On the Road Again
Our hommage to Wayne Rostad
Finally we have our new car! A lovely used Hyundai that is a joy to drive and big enough for all of our stuff. We finally collected it after waiting two weeks for the idiots at HSBC in Angouleme to actually get money from Canada to France to the dealer. We have learned that sometimes things move slowly on France because it’s France, and sometimes because someone just isn’t good at their job.
And we still don’t have bank cards, credit cards, or cheques….
So our first big road trip will be totally credit card financed.
Today Beatrice the cat goes into boarding at The Petite Paws Cattery. Tomorrow we leave for Belleme, in Normandy, to begin looking at possible houses to buy. We’re starting in Perche,but also looking further west, possibly as far as Calvados.
We’re also looking down in Tarn et Garonne, but we’re balancing two concerns: prices in Normandy can be much cheaper than down south, and we really are concerned with what global warming will deliver to France.
On one hand we’re loving the weather on the Dordoigne/Charente border. It’s still warm enough for T-shirts during the days, and the woodstove warms the cottage just enough to be cozy in the evening. We’ve had a little rain, but nothing remotely wintery.
However, we’re asking what summer will bring, and more importantly what a couple of degrees of warming will add to that. I grew up in the Okanagan, and understand hot weather, but I also know that there’s a point when it goes from hot and lovely to just plain oppressive.
So we’re off on the road for a week or two, travelling North, then South, West, then East. We’re lining up house viewings and making appointments with real estate agents, and finding hotels and restaurants on the way.
We might even detour through Paris….
As is always the case reality is much less sparkly than random scrolling on the Internet. That town that looks cute on the Internet - much less Google photos - often turns out to be dusty, dirty, and lacking essentials. And we’re looking carefully for places that are more French than British. It’s very important to us both that we become residents of France, not tourists dropping in and spending much of our time complaining about the country.
Despite the challenges, big and small, there hasn’t been a day when I haven’t stopped at least once and said “This is the best decision I have ever made.” The landscapes, the history, the food, and most all the people have all captivated me. France feels like home.
Which means, if nothing else, I really do need to get French lessons happening again.
If HSBC ever lets us spend our own money.