Expat Life in the South of France

As of this writing our mayor  is in jail pending an appeal against a guilty verdict on a charge of paedophilia! The acting mayor, I understand, is also a local insurance agent.  The main topic of discussion in the bars and cafes around the old town are - is he or isn’t he guilty?  And a lot of people get quite emotional about it - foreigners included. I have no idea whether or not he is guilty. On the other hand, it was comon knowledge that there was a case pending against him which was wending its way through the convoluted judicial system at the time of his election.  So why was he elected? Did the electorate think even a paedophile was better than the previous mayor (who was a disaster in my opinion), or that the charges against him are trumped up (which is entirely possible given his reported family circumstances), or, in the typical, very practical French way of compartmentalising events, that one has nothing to do with the other (even if he abuses a kid or two, at least the streets are clean)?  Interesting, isn’t it?

As you can see I am not a very regular blogger. I just never seem to have the time. I get asked the above question by overseas friends all the time and I am at a loss to explain where the time goes. Sometimes I wonder how I ever found the time to work before the retired (sort of) life.

I shall attempt to answer.I do a lot of reading, some writing, yoga, have a lot of friends. I go to French conversation classes once a week, I run, with others,  a weekly English conversation group,  belong to a groumet group which meets to eat, and go walking with my husband, weather permitting, mainly along the coast, either the Promenade in Nice, the Croisette in Cannes or the Cagens-sur-Mer waterfront. Of course my overseas friends haven’t done their own housework for years - living mostly in Asia - so they forget about the effort required to keep a household running - even if it’s somewhat desultory most of the time (the effort I mean).  Having a garden doesn’t make things easier. However my husband has now succumbed to my constant nagging, and we now have a gardener. It was  frightening seeing him up a ladder pruning a bloody great olive tree - we have 6 of them .  And now, with the arrival of spring, the visitors start soon. So, do I miss work? Not at all. Am I bored? Absolutely not. Am I enjoying life? YES!

We also do a fair amount of travelling. We have just returned from a trip to the UK to visit family, and while there I took the opportunity to visit the (relatively) new gallery of Islamic Art at the V & A in London.  Loved it, but was a bit disappointed at the lack of objects from Central Asia. 

Just before that we spent a week in and around Barcelona. A friend had her birthday party at a  lovely parador on the Costa Brava, after which we spent a few days in Barcelona.  I was struck by how much cheaper the prices were, even in the touristy areas of  a big city like Barcelona, compared to France. Yesterday the IHT ran an article “36 Hours in Barceona.” I think the author must have slept no more than 4 hours on that trip. Just reading it left me breathless.

I have read comments on several expat forums on France about the loneliness and difficulty of some new arrivals in meeting people.   The AVF or Accueil des Villes Française is an invaluable port of first call. It has 350 local associations all over France and they help newcomers integrate into  local life. They are very welcoming, have a raft of activities, among which French conversation sessions, English conversation for foreigners, hikes, square dancing, etc. or you can start up an activity of your own. They are all open to members for an annual fee of 50€.  We have made some wonderful friends of all nationalities and have found it most rewarding. The website is very informative (if you read French) and will tell you where in each region AVF exists. Go fot it and watch your social life explode!

Body parts, you say?  Sure, but they are also names of French villages! Corps-Nuds, (corps nus), Montcuq (mon cul - both drop the last consonant) & Monteton (mon téton) .  They all, according to The Connexion, our marvelous monthly newspaper published in France, belong to the Association of Communes with Humourous and Charming Names (English translation).

Other hilarious names:  Swindle the Post Office  - Arnac (Arnaque)-la-Poste, Very Stupid - Trécon (très con) & finally, Go Away - Vatan (vas-t-en) extends you a warm welcome!

A big merci to The Connexion for digging out these gems.

Not to be missed if you are anywhere within striking distance of Holland. This most magical of floral wonderland in 77 acres of wooded park, lasts from March 17 - May 21st this year, with the end of April/early May being the best time for tulips. 7 million bulbs in an explosion of  colour make this a beauty pageant unlike any other.  Buy your tickets here. There is still time.

Here are some pictures to whet your appetite:

Is this a disaster or what? My husband, daughter and son-in-law are all vegetarians.  And, being a carnivore myself, although I can understand the French predilection to sink one’s gnashers into the flesh of dead animals, la gastronomie française is really lacking in high quality vegetarian dishes. I’ve just returned from a trip to the UK and was very impressed with the imaginative vegetarian meals on offer in restaurants/pubs/cafes.  For now vegetarians in restaurants here seem to be restricted to veggie pizzas, pasta and salads. One gets the impression that  French cuisine is too busy resting on its laurels to innovate, whereas the stodgy British cuisine of old has turned itself around, and is now producing some of the most imaginative and innovative food in Europe. Some cross channel cooking lessons seem to be in order for our snooty French chefs.