Living in the French Countryside - What You Need to Know
Lessons I've learnt from living in the country
After living in France for a few months now, there are some lessons I've learnt. You may already know that we have divided our family life between our homes in Australia and France over the last 12 years (read more in my post It Has To Be France) and that recently I made the life changing decision to quit my job and move more permanently to France.
While it is not yet a full time move (you can only imagine the paperwork involved and French regulations), but living in France for an extended time is still very different than holidaying. Over the last 12 years our family has treated our French home as a holiday home, and now I am viewing it as another permanent home.
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Loving our lakes edge home on Lake Macquarie, Newcastle, NSW and having elderly parents and children that are living in Australia, we are going to keep our Australian home as another permanent option and basically duplicate our life here in our little French village home. I've purchased duplicate books so my library has some of my favourite books, cooking appliances have been duplicated so I can create delicious recipes and water painting supplies and other craft supplies have also been added to our home so that wherever we are, our creative sides can be indulged.
This is a different approach to seeing it only as a holiday home. With holiday homes you are often happy to make do, compromise and not be too concerned about creating roots.
I want to create roots, become an integral part of my village community and surround myself with my favourite things. This means that I've undertaken a fair bit of redecorating of the house so it feels more permanent. My children have also grown up, and as they pursue their own dreams and live their own lives, I've changed their bedrooms into guest rooms rather than children's bedrooms.
So here's what I've learnt from living in France and what I think you need to know if you're thinking about a move to the French countryside.
Living in the French Countryside
Countryside Living and Shoes
The countryside is simply that... countryside. It is beautiful and filled with paddocks, fields, animals, working machinery and equipment, narrow lanes and the inevitable dirt or mud. Yes, plenty of dirt or mud depending on the weather. So this means that footwear needs to be approached in an entirely different way than I do in Australia or in Paris. Suede shoes, high heels and delicate shoes are not worth the trouble and seriously, they will just get ruined. Wet grass, wet/muddy/dirty paths, getting out of the car to put the garbage in the communal roadside bins etc - it's the country and you need to embrace it. Gumboots are fun, patent leather beats suede any day and walking tall and proud without high heels is the way to go.
As a kid, every season my sister and I, together with my wonderful mum used to get the leather restoring polish out and polish all our handbags and shoes. It was a seasonal ritual, much like polishing your silver. Calming, repetitive and very satisfying once completed. So as you can guess, clean and well polished leather shoes have been part of my upbringing and is one of my fetishes. You'll often see me clean my shoes with a handy baby-wipe just before I step out of any vehicle.
A silly decision I made in my first week of arriving here, was to buy a pretty pair of ballet flats. I wanted patent leather but it was unavailable in my size so I opted for a suede pair. Wearing them cautiously it went well for a few days, but without thinking I wore them in wet grass and mud. They are not the same and never will be.
A pity yes, but life in the country is different and I am embracing what the country offers. I can tell you though that as soon as I get back to Australia my first pair of shoes that my feet will be walking and dancing in will be my usual and very high heels. Lesson learnt, be sensible, wear what is appropriate for where you are. Be in the moment and embrace it!
For the Love of A Cappuccino
The French love their coffee. Australians love their coffee.
However coffee culture is not quite the same in both countries. I'm a cappuccino lover and not ashamed of it! No die-hard strong espresso for me. Add chocolate and milk froth and I'm yours. At my office in Newcastle and at home we have large manual coffee machines and my husband in particular is an excellent barista. Constant grinder adjustments, fresh beans, and manual milk stretching is his thing! Because we've only treated our French home as a holiday home, we purchased a Nespresso machine as an easy, but compromised option.
Finding cafes that serve cappuccino coffee is more common now than it has been previously across France, particular 10 to 12 years ago, but the milk behaves differently and it's usually not prepared quite the same as in Australia. Now in my village, cappuccino is not the preferred beverage of the hardworking farmers, labourers calling in for a quick refreshment during the day and the village mesdames who gather for a chat.
Running out of Nespresso pods was probably the best thing that happened the other week. I decided to see if between the Tabac owner and I we couldn't make a coffee together. I checked first that I would not be offending anyone, most importantly himself, if I could bring my frothed milk over and he make the shot. I would need my big cup as the Tabac only has little espresso coffee cups. So began a beautiful thing! I take my frothed milk, large cup with chocolate already shaken in, a spoon and small dessert plate. I hand over my cup, get a shot, stir my chocolate and add my froth, eat my pain au chocolat on my dessert plate and happily enjoy the company of others in the Tabac while trying to learn French as I sip my coffee.
A perfect solution. I mentioned to my husband what I'd done on running out of pods and of course, being the levelheaded engineer that he is, he promptly said "you could just buy more pods". Yes, and absolutely, and of course I wanted to say to my black and white sensible darling husband ... but as you've probably guessed, it's not so much about the coffee shot as the sense of belonging, human interaction and the way it forces me to stop, contemplate and slow down before I head back home again. My tip is to ask permission if you want to do something a little out of the ordinary so your foreign ways do not cause any offence and I'm sure you'll be happily accommodated.
Respect the Road Rules
It can be tempting on empty narrow lanes and unmarked roads to drift into the centre of the road so you can take all the twists and turns on the country roads more smoothly. However, after driving on French country roads and narrow lanes for more than 12 years now, I would strongly recommend keeping to your side edge of the road.
Tractors, farm machinery and even long haul trucks will often have to share these roads and lanes with you. Cows, chickens and produce gets moved in bulk and these large vehicles often have to navigate their way between major roads and the farms. Even if you think you'll be able to move across to your side of the road in time, these heavy vehicles can suddenly be upon you around the next corner, and it will be easy to drive into the deep side ditches in an attempt to pass each other.
Keep to your side of the road, don't drift and drive at a speed that allows you to slow quick enough, move off to the side or stop completely. Remember that all walkers and cyclists have to be given 1.5 metres space as you space them. This will usually mean a big reduction in your speed as you try to negotiate around them on narrow roads.
Take notice and obey stop signs even when the roads and lanes appear ghostly empty. Speed limits are on the high side compared with Australia and that means that if everyone does not obey stop signs, whether in remote villages or at desolate crossroads, the consequences can be disastrous. Even the most remote location may have a car, truck or farm vehicle whizz past. Respect the road signs and enjoy the amazing countryside of France as you drive your way around it.
Pétanque and Breton Boules are commonly played in villages and towns
Be An Active Part of Your Community - Get Involved
Being active in your community is important wherever you live, and more so in a small village. Everyone knows each other and community wellbeing is valued. With distances great between villages, public transport non existent, and dark nights and cold weather limiting travel and activity, it is the people you live nearby to that will be the better part of your everyday.
Meeting up at the Tabac, chatting in the street and playing boules are integral village activities. If your village or town has boule competitions I recommend attending to watch or even better, learn to play and see if you can join in the competition. Be prepared, that it is a serious sport and you will need to be good to join in a competition. That said, friendly games are often played in a terrain (single play field) at the back of the village Town Hall or Tabac and you'd be happily welcomed if you wanted to be taught the rules and have a practice.
We've always tried to be active in our village by attending fêtes, agricultural festivals and boules competitions. Taking a drink at your local bar, nothing wrong with a juice or soft drink each time, and chatting will go a long way. Remember to greet everyone with a 'Bonjour' every time you enter a store, café or Tabac. Don't be afraid to greet in the usual French way with cheek kisses within your local community. It's still expected sometimes even after Covid.
When my car battery died, my village rallied around and helped me. My neighbour offered me jumper leads and friends came to help move the car from the maize field back to my home so the battery could be assessed and recharged. Another neighbour who owns the paddock behind me, but lives further away, surprised me with a tub of vegetables just gathered from her potager. This was so I'd have some food while stranded at home waiting for the appointment to service the car and replace the battery.
Fresh vegetables given to me by my neighbour from her potager
While waiting for the date of my mechanic's appointment, I headed one evening to the Tabac to have a Kia Breton (traditional drink of cassis (blackcurrant) liqueur/cream and Brut Breton cider) and go through recipe books. I was trying to see what I could cook with my newly gifted vegetables and the contents of my fridge and cupboard. I asked the barman and owner of the Tabac did he have any eggs in the store and he replied that there were still none in stock. Imagine my surprise when on Wednesday, the following day and his day off, he pulled up outside my home with his wife and children in the car ready for a day's outing, with a carton of fresh eggs. I was so thankful.
Generosity and kindness extended to myself and our family has been amazing since we started living here part-time and now more permanently. Give back to your fellow neighbours and be active in your community.
Fields around our village
Refuel Your Car Often and Wherever You Can
In Toronto, my closest hometown in Australia, there are a total of four petrol stations all within 200 metres of each other so refilling your car with fuel is never a problem. If we were to forget to go to any of these stations, then we are only another 5 minutes from another selection of around five stations.
However French villages do not have petrol stations and it may be a 15 to 20 drive to the closest station and these are usually not manned but self-serve. If your vehicle needs ultra 98 petrol then this even further reduces your choices as not all stations carry this mixture.
Too often I have forgotten to fill in a major town or commercial centre when I'm there because the fuel gauge is nowhere near low and I'm used to filling only when the gauge is low. Big mistake! It only makes me anxious when I have to drive a long distance and then wonder about where I'll refuel.
Lesson learnt - refill your tank whenever at large towns even if your gauge is not low.
Another tip is to ensure you have cash for fuel. Most pumps now accept credit cards, not like a decade ago when even this was hit and miss. However, if you are using a foreign credit card (we have full French bank accounts and credit cards) you may still have difficulty with small town pumps. If you need to use a foreign credit card it's best to fill up in the morning or afternoon when supermarket stations have an attendant on duty. The attendant will close up shop for the long lunchtime and you will have fewer payment options. Many pumps now even have the opportunity to display their digital screen in numerous languages, but this is not guaranteed.
Hoping the lessons I've learnt from living in the countryside help you with a move to France and that you've enjoyed some personal insights into life in France.
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