Our summer in France-summary

 

 

So what do we make of this summer life here as we try and mix tourist activities with day to day living in places we already like or find along the way? In reality this also in part brings up a bigger question for those of us who are reasonably fit, healthy and interested enough in what goes on around the world. And that is what to do with your 'free' post paid work time?

  

Do we take trips as tourists from time to time or just 'get away from it all' for days/weeks away from 'home', family and friends? So you go to somewhere you like and for us, the choice every so often is France. But could we live here for more time each year?

But for now let's stay with how we have enjoyed our summer time here.

Firstly, try as we might, it is a bit difficult to really do the lifestyle thing. Especially as the bulk of your hobbies/interests/stuff is not with you. Sure, you can rent a place, then self cater using local boulangeries/bouchers and the ever available markets. But however we shape our days, we always come back to really being tourists: we visit new sites, we do a fair bit of driving around taking a lunch here, a coffee there, a walk around this port/beach/town centre/tourist, doing in two weeks that which others would do in one? We are just lucky enough to be able to spread our tourist activities out a bit.

We have tried to minimise our time in the busiest tourist areas whilst enjoying the summer heat  We have been very lucky with weather with no rain and daily temperatures around 30 degrees for six weeks now and we have not missed having winter at all. We are lucky enough, or at least smart enough, to put ourselves in these places at this time of our lives. We are doing what we said we would do which is to travel broadly and independently whilst still relatively fit and healthy.

 

We have enjoyed seeing how people here holiday. It does seem that the French are very much focussed on staying in France for their holidays or perhaps seek the sun in nearby, also Latin, Spain. Overseas often means in French territorial places. There is not a night on TV going by without in depth portrail of holiday life for Francois and Francoise and their families enjoying beach resort/country living and camping/eating/playing somewhere in France.

 

And now the TV has turned to shopping for schoolbooks or searching for city accommodation, often including interviews with the youngsters as they wander along the hypermarket aisles or research Paris living. Not that I watch much TV back home but this does seem to be quite different to what occurs in Australia during and after major holidays.

 

 Everywhere has been very relaxing and on the beaches where we have visited and in the cafes and restaurants, people are taking their time and enjoying a lot of conversation.

 

And we are a bit too judgemental here at times. We are essentially city people, who live in an artificial city at that, whilst here we are experiencing mainly country life. So hardly a fair comparison. We continue to talk about living here. But as we drive through or walk around the seemingly empty villages around this area, we do wonder how some people cope with the huge old homes, the narrow roads and streets, the endless traffic wherever you go and the close living cheek by jowl as occurs here . It must be tough for some and we are yet to find that 'perfect' spot for a part life here. There is too much 'history' and 'life experience' within us that drives us ever 'just over there' to see if things are better there.

And in reality it is much the same comparison we make when back home when we look at rural/sea side living. ' How could one possibly live here permanently?' All right for a few days touring around, but then what?'

 

So it looks like we will stay with regular 'fixes' every few years in this fascinating, diverse but often perplexing country.

And the French Top 14 Rugby competition organisers have not helped us get to a game at all. We left Bordeaux for Montpellier leaving an interesting game behind us as we left, whilst at Montpellier they played before we arrived. We are less than 10 minutes from Montpellier home ground but they played away last weekend. The busy autoroutes deterred us from travelling to too far away cities and this weekend, when Montpellier play at home again we will be on our way North to the French Alps for our last few days in France. Not that Yvonne is complaining about that. And a game is a game is a game after all. And sport in general is not quite what it sometimes appears to be these days as the pressure of money gets to some precious people intent on ego over the pleasure of playing well, with honour. Go Pies!