France + All Things French
Living and working in France may be an ideal for Americans or non-EU citizens who are seeking a change of pace, a unique culture that’s full of history, beautiful architecture, and so much more.
But moving to France isn’t easy. In this “Expat’s Guide”, we’ll discuss a few of the things that you’ll need to know about moving to France. Whether you’re American, or from any other country outside the EU, this guide is sure to help.
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Thanks to everyone who entered our latest Giveaway where we teamed up with GPSmyCity.
All 10 randomly chosen winners will be notified privately and separately with instructions on how to access their GPSmyCity subscription.
To our winners we congratulate you and to all our other participants, good luck next time!
There are lots of public holidays and national celebration days in France. Some dates are fixed and celebrated the same date each year and others vary depending on the celebration and what is being celebrated.
If you are travelling in France it is important to know these dates as they can affect your travel plans. Public holidays see loads of people on public transport and accommodation more heavily booked. Traffic can be busy either side of these dates with the French often adding days either side of their public holidays.
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“A Château in the south of France, under restoration…
Once upon a time a thirteenth century fortress, a fifteenth century castle, an eighteenth century palatial château, and, after decades of neglect, an abandoned ruin upon a forgotten hilltop…” – Château Gudane
Looking for a true love story that never ends? Then the tale of Karina and Craig Waters, the Australian couple who purchased Château Gudanes in southern France will enthral you. From the moment this Perth couple gingerly walked the collapsed floors of Château Gudanes and spied her damp crumbling walls they were in love with her.
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Walking your way around a city, (especially in my opinion – Paris), is often the best way to discover its secrets and learn about the people that call the city home. By pounding the pavements you absorb the history, smell the city’s scents and walk amongst its locals.
But where do you start and how do you make sure you don’t miss the highlights? Maybe you want to explore the heart of the city or its off-beat areas?
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All Saints’ Day in France is locally known as “Toussaint” which is the contraction of “Tous les Saints”, meaning “All The Saints” in English. All Saints’ Day is a Catholic tradition of honouring the dead. This solemn event that stops the national takes place in Autumn on the 1st of November and is a national public holiday. All Saints’ Day officially starts at sundown the evening before, which is called All Hallow’s Eve.
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Thinking of buying property in France? Then you’ll need to go house hunting to find your perfect dream property. Whether that’s a petite maison, manoir, château or possible commercial property, such as a gîte or chambre d’hôte, you’ll most likely need to work with local real estate agents.
Buying a property at any time takes time, research, property inspections and of course the usual load of paperwork. Undertaking an international purchase, whether to live full-time or part-time involves all this plus a hefty dose of courage and persistence.
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In our series of small towns that belong to the Association of Petites Cités de Caractère (Small Towns of Character) of Brittany, we have already explored Bécherel, Bazouges-la-Pérouse, Chateaugiron and Chatelaudren. Now lets explore Pontrieux and Pont-Croix and the best things to do in these towns and oh my goodness you’ll love them, they are so pretty.
First the stunning colourful town literally overflowing with flowers, Pontrieux. I love this town which is one of the 22 Small Towns of Character in Brittany and also the holder of the prestigious title of being a “4 flower” village.
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