will be fewer people Si vous voulez être plus tranquilles lorsque vous allez au marché, vous devriez y aller tôt le matin, il y aura moins de monde
In France, we must not forget that there are almost as many municipalities as in the rest of the EU countries. 35,000 french municipalities, 17,000 of which have fewer than 500 inhabitants. So these small municipalities are unable to organize public services with so little means.
@@momopirou3107 c'était pareil dans la plupart des pays sauf que les autres ont évolué mais pas la France. La Belgique dans les années 70 a connu une grande vague de fusion de communes, leur nombre a été divisé par 5 alors que pourtant elles étaient déjà bien plus peuplées en moyenne que les communues françaises. La France a quand même perdu 1500 communes ces 20 dernières années. à Ce rythme dans 800ans on devrait être à 3500 communes 😀
1. I live in the north of La Creuse. The hommes poubelle/ bin men/ trash collectors, arrive once a week to collect the rubbish. Every other Tuesday they collect the non-recyclable rubbish, every other Thursday they collect the recyclable rubbish. I have two bins with different coloured lids for both types of rubbish. 2. If there are two bakeries in a town or village, they are not allowed to go on holiday at the same time. Furthermore, French bread is superior to the bread which is commonly sold in the USA. 3. People have been leaving the French countryside for years because increasingly there is no work there for them. Houses are left abandoned, hence the run-down nature of many of the rural areas. In the more prosperous areas, Normandy, Artois, Picardy, Paris, Bordeaux and Toulouse for example, buidings are much better maintained, besides, there is an upside to the unkempt areas, houses are much cheaper! The converse is true in the prosperous areas. 4. As you say there is not a train station in every village. Thousands of kilometres of track were pulled up in the 1960s because the lines were uneconomic. The same happened in the UK. However, once you get to a mainline station you will be whisked away to your destination at high speed and in comfort.
Thank you for sharing and we all appreciate your positive (& balanced) view on things. One thing to note is, unlike the US, food in France (& rest of Europe, Africa and Asia for that matter) is less genetically processed. That translates to less incidences of diabetes, hypertension, etc. Ravi Peiris M.D.
You guys are near a larger city than me but I *like* living in Nyon, CH. I haven't been allowed to drive since 2018 (stroke) but I do not miss it either. When I lived in Livermore,CA, the nearest store was 5 miles away. That was also true for Colorado Springs, CO (MCI) , Austin, TX (IBM), and San Jose, CA, (PacBell). Nyon is a town, Geneva is the nearest big city. ;) What y'all are doing is immigrating, something a heartily recommend.Your daughter will be raising her own kid, before things straighten out in the States. Settle in, get comfy, and enjoy the show from a nice distance. PS. I *like* living in the oldest standing democracy in the world. Yes, I have a vote here too.
OCTOBER is THE one month of the year when plenty (really a lot) of bugs are flying around and massively invade houses. Just keep your windows and doors closed in October.
I'm surprised you though ttaht there would be a train station in every french village ... it exist nowhere in the world, commodity depends on the population density.
Are they supposed to know everything? In your opinion they should've know everything? Just like here in the US, I've lived in the CA, MA, and now WA state. I was surprised how moving from CA to Boston was like living in an entirely different country...and not one I liked. It was very closed off ethnocentric. I grew up around people of all races and last names that never set off alarm bells, "Oh, they're Italian" or Jewish, Irish, Armenian, Greek, etc..Also, in MA people like to brag about what college they attended. In CA it wasn't so much about the college you attended and more about whether you got the job done and worked hard. I was recruited to work in MA managing a department. Some people literally introduced themselves by the college they attended and their degree. I would say, "I'm sure you've made your parents very proud. I was 33 and attended a top private college in CA. Many people I worked with had PhD's, though we didn't call one another Doctor so and so. Everyone in MA called one another doctor and it was laughable.
Dudes. Bugs? You lived in Houston! They have the world's biggest Palmetto bugs/cockroaches on the planet, I am convinced. I live rural in CenTex Hill Country. Spiders are anytime, anywhere. As are moths indoors, no matter if there are screens on the door/windows (there are) or not. Luckily all the outside spiders eat the outside bugs. Except the scorpions... If I can just be rid of the scorpions in France? I'm good! Plus, spiders are the best insect "maintenance" tool, ever!
Your mention of French websites being poor is very true. Information may not be updated, sometimes for years! Even commerce sites for large companies can offer entirely fictitious stock levels which can lead to wasted journeys. The French can be bizarrely averse to email communication, and polite enquiries (in French!) can be completely ignored. On the other hand if you can make face to face contact with someone they'll often go out of their way to help you.
Petit conseil si vous voulez faire une activité sportive ou artistique dans votre région : allez au forum des associations de votre commune et celui de la grand commune la plus proche, ça a lieu à la rentrée de septembre le plus souvent. C'est le moment où toutes les associations présentent leurs activités et prennent les inscriptions pour les cours.
2:21 I am drooling..😂 where is this bakery please? All these foret noires.. it's my favorite cake of all time! Yes you're right for the bakeries. I've lived for years in a little village and it's when you travel to other cities and towns that you realise that some bakeries are much much better 😉 for the ants, don't bother much, to me I think they are associated to a healthy place. I wouldnt think the same if roaches were passing now and then...
Could you do a video on how utilities work there? I'm sure they are similar but for example is trash service the same? Do they pick up curb side? Do you need to take your recycles in? Is it different if you are from a bigger village vs a smaller one? Just an idea! Thank you for your content!
Hmm, it's French law that you have to have access to bread. We live in the middle of nowhere and they've installed fresh bread machines, supplied by local bakeries.. I agree about the rest though. Making money is not the primary objective at least around here. Enjoyment is the prime motivation. I love it here, (I came from the UK and will never go back).
This is why I want to live in Nice, Aix, Toulon or Marseille. But I'm not a countryside person. Its nice to visit but as I don't drive it's not feasible. Your place is lovely, though.
There are "industrial" bakeries, who buy frozen pastries from a catalogue or a representative, and artisanal bakeries and patisseries, who make everything themselves from scratch. The latest cost more and are found were money is, where high-end tourism is and where real estate is expensive. Same for spas, yoga studios, charming boutiques, easy walk-able places, and recycle pick-ups, you will find them in villages and small towns where real estate starts at 1 or 2 millions of euros.. Very funny for me, French, to listen to your video. Like most Americans, you have been taken by the illusion of a certain France, which exists only in videos, or in places where live the ultra-rich. France and French society are still very stratified, with many invisible codes, yet very present and tenacious.
I think more than half of the struggles you mention in this video have to do with the fact that you're in a small village in a touristy area. Bakeries, trash/recycling, and extra-curricular activities for the kids are all pretty easy here in L'Aisne. Between San Quentin, Soissons, and Laon, we have enough population to draw a decent amount of and variety of shops and services. (I used to live in a small village. Our house was directly across the road from the bakery. Breakfast was often purchased while in a dressing gown and slippers... unless they were closed for vacation. Then I had to go 7 or 8km to the next village.) But websites ... Yeah, they are often next to useless if they exist. I think that's a nation-wide condition. ...And I do have my yoga class --no kidding-- in a 17th century abbey that is now a catholic school. :)
I would like to make your life a bit easier and also that you understand it a little more: Why do we Europeans separate trash and our consciences feel good about having done something good? 😊 Although we also find it a little bit stressful from time to time. But over the years you get used to it. By the way, we've been doing this for over 50 years. Why do we do it? Here is an explanation: As Europeans, our conscience is very environmentally awake. We like to take care of our soils. Because if the soil is contaminated, our food is also contaminated. Very healthy food and festive eating is very important in France. That's why we take care of our air. Factories have filtration systems for their chimneys. Likewise for the wastewater that flows into the rivers. Even cars have catalysts. We don't like so much polluted air. Therefore we want to avoid acid rain, which makes the soil acidic. But, we wish to obtain healthier air and soils. So that our next generations still have a future. That's the reason we separate trash, because of our love for our children. Why also on top of that? We don't have thousands of thousands of acres of arable land available. I hope I could help you and trashing will be a bit easier in the future. Love, Esther
Based on my conversations with French friends, the real national sport of France is not football (soccer) but complaining. I think you won’t be fully assimilated until you learn to complain a lot more. Overall, your life in the French countryside seems better than my (past) experience of living in the American countryside.
Hey a little off topic but I've been watching your videos, great info and presentation thank you. I wanted to ask about specifics to the visa process. On renting your first place that you use as proof of address, for exactly how long did you stay in your first place? The whole fist 3 months? Did you use Airbnb? you had to show you had obtained a residence in France. You mentioned Airbnb and this tab thing on the site to provide proof of address and I can't seem find it on the Airbnb website, do I need to have a booked place for this option ? And I assume you were able to receive mail to this address or did you move to another place first and use the other place as your address for the process of getting you social security numbers and then your medical card? It seem you guys moved a lot before getting the house? Which makes total sense when you are looking for the right place to live. But i was thinking id get an Airbnb for the initial Visa application and then begin a search for a long term rental once in France. My goal os to arrive around this time next year. Lots of good vibes to you guys. Thanks for your patience and help. You really are helping a lot. 💪👌👍
Why did you decide on living in the countryside in a quiet region out of curiosity ?
25 днів тому
Hi ! Thank you for all your videos. I would like to know more about your professional experiences, about work ethics, are your revenues higher or lower than in the US, and also : as the US are the most innovative nation in the world, were you afraid, or are you now, to be left behind in your whole career, I mean not being at the right place at the right moment ? Was this a question ?
Nice to see you become more critical to bakeries. Starting to differentiate between good or excellent ones for tourists / new residents and more "experienced" citizens. I bet you won't even taste some of what you ate upon arriving. Trash in France and Europe in general is becoming a bit of a hassle. I do understand the thinking behind but all the sorting we're doing don't always translate in the recycling cycle. But it does improve recycling and trash collecting companies profits. Less employees as people do the work employees used to do.
In countryside 90% of trash collecting is made by "communautés de communes" owned services. They don't make profits., they just try to find solutions for not rising trash tax due to higher gas/transportation prices and more demanding sanitary treatment of the trash.
If you live in a small town in France OR in the US, you will find the same "non existing" things: no drugstore (pharmacy), bakery and butcher (for France only, these do not exist in 99% of villages in the US), literally there are plenty of nothings in villages in BOTH countries. You will not find a bus, train station, airport next to you. Face it, you wanted to live in a small, isolated place, so, you will find missing a lot of convenient things in BOTH countries. That is the life that you chose. Enjoy it with its pleasures it offers, and do not grumble about what does not exist.
I haven’t seen this mentioned by content creators yet- how religion is in your face in the US versus FR. How schools “indoctrinate” kids in the US with the daily morning pledge of allegiance, which contains the word God. I’m in MI and don’t feel this way but was in a debate with FR woman living in the US who seemed quite upset by Christianity being so prevalent in US politics/government . Pew statistics confirmed what she was saying which surprised me- 56% in US vs 11% in FR think religion is important to them. FR is far more secular.
It's because our nation was founded on Christian religious principles, from the founding fathers. Our coins have "In God We Trust" imprinted. But we also have freedom of religion, so all are free to worship as they see fit. Note that God is not only Christianity as most religions worship God in some fashion. Children are not forced to repeat the pledge, but should be taught civics and understand the history, principles and origin of the country.
I gotta say---septic tanks, bugs, not everything open whenever you want it...etc. This is more Countryside living vs urban living. These don't really seem to be Franco-specific issues.
I see that you’re living in the real countryside, somewhere in the southwest of France. From your description, not even in a village, but reasonably close to one. That usually means no real public transport system like in a city with high frequency buses. Fewer shopping choices. So,you’ll depend more on car driving than you probably expected. For that you’d have to live in large cities : in Paris, fewer than 20% households own a car nowadays. And you trash situation seems very specific to your area : in mine, every house has regular and recycling trash cans, atty the garbage trucks come to collect every other week. For glass, yes, it’s usually a shared one you have to walk or drive to. And spiders : well I’m sure you had some in the US. At least, you don’t have to worry about a rattlesnake. 😉
Insects are part of a healthy ecosystem. A country where there were no insects would be worrying. A quick check on French sources says: "Without insects, humans would lose on average 30% of their global food crops. Vegetables and fruits such as apples, the cabbage family, cocoa, or strawberries would disappear." ... "80% of plants depend on pollination." ... "Insects are essential and have a major place in the proper functioning of our ecosystems. In France, 7,500 insects are affected by the agricultural sector, including 5,500 as direct help." About boulangerie, putting candies on top of pastries as 'decorations' is absolute cr*p, not qualitative at all.
It's true that if you are looking for a course or an activity, especially in the countryside, you have to ask either at the town hall, or at the tourist office which will guide you a little and then either in the associations that offer activities, or in music schools or others, Often the people who offer lessons leave a leaflet or talk about it (maybe not enough in your case) but don't have a lot of information. always a website. We're used to doing it like this, but it must be confusing for Americans who aren't used to it and don't know what to look like. How do you do it in the United States?
Moved to France a week ago, still in our AirBnB…I can tell you that one thing that bothers me that you mentioned in a previous video - SQAURE PILLOWS!!! These are so frustrating!
Ok, as a designer in the US, I have to laugh at the square pillows debacle. I have used square pillows for years to be the backdrop pillows on beds. The rectangular pillows (to use for sleeping) are usually under the bedcover or stacked in front, then a few decorative accents pillows to finish off the look, giving a three layer visual. All decorative pillows are set aside for sleeping.
Not the ants, but spiders, yes, and bigger than normal. We see them whenever we are in France and get used to the bugs. Closing hours or seasonal closings are really annoying. Walking is dangerous. There are pads in the vineyards, it's okay, but the sidewalk is so different and dangerous on country roads. Walking out to eat at a restaurant just 2km away is not fun. I love to walk so I can drink a glass of good wine.
It is not possible to have the same services in the countryside and in the city. The socio-economic context must be taken into account. The countryside has advantages and disadvantages, it's true that you have to be aware of them if you're a foreigner. If there aren't more bakeries outside the tourist season, I think it's because there aren't enough customers. The same goes for transport, etc. Small farmers have very low incomes and do what they can, they also have to adapt to their economic reality. Il n'est pas possible d'avoir les mêmes services à la campagne et en ville. Il faut tenir compte du contexte socioéconomique. La campagne a des avantages et des inconvénients , c'est vrai qu'il faut en être conscient si on est étranger. S'il n'y a pas plus de boulangeries hors saison touristique, je pense que c'est parce qu'il n'y a pas suffisamment de clients. Pareil pour les transports etc. Les petits agriculteurs ont des très petits revenus et font ce qu'ils peuvent, ils doivent aussi s'adapter à leur réalité économique.
"Living in the French countryside is different from living small town USA"? Really? So you have never lived in small town Arizona. Despite having a recent high-end house , here is the list of what we find outside and inside the house, despite the window and french doors screens: scorpions, black windows, brown recluses, tarantulas (harmless but huge), cockroaches, fire ants, carpenter ants, wasps, giant centipedes, small snakes, and all kinds of hideous and dangerous spiders you find only in Arizona. The list is smaller for small town California or Texas, but still pretty creepy. More you spray, more you nuke these and more you destabilize the natural balance. Have some clear plastic containers, a piece of cardboard, catch them and release them gently far from your home. You will never be bitten or stung. There is Intelligence in Nature.
⏩⏩⏩Actually, in France, it's usually said that having common spiders inside your home means your house has a healthy environnment because these spiders don't like too much humidity and polluted environnments. Moreover, they can help you regulate other unwanted bugs. 😉
Yes to all! The trash dumping was an excellent excuse to monitor my food consumption and buying addiction 😂 now I am aware of what I buy/get rid of because I actually have to carry it out of the house and sort it out before disposing it. I live in a small village (less than 1k ppl) and I was thrilled to find out that we have TWO bakeries, la poste, a corner U market, a barbershop, a legumes shop, an ATM and a pizzeria😊 Everything is closed on Sundays, and most of the shops close everyday after 1230😅except for the pizzeria, that one only opens from 18-2200 and is closed on Mondays.
If you could do the move to France all over again, what you do anything differently? I bet you learned a lot along the way, so anything you learned but didn't expect?
Thrash : stinky things ... i do not know what special businesss you are having at home .. :D, but your should ... put all your food remains, (potato skins for example) but also papers, paper board, wood... etc in a box in your yard, you'll use it as a fertiliser the next year when it will be compost.
Actually, spiders will not stay in actually dirty place. And by dirty I don’t mean dusty. I mean like moist/greasy. So yes, cleaning is not gonna help chase them away, they’ll just be like : 🕷️ : Awe thanks for cleaning up 😘
Ya 36000 communes en France imaginer il y a une gare dans chacune d entre elles semble etrange .Les fermiers utilisent des engins modernes pas des tracteurs du 19eme siele n a rien de surprenant. J ai l impression que cette video c est un peu chercher la petite bete histoire de faire une video.
That is a big spider, we had them but much smaller! The country is much better , living in big and small cities all over the world. Won't change a bit my Morbihan !!!
Bonjour!! Please read:
We've realized based on the comments we gave NO context for this video! Especially for those of you who might be new.
To be clear: we LOVE living in the French countryside. But not everything is perfect...it never is, anywhere.
We make so many videos that are overwhelming positive about living in France, we thought it was fair to make a video about some things that are different than we know many of our fellow Americans imagine them to be and maybe even a little annoying, even if totally worth it.
We want our channel to be a place that is real about the experience of living in France, as much as can be when sharing only a few minutes of life here. That includes everything.
Thanks for watching! ❤ - Raina and Jason
It's always better to be aware of the disadvantages. Your point of view may also be interesting for us French
Ce n'est pas la peine de vous excuser!
About the activities (yoga, sport of any kind and all the things you can imagine - quilt, sewing, stamp collection etc), most of the towns including small ones are having a "journée des associations " generally after summer. And you can choose one or several among what's available. Some municipal teams are very dynamic...
About the bugs and insects, hopefully, you didn't go in Spain. I remember a house we rented some years ago and during the night, some huuuuge cockroaches were going around us 😱 I was told they are everywhere there, no matter the cleanliness of houses.
The big spiders are called "Tégénaire" and are friendly, don't chase or hurt them. They'll never bite you, and are fearful. They are your best friend to keep your home clean of mosquito, fly, bug.
Oui. Pareil pour les pholques. Ceci étant, c'est toujours un émoi de tomber sur ces bestioles! 😊
Even when we know they are harmless we are still terrified of them😂😂
I guess the presence or absence of insects depend on pesticides used by farmers, farms and agricultural holdings (extensive or not). You can't know it but years ago, when I was a little child, there were even more insects in the countryside. They are all disappearing little by little.
Just imagine that here in France, in 30 years, we lost 70% of insects. In Germany, it is 80%.
So, if you have insects in your house or properties, well, I won't tell you to "cherish" them, but it means that there are less pesticides used in your area.
Think of it 😉
Love this perspective ! Merci!
@@BaguetteBound Except asian hornets. Those ones, you can kill them (and make kill the nest by a specialist). I know there are a lot in your department (they arrived in Europe first in Bordeaux, so they're very populous in the south west). They are a real plague, they're invasive and they kill other insects (especially apis mellifera, the domestic bee, and other pollinators).
Si dans une prochaine vidéo, vous vous mettez à râler : c'est que, ça y est, vous êtes devenu français...
😂
Ça y est je crois 😂
@@marieadriansen2925 T'as été adoptée !!!
Je suis française et je ne râle pas ...j'espère qu'ils ne le feront pas
LolLol, beaucoup de gens nous disaient que nous donnons trop souvent l'impression que tout est parfait. Alors voilà !😂
In France, we say "want the butter and the money of the butter" and sometimes add "and also the dairywoman ". I lived in small villages with less than 200 people without shops. It took 10 km to go to a small town of 3,000 people and 50 km to go to a big city. It was a choice. For the garbage I learned over time that it is best to produce as little as possible for nature and because it costs more and more to treat them . And a spider is a sign that the house is healthy. They hate moisture. As you write, nothing is ever perfect.
Some of the points you make are maybe specific to the area that you're living? I'm on the South coast, not far from Narbonne. The village here has numerous recycling points and none are controlled by card or anything like that.
We've got 2 boulangeries, a small supermarket, a restaurant, a pizza and burger takeaway, a hairdressers, a tabac, a grocers shop and a bar, in a village/small town of 3500 people, but we're surrounded by vineyards.
One of the first things we learned was to stop comparing everything to the UK (where we moved from). We moved for a change of life, to get out of the rat race. The pivotal moment for me was when I stopped referring to our trips back to the UK as "going home", but started referring to our return to our home in France as "coming home". Vive la difference. 😎
Curious to know which town you live in?
@@LisaMoo54 - I'm in Salles D'Aude, between Beziers and Narbonne.
En France on dit que les araignées ne vivent que dans les maisons saines, donc bienvenue à elles!
Love all of your videos. We can't wait to move there in a couple of years. We're learning a lot from your experience
Bonjour Baguette Bound, Raina and Jason! Great videos. We are learning so much!! Merci! Dean & Cindy
I often watch your videos and you're always smiling and super positive about France and where you live so I think it's fair that you talk a little bit about the downside of living in the countryside 😊
and all of the points you made are true, that's also why a lot of french people don't want to live in a village so it's important to show to foreigners how it really is in the countryside !
Exactly! Some of the comments above are rude. They're letting primarily US citizens what to expect. I can say we live in the US in an area with a lot of spiders. My wife and kids scream when they see a spider, so it's up to me to take care of them. Now, seeing all the bugs they show in the French countryside isn't something we could live with in our home. I appreciate they're letting us know what to expect.
Spiders are very useful, do not kill them!
What a strange idea to need a yoga session when one can enjoy Nature...
thank you for this reality check. SO many of us are enamored with the picturesque scenes that we see in movies but it can be quite different when u actually get there!
It's still completely worth it to us. But we also think we need to talk about the whole picture.
Thanks, guys. We in SC USA are accustomed to insects, even the large cockroach, named Palmetto bugs, from The Palmetto state (SC). The difference I see in France when we were there in spring, was no screens. We hope to move next year to SW France so will be adding screens of some sort. We try to keep insects outside if possible.
@@joistannertasidrealtor9334 those screens are called "moustiquaire" if you ever need to buy some in france.
Congratulations, you just realized that you live in a real country and not in Disney land.👍
what an ignorant comment.
That's rude. They've been living there for two plus years and only letting people in the US clearly understand differences.
Hi,
One thing you didn’t mention, but it’s true of any country lifestyle : animals. Roosters crow, manure smells, farmers start work early. Here in Burgundy, it’s time to fertilize the vines. The favored fertilizer is well-rotted pig manure. Our town has acquired a certain air about it that usually lasts until first frost. In the heat of summer it means being awakened by the sounds of tractors cultivating, cutting, or spraying vines as early as 4 AM. If you don’t understand these things, it can cause difficulties. Yes, I complain about them, but I know that I’m not likely to change them. Well, with the exception of the 4AM bit. I politely asked the farmer/vigneron to till his parcels away from the village first, and leave the bit right behind the houses until 6 at least. He’s a good neighbor, so he complied.
As for finding services, the best advertisement is word of mouth, and the best announcers are your neighbors. Need a plumber (for your dodgy septic system) ask your neighbors who they would use. Ditto for the other services and activities you might want or need. As always, integrating into the community is a must, especially in a small town.
Cheers
So many good points in this video. My husband and I have talked for a year about whether we should buy our retirement property in the countryside, a village, or a small city in France. As appealing as a home in the French countryside seems, we determined that, at our age of retirement and with our desire to travel, our best option would be to buy an apartment or townhouse in a small city. We are looking in Tours in the Loire Valley. It's just the right size, with great public transportation and good walkability to markets, restaurants and such. We currently live in a countryside home about an hour outside of Washington, DC. It's beautiful, and we love it, but it has its cons as well. Keep up the great content! We love your videos!
Tours est déjà une grande ville et donc tous ses inconvénients.
En France, dès 10 000 habitants, normalement vous avez quasiment toutes les commodités (plusieurs supermarchés, DIY store, doctor, dentist, lawyer, train station, sewerage, trash collected in front of your home, little hospital ...)
This was exactly why we wanted to make it - we love the French countryside, but the things we mentioned are things I think not every American would love about it. Our goal is to inform. 🙂
Thanks for watching and good luck with your move!!
Tours is a very nice city and the surroundings are gorgeous, you will love it!
I live in Tours. It’s a gorgeous region. If you compare to a village it’s quite big. The urban area (Communauté de communes) is about 500k people. The city itself is ~140k. Of course there is everything you need. A good compromise close to Tours between a rural and an urban area is a city like Amboise (or Vendôme). It's about an hour in high speed train from Paris.
@gabelov We have a trip planned for next year to spend a few weeks in Tours and get a vibe for town-living in Amboise, Langeais and Loches, as well. Since we will be retirees, having access to good healthcare nearby is something to consider, which is one reason Tours is very appealing. The TGV in Tours is also a big plus for travel. Amboise is beautiful and definitely on our list to consider. We have about 2 years to decide and find a place before we retire. For now, it's really fun to investigate, learn from others, and make our plans.
You are starting to "complain" like real French people.
That's a good sign! You are "assimilating".
Don't hesitate, on occasion, to try this national sport called "the demonstration".
Yes, perfection is not of this world.
Thank you for your videos.
Soon they gonna look for fax niche 🤣🤣
Our second national sport after complaining ^_^
Hello to you both! Just wanted to say that we love your videos and can relate. My wife and I also moved to France in 22! And we are not that far away from each other. Keep up the great work and take care.
Spiders are our friends ! 🕷😃 they kill mosquitos and others litlle bugs
Les français n'aiment pas être envahis par les publicités et les démarchages des compagnies commerciales, cette publicité est donc très réglementée, c'est pourquoi vous devez faire vous-même les démarches pour trouver une activité sportive ou culturelle, concernant les poubelles il s'agit de responsabilité individuelle, il est bien trop facile et déresponsabilisant de tout avoir à sa porte ....
ads for yoga, baby-sitter, violin teacher ... can be found at the bakery . or butcher shop. if open . 😊
Je vois pas en quoi avoir 2 poubelles avec 2 compartiments différents et faire le tri directement chez soi serait " déresponsabilisant " ?
J'ai du mal à comprendre pourquoi dans certains coins comme le sud ouest faut encore se galérer à aller porter ses bouteilles dans une sorte de " mini-déchetterie " au coin de la rue plutôt que d'avoir un système de ramassage efficace qui fait le tri directement dans le camion comme on a dans plein d'autres coins en France ... en tous cas dans le Nord région Lilloise , ça fait 30 ans que ça marche comme ça.
in fact these activities are much less commercial in France with many associations that communicate locally within mairies, or with word of mouth
Peut-être mais concernant le sujet des ordures ménagères, c'est du grand n'importe quoi. Cela varie beaucoup d'une communauté de communes à l'autre et les tarifs ont fait un bon incroyable pour de moins en moins de service!
Ex : 190 € de taxe annuelle pour 12 passages dans l'année alors qu'il y a quelques années nous payions 50 € pour 2 passages par semaine, chercher le loup!
évidemment lorsqu'on proteste, nous nous voyons rétorquer que nous sommes bien les seuls à nous plaindre et que tout le monde est très satisfait...
Aah, the charms of the countryside! You are lucky with the kind of farming in your area. Vineyards and orchards are rather pleasant compared to pig or dairy cattle breeding, sugar beet harvest gives also a potent smell . There are many funny (not for everyone) stories about French people from large cities, generally known as "parisiens" even if they don't come from Paris, moving into small villages, complaining about the noise of roosters, church bells, smells.
I spent the summer of 1985 in the southwest of France. Loved it. I was 25 and it seemed like such a better quality of life than the US. My opinion has not changed
In the past, French people would never have bought a house fi they didn't find any spider in it, because a house was considered "healthy" if there were spiders.
So many have said this...I'm gett7ng a new appreciation for our spiders! Thank you!
@@BaguetteBound Spiders are natural insecticides...
It's a countryside thing. Popular density is low, so no point to collect litter daily, no frequent public transport.
Thanks for keeping it real😆
I am in Toulouse at the moment at the tail end of my 6 week exploration of France. I want to retire here and was hoping to get a feel for the type of location that would be right for me. And I have reached some clarity. I’m NOT a big city person. I’d rather live in a smaller town and visit cities when the need and mood strikes. But I have discovered the importance of being in or near a good size town that doesn’t ‘die’ in the off season. So far, Bergerac, Agen, Villeneuve-sur-Lot, are the types and sizes on my radar. I have learned a lot and now know that I will need a car even if I only use it once a week, that I will likely live on the edges of a bigger town or in a village with some services, and to NEVER drive in the bigger cities (not that much of an adrenaline junky!) your advice from previous vlogs about not placing too much importance on needing a Train station was good. However the train system is great, and I do want to be within 20-30 minutes from one…thanks for keeping it real!
So glad you had time here to figure out the right fit for you before choosing a long term spot! Because everything you mention, it's individual and no one can tell you what is going to feel the most like home...you have to know for yourself.
Amazing and good luck with all that comes next!
We are near Villeneuve sur lot. 2 years here. We like Agen. A good train station. Parking lot. Not an overwhelming city ( we are from NYC). Nice museum there too. Pretty areas all around. Plus prefecture is there for govt paperwork!
Perigueux, Albi 😀
One must mention South west of France is known to be a remote place, either to retire, for holidays, enjoying doing nothing looking at landscapes, for foodies and tranquility seekers. A gorgeous place though. Some other countrysides have more services although it's true public services decreased everywhere in the recent decades.
Hello Baguette bound. I live less than 3 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean in cape May NJ but not on the over developed island of CM itself. I live in a farm house built in 1890. Systems, electrics, plumbing, windows and structure have been upgraded but I still have a well and septic system. No sidewalks around here but ants, ticks, flees, hornets carpenter bees abound outside of winter. Beautiful sunset and fabulous tomatoes and vegetables everywhere in season.
I’ve been looking into buying a house in France perhaps in southwest Brittany, Rochechouart, or the Saint-Mathieu areas. You’re a family while I live alone. Still I’m trying to not be very discouraged by your post today. My point is everywhere there are downsides.
Please keep your posts coming and I appreciate your efforts to provide full disclosure.
Regrettably i had to postpone my exploratory trip due to severe sinus infection. Im planning on rescheduling sometime after the new year.
All best to the three of you. Joe and Gigi.
In laws have a holiday home in central Brittany. My advice , take your time, be careful not to limit yourself to English speaking agents. A tactic we found years ago is they will start with the worst properties and end with a magnificent recently updated one, which they or a ‘friend’ happen to own. That derelict property next door that you presume will be remodelled soon may well stay like that for 40 years.
Thank you so much. We just completed our house in Medillac, and are looking forward to moving there, but also want a realistic idea of what it will REALLY be like to live there. Thanks. ❤
@@peterchapman9423
I wish you a happy life in France ! I’m sure you’ll enjoy it overall, with all its ups and downs. 😚
I’m from France but lived in the US and now in Canada. You already know that but nowhere is perfect. However, if I had to chose between living in the US or France, I’d definitely chose France.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved the US and still live to visit. But the « downs » of living in the the US (in my opinion) when it comes to work life balance, healthcare, daycare, education etc. Are waaaay worst than any « downs » of living in France.
Now if I was really wealthy, I’d probably go for the US 😆
@@EliasBacBen faut rentrer alors...
@@gabelov je suis bien à Montreal pour le moment. Puis je travail pour un compagnie aérienne alors je rentre en France gratis plusieurs fois par ans 😆
Try to have a lot of little birds in your garden, they like to eat spiders. Feed the birds to attract them
Yes, of course, Euros bills are not falling from trees and these villages and small town have to work with limited budgets, especially when there are no sizeable businesses bringing much needed local taxes.
Everything is a tradeoff: Having a big enough home with a good yard, at a low price often means being further away from more lively areas.
In French countryside, you definitely need a car.
Thank you for your nice videos.❤ Dumping has become more and more difficult and expensive too. My sister lives in a very small village and is not able to drive. So, most of the time, her trash stays behind her house until a nice neighbour takes it to the station, 10 km away. The day to go there must be chosen with care as, very often, the bins are full. 😢
Un délire...
J'imagine le boulanger de leur village qui découvre cette vidéo :)
Il ne va pas regarder. C'est vrai qu'il y a des boulangeries plus ou moins bonnes ou que l'on aime moins, c'est normal.
@@marieadriansen2925 Oui malheureusement le savoir-faire des boulangeries se perd, chez moi le pain de chez Lidl est meilleur que la plupart des boulangeries de la commune et bien moins cher qui plus est.
I live in cape may nj and it is impossible to buy real bread. The plastic bag stuff is everywhere. So, I make my own baguettes, boules, pan loafs, brioche and focaccia. I know exactly what’s in it and my friends love it too. Simple solution for me.
Thanks for getting real! I'm still in the States but spent a month in a little medieval town in the Southwest of France and experienced some of the things you mentioned. We are very spoiled here in the States with curbside trash pick-up weekly and biweekly recycling of both organic waste and hard goods (like plastic, glass, wood, and paper).
Honeymoon’s over 😂 you complain you will soon be totally french 😂 ❤️
There are a lot of trade offs to consider when deciding to living in a city or the country side. There's no perfect situation.
You're very right that there are a lot of bad industrial bakeries, or even no bakeries at all in small villages. I think you made that point in another video.
Train stations or post offices tend ti disappear from small villages. Even schools. France is getting poorer overall and may not have the resources to fund all this public services unfortunately. Another big issue can be healthcare. Some sectors have no hospitals nearby, and sometimes even no family doctors.
I think you would find more carte postale villages in provence but that would be more expensive too.
Regarding things like sport clubs, many of these are non lucrative and not businesses like in the US. They will be cheaper, but you can't have the same expectations. For instance, my boxing club in NYC cost me 200 dollars a months, but 300 euros a year in France. In France there were less sessions, and they close in the summer. I personally prefer the vibe of a non lucrative club, it makes for more genuine relationships.
Despite all these issues, i hope you'll stay with us and manage to make yourself a good life here.
Interesting and very accurate analysis Analyse intéressante et très juste
Le système de consigne des bouteilles en Allemagne,est vraiment mieux.(J'habite pas loin).
Le fait qu'il y'est une majorité de piste cyclable le long des routes en Allemagne facilite les déplacements.. l'Allemagne a des défauts aussi, n'en douter pas .
I used to think I would move back to France and sell insect screens. In France we grew up with mosquitoes in the bedroom in the summer, flies in the kitchen, spiders, daddy long legs and millipedes in the shower :-) Love the insect screens in the US!
I live in a little town (about 6000 inhabitants) in southern France not far from Spain. We have 8 (or maybe 9) boulangeries. One has the best bread but I buy my viennoiseries in another one. A third one has the best flans ever and very good sandwiches. There are two where I never set foot because they're not good. You start to "raler", that means you're integrating. Congratulations !!!
What town?
Hello, I live in the countryside as well but in the north of France. I think that the quality of pastries comes from the training of the pastry baker. In the countryside, many have a baker's diploma because it is important in the daily life of the French. They also make pastries but it is less "fine". This is the case of a bakery I know that makes wood-fired breads that are magnificent! Sometimes, it's the other way around, there are some who will be more specialized in pastry. When bakeries and pastry shops are larger, there is often both a baker and a pastry chef. They are artisans, each bakery and pastry shop is different even in the city. I prefer to buy my bread in one particular bakery and the cakes in another. That's my analysis, maybe I'm wrong? The bread freezes very well (I take out the slices and toast them in the toaster, it's very good). For cakes and pastries, I've never made ... maybe we should try for croissants etc. I don't have any insects inside the house except sometimes a spider like everywhere. I don't know why you have so many bugs.
You're not wrong , you're totally right about bread and pastry specialists
Special tips , if you love toasted bred , try to put some " beurre demi-sel " on it ... enjoy :)
There are also probably fewer insects in the north of France because it is less hot
@@marieadriansen2925 It's true , but 'im from Lille , and there is also a lot of mosquitos in summer, it's not as if you were in Siberia , there's only a few degrees difference.
Freezing is really a good solution for me to have good fresh bread every day.
For the bins, I live in the countryside in the north of France and there are only the glasses that you have to throw in a special bin. For the rest, the garbage service comes to the home. I have 3 different large bins for sorting. Perhaps I didn't understand everything you said?
There are small farmers who have very low incomes or who are elderly and have more difficulty maintaining their buildings.
Do you have to carry all your garbage? I have not understood well and I do not know this system. If it's all the garbage, it's a very bad system. It is important to know that smallholder farmers have very low incomes and are struggling to get by economically. Est ce que vous devez porter toutes vos ordures ? Je n'ai pas bien compris et Je ne connais pas ce système. Si c'est toutes les poubelles, c'est un très mauvais système. Il est important de savoir que les petits agriculteurs ont de très faibles revenus et ont du mal à s’en sortir sur le plan économique
If you want to be quieter when you go to the market, you should go early in the morning, there will be fewer people Si vous voulez être plus tranquilles lorsque vous allez au marché, vous devriez y aller tôt le matin, il y aura moins de monde
In France, we must not forget that there are almost as many municipalities as in the rest of the EU countries.
35,000 french municipalities, 17,000 of which have fewer than 500 inhabitants. So these small municipalities are unable to organize public services with so little means.
ah tiens, je n'en avais aucune idée.
je me demande bien quelle peut en etre la cause.
@@momopirou3107 c'était pareil dans la plupart des pays sauf que les autres ont évolué mais pas la France. La Belgique dans les années 70 a connu une grande vague de fusion de communes, leur nombre a été divisé par 5 alors que pourtant elles étaient déjà bien plus peuplées en moyenne que les communues françaises.
La France a quand même perdu 1500 communes ces 20 dernières années. à Ce rythme dans 800ans on devrait être à 3500 communes 😀
@@martel56 interessant, merci de l'info et d'avoir pris le temps de répondre!.
1. I live in the north of La Creuse. The hommes poubelle/ bin men/ trash collectors, arrive once a week to collect the rubbish. Every other Tuesday they collect the non-recyclable rubbish, every other Thursday they collect the recyclable rubbish. I have two bins with different coloured lids for both types of rubbish.
2. If there are two bakeries in a town or village, they are not allowed to go on holiday at the same time. Furthermore, French bread is superior to the bread which is commonly sold in the USA.
3. People have been leaving the French countryside for years because increasingly there is no work there for them. Houses are left abandoned, hence the run-down nature of many of the rural areas. In the more prosperous areas, Normandy, Artois, Picardy, Paris, Bordeaux and Toulouse for example, buidings are much better maintained, besides, there is an upside to the unkempt areas, houses are much cheaper! The converse is true in the prosperous areas.
4. As you say there is not a train station in every village. Thousands of kilometres of track were pulled up in the 1960s because the lines were uneconomic. The same happened in the UK. However, once you get to a mainline station you will be whisked away to your destination at high speed and in comfort.
Thank you for sharing and we all appreciate your positive (& balanced) view on things. One thing to note is, unlike the US, food in France (& rest of Europe, Africa and Asia for that matter) is less genetically processed. That translates to less incidences of diabetes, hypertension, etc.
Ravi Peiris M.D.
You guys are near a larger city than me but I *like* living in Nyon, CH. I haven't been allowed to drive since 2018 (stroke) but I do not miss it either. When I lived in Livermore,CA, the nearest store was 5 miles away. That was also true for Colorado Springs, CO (MCI) , Austin, TX (IBM), and San Jose, CA, (PacBell). Nyon is a town, Geneva is the nearest big city. ;) What y'all are doing is immigrating, something a heartily recommend.Your daughter will be raising her own kid, before things straighten out in the States. Settle in, get comfy, and enjoy the show from a nice distance.
PS. I *like* living in the oldest standing democracy in the world. Yes, I have a vote here too.
I agree with everything that you said except for the trash part
Compared to other countries in Europe they don’t take the recycling very seriously ..
OCTOBER is THE one month of the year when plenty (really a lot) of bugs are flying around and massively invade houses.
Just keep your windows and doors closed in October.
I'm surprised you though ttaht there would be a train station in every french village ... it exist nowhere in the world, commodity depends on the population density.
Are they supposed to know everything? In your opinion they should've know everything?
Just like here in the US, I've lived in the CA, MA, and now WA state. I was surprised how moving from CA to Boston was like living in an entirely different country...and not one I liked. It was very closed off ethnocentric. I grew up around people of all races and last names that never set off alarm bells, "Oh, they're Italian" or Jewish, Irish, Armenian, Greek, etc..Also, in MA people like to brag about what college they attended. In CA it wasn't so much about the college you attended and more about whether you got the job done and worked hard. I was recruited to work in MA managing a department. Some people literally introduced themselves by the college they attended and their degree. I would say, "I'm sure you've made your parents very proud. I was 33 and attended a top private college in CA. Many people I worked with had PhD's, though we didn't call one another Doctor so and so. Everyone in MA called one another doctor and it was laughable.
Dudes. Bugs? You lived in Houston! They have the world's biggest Palmetto bugs/cockroaches on the planet, I am convinced. I live rural in CenTex Hill Country. Spiders are anytime, anywhere. As are moths indoors, no matter if there are screens on the door/windows (there are) or not. Luckily all the outside spiders eat the outside bugs. Except the scorpions... If I can just be rid of the scorpions in France? I'm good! Plus, spiders are the best insect "maintenance" tool, ever!
No scorpions in France!
The Houston comment made us laugh. It's true.
There are some tiny minuscule scorpions in provence (the size of a big french spider) but nothing to worry about.
We have no scorpions in France.
Your mention of French websites being poor is very true. Information may not be updated, sometimes for years! Even commerce sites for large companies can offer entirely fictitious stock levels which can lead to wasted journeys. The French can be bizarrely averse to email communication, and polite enquiries (in French!) can be completely ignored. On the other hand if you can make face to face contact with someone they'll often go out of their way to help you.
And that is why we closed our Paris office and doubled down on London. It was outrageous.
Petit conseil si vous voulez faire une activité sportive ou artistique dans votre région : allez au forum des associations de votre commune et celui de la grand commune la plus proche, ça a lieu à la rentrée de septembre le plus souvent. C'est le moment où toutes les associations présentent leurs activités et prennent les inscriptions pour les cours.
2:21 I am drooling..😂 where is this bakery please? All these foret noires.. it's my favorite cake of all time! Yes you're right for the bakeries. I've lived for years in a little village and it's when you travel to other cities and towns that you realise that some bakeries are much much better 😉 for the ants, don't bother much, to me I think they are associated to a healthy place. I wouldnt think the same if roaches were passing now and then...
Could you do a video on how utilities work there? I'm sure they are similar but for example is trash service the same? Do they pick up curb side? Do you need to take your recycles in? Is it different if you are from a bigger village vs a smaller one? Just an idea! Thank you for your content!
Hmm, it's French law that you have to have access to bread. We live in the middle of nowhere and they've installed fresh bread machines, supplied by local bakeries.. I agree about the rest though. Making money is not the primary objective at least around here. Enjoyment is the prime motivation. I love it here, (I came from the UK and will never go back).
This is why I want to live in Nice, Aix, Toulon or Marseille. But I'm not a countryside person. Its nice to visit but as I don't drive it's not feasible. Your place is lovely, though.
A friend told me lately, where there are spiders there is no moister. Spiders don't like wet aereas.
There are "industrial" bakeries, who buy frozen pastries from a catalogue or a representative, and artisanal bakeries and patisseries, who make everything themselves from scratch. The latest cost more and are found were money is, where high-end tourism is and where real estate is expensive. Same for spas, yoga studios, charming boutiques, easy walk-able places, and recycle pick-ups, you will find them in villages and small towns where real estate starts at 1 or 2 millions of euros.. Very funny for me, French, to listen to your video. Like most Americans, you have been taken by the illusion of a certain France, which exists only in videos, or in places where live the ultra-rich. France and French society are still very stratified, with many invisible codes, yet very present and tenacious.
Spiders in a house are friends... against bugs :)
It's all in the details, isn't it Jason, you look tired😄.
I think more than half of the struggles you mention in this video have to do with the fact that you're in a small village in a touristy area. Bakeries, trash/recycling, and extra-curricular activities for the kids are all pretty easy here in L'Aisne. Between San Quentin, Soissons, and Laon, we have enough population to draw a decent amount of and variety of shops and services.
(I used to live in a small village. Our house was directly across the road from the bakery. Breakfast was often purchased while in a dressing gown and slippers... unless they were closed for vacation. Then I had to go 7 or 8km to the next village.)
But websites ... Yeah, they are often next to useless if they exist. I think that's a nation-wide condition. ...And I do have my yoga class --no kidding-- in a 17th century abbey that is now a catholic school.
:)
Close to where I live in the west of France a guy tried walk home on a country road after a dinner and he got hit by a truck. RIP.
To be fair, most of these issues would apply to the countryside of many other countries (including, speaking from experience, Michigan)
Moi, je suis une étrangère ici en France et pour moi, la meilleure chooses, c’est les gens ! 😊
I would like to make your life a bit easier and also that you understand it a little more:
Why do we Europeans separate trash and our consciences feel good about having done something good? 😊
Although we also find it a little bit stressful from time to time.
But over the years you get used to it. By the way, we've been doing this for over 50 years.
Why do we do it?
Here is an explanation:
As Europeans, our conscience is very environmentally awake.
We like to take care of our soils. Because if the soil is contaminated, our food is also contaminated.
Very healthy food and festive eating is very important in France.
That's why we take care of our air. Factories have filtration systems for their chimneys. Likewise for the wastewater that flows into the rivers.
Even cars have catalysts.
We don't like so much polluted air. Therefore we want to avoid acid rain, which makes the soil acidic. But, we wish to obtain healthier air and soils. So that our next generations still have a future.
That's the reason we separate trash, because of our love for our children.
Why also on top of that?
We don't have thousands of thousands of acres of arable land available.
I hope I could help you and trashing will be a bit easier in the future. Love, Esther
Not "skeered". I've lived almost my entire life. You just learn to plan for supply runs, etc.
Based on my conversations with French friends, the real national sport of France is not football (soccer) but complaining. I think you won’t be fully assimilated until you learn to complain a lot more. Overall, your life in the French countryside seems better than my (past) experience of living in the American countryside.
Hey a little off topic but I've been watching your videos, great info and presentation thank you. I wanted to ask about specifics to the visa process. On renting your first place that you use as proof of address, for exactly how long did you stay in your first place? The whole fist 3 months? Did you use Airbnb? you had to show you had obtained a residence in France. You mentioned Airbnb and this tab thing on the site to provide proof of address and I can't seem find it on the Airbnb website, do I need to have a booked place for this option ? And I assume you were able to receive mail to this address or did you move to another place first and use the other place as your address for the process of getting you social security numbers and then your medical card? It seem you guys moved a lot before getting the house? Which makes total sense when you are looking for the right place to live. But i was thinking id get an Airbnb for the initial Visa application and then begin a search for a long term rental once in France. My goal os to arrive around this time next year. Lots of good vibes to you guys. Thanks for your patience and help. You really are helping a lot. 💪👌👍
Why did you decide on living in the countryside in a quiet region out of curiosity ?
Hi ! Thank you for all your videos. I would like to know more about your professional experiences, about work ethics, are your revenues higher or lower than in the US, and also : as the US are the most innovative nation in the world, were you afraid, or are you now, to be left behind in your whole career, I mean not being at the right place at the right moment ? Was this a question ?
Nice to see you become more critical to bakeries. Starting to differentiate between good or excellent ones for tourists / new residents and more "experienced" citizens.
I bet you won't even taste some of what you ate upon arriving.
Trash in France and Europe in general is becoming a bit of a hassle. I do understand the thinking behind but all the sorting we're doing don't always translate in the recycling cycle. But it does improve recycling and trash collecting companies profits. Less employees as people do the work employees used to do.
In countryside 90% of trash collecting is made by "communautés de communes" owned services. They don't make profits., they just try to find solutions for not rising trash tax due to higher gas/transportation prices and more demanding sanitary treatment of the trash.
If you live in a small town in France OR in the US, you will find the same "non existing" things: no drugstore (pharmacy), bakery and butcher (for France only, these do not exist in 99% of villages in the US), literally there are plenty of nothings in villages in BOTH countries. You will not find a bus, train station, airport next to you. Face it, you wanted to live in a small, isolated place, so, you will find missing a lot of convenient things in BOTH countries. That is the life that you chose. Enjoy it with its pleasures it offers, and do not grumble about what does not exist.
Remember to mike up on the side your partner sits. As you are looking at them you will be speaking in that direction.
I haven’t seen this mentioned by content creators yet- how religion is in your face in the US versus FR. How schools “indoctrinate” kids in the US with the daily morning pledge of allegiance, which contains the word God. I’m in MI and don’t feel this way but was in a debate with FR woman living in the US who seemed quite upset by Christianity being so prevalent in US politics/government . Pew statistics confirmed what she was saying which surprised me- 56% in US vs 11% in FR think religion is important to them. FR is far more secular.
It's because our nation was founded on Christian religious principles, from the founding fathers. Our coins have "In God We Trust" imprinted. But we also have freedom of religion, so all are free to worship as they see fit. Note that God is not only Christianity as most religions worship God in some fashion. Children are not forced to repeat the pledge, but should be taught civics and understand the history, principles and origin of the country.
I gotta say---septic tanks, bugs, not everything open whenever you want it...etc. This is more Countryside living vs urban living. These don't really seem to be Franco-specific issues.
I see that you’re living in the real countryside, somewhere in the southwest of France. From your description, not even in a village, but reasonably close to one. That usually means no real public transport system like in a city with high frequency buses. Fewer shopping choices. So,you’ll depend more on car driving than you probably expected. For that you’d have to live in large cities : in Paris, fewer than 20% households own a car nowadays.
And you trash situation seems very specific to your area : in mine, every house has regular and recycling trash cans, atty the garbage trucks come to collect every other week. For glass, yes, it’s usually a shared one you have to walk or drive to.
And spiders : well I’m sure you had some in the US. At least, you don’t have to worry about a rattlesnake. 😉
Insects are part of a healthy ecosystem. A country where there were no insects would be worrying. A quick check on French sources says: "Without insects, humans would lose on average 30% of their global food crops. Vegetables and fruits such as apples, the cabbage family, cocoa, or strawberries would disappear." ... "80% of plants depend on pollination." ... "Insects are essential and have a major place in the proper functioning of our ecosystems. In France, 7,500 insects are affected by the agricultural sector, including 5,500 as direct help." About boulangerie, putting candies on top of pastries as 'decorations' is absolute cr*p, not qualitative at all.
Financially have you kept an escape route back to the US if you change your minds? Or are you all in on france?
It's true that if you are looking for a course or an activity, especially in the countryside, you have to ask either at the town hall, or at the tourist office which will guide you a little and then either in the associations that offer activities, or in music schools or others, Often the people who offer lessons leave a leaflet or talk about it (maybe not enough in your case) but don't have a lot of information. always a website. We're used to doing it like this, but it must be confusing for Americans who aren't used to it and don't know what to look like. How do you do it in the United States?
About the "punaises" we are just all infested since the climat warms :(
by the way , you re both lovely , glad to count you by us !
I lived in the US and found there are NO sidewalks at all outside cities!,
Moved to France a week ago, still in our AirBnB…I can tell you that one thing that bothers me that you mentioned in a previous video - SQAURE PILLOWS!!! These are so frustrating!
Il y en a qui ont vraiment des gros soucis dans la vie !
You can also get rectangular pillows too. Ours are 700 x 500mm pillows that we bought from a Carrefour.
Your only problem are pillows ?
Ok, as a designer in the US, I have to laugh at the square pillows debacle. I have used square pillows for years to be the backdrop pillows on beds. The rectangular pillows (to use for sleeping) are usually under the bedcover or stacked in front, then a few decorative accents pillows to finish off the look, giving a three layer visual. All decorative pillows are set aside for sleeping.
Ah ah ah you're assimilating, hilarious
When i was in Normandy and Antibes. I was shocked seeing a guy with his wife and kids peeing in the public park. Is it common in your region as well?
Not the ants, but spiders, yes, and bigger than normal. We see them whenever we are in France and get used to the bugs. Closing hours or seasonal closings are really annoying. Walking is dangerous. There are pads in the vineyards, it's okay, but the sidewalk is so different and dangerous on country roads. Walking out to eat at a restaurant just 2km away is not fun. I love to walk so I can drink a glass of good wine.
It is not possible to have the same services in the countryside and in the city. The socio-economic context must be taken into account. The countryside has advantages and disadvantages, it's true that you have to be aware of them if you're a foreigner. If there aren't more bakeries outside the tourist season, I think it's because there aren't enough customers. The same goes for transport, etc. Small farmers have very low incomes and do what they can, they also have to adapt to their economic reality. Il n'est pas possible d'avoir les mêmes services à la campagne et en ville. Il faut tenir compte du contexte socioéconomique. La campagne a des avantages et des inconvénients , c'est vrai qu'il faut en être conscient si on est étranger. S'il n'y a pas plus de boulangeries hors saison touristique, je pense que c'est parce qu'il n'y a pas suffisamment de clients. Pareil pour les transports etc. Les petits agriculteurs ont des très petits revenus et font ce qu'ils peuvent, ils doivent aussi s'adapter à leur réalité économique.
"Living in the French countryside is different from living small town USA"? Really? So you have never lived in small town Arizona. Despite having a recent high-end house , here is the list of what we find outside and inside the house, despite the window and french doors screens: scorpions, black windows, brown recluses, tarantulas (harmless but huge), cockroaches, fire ants, carpenter ants, wasps, giant centipedes, small snakes, and all kinds of hideous and dangerous spiders you find only in Arizona. The list is smaller for small town California or Texas, but still pretty creepy. More you spray, more you nuke these and more you destabilize the natural balance. Have some clear plastic containers, a piece of cardboard, catch them and release them gently far from your home. You will never be bitten or stung. There is Intelligence in Nature.
Merci, enfin une réponse intelligente.👏 (David from Normandie)
⏩⏩⏩Actually, in France, it's usually said that having common spiders inside your home means your house has a healthy environnment because these spiders don't like too much humidity and polluted environnments. Moreover, they can help you regulate other unwanted bugs. 😉
Yes to all! The trash dumping was an excellent excuse to monitor my food consumption and buying addiction 😂 now I am aware of what I buy/get rid of because I actually have to carry it out of the house and sort it out before disposing it. I live in a small village (less than 1k ppl) and I was thrilled to find out that we have TWO bakeries, la poste, a corner U market, a barbershop, a legumes shop, an ATM and a pizzeria😊 Everything is closed on Sundays, and most of the shops close everyday after 1230😅except for the pizzeria, that one only opens from 18-2200 and is closed on Mondays.
If you could do the move to France all over again, what you do anything differently? I bet you learned a lot along the way, so anything you learned but didn't expect?
j aime beaucoup la critique sur le trottoir en france alors qu il y en a meme pas dans les grandes villes américaine 😂
New car ? Or second one ?
Je m'aperçois que vous êtes en train de devenir Français !!! Vous râlez comme de vrais Français !!! 😆😅🤣😉
You bring your US spirit in europe and france and you give great ideas to modernize. The USA are more activ.
Thrash : stinky things ... i do not know what special businesss you are having at home .. :D, but your should ... put all your food remains, (potato skins for example) but also papers, paper board, wood... etc in a box in your yard, you'll use it as a fertiliser the next year when it will be compost.
Actually, spiders will not stay in actually dirty place. And by dirty I don’t mean dusty. I mean like moist/greasy.
So yes, cleaning is not gonna help chase them away, they’ll just be like :
🕷️ : Awe thanks for cleaning up 😘
😂
Don’t usually comment on UA-cam, but basically what you are saying is “don’t behave like an American if you decide to live in rural France”?
122 / 5.000
Un train à grande vitesse ne peut pas s'arrêter à toutes les gares et à tous les arrêts. Ce serait incongru avec la grande vitesse.
Elle bouffent mouches et moustiques : chez moi, les araignées sont les bienvenues.
Ya 36000 communes en France imaginer il y a une gare dans chacune d entre elles semble etrange .Les fermiers utilisent des engins modernes pas des tracteurs du 19eme siele n a rien de surprenant. J ai l impression que cette video c est un peu chercher la petite bete histoire de faire une video.
Come on! If those "complaints" were not facetious they were trite, à la a Seinfeld episode.
That is a big spider, we had them but much smaller! The country is much better , living in big and small cities all over the world. Won't change a bit my Morbihan !!!