What a delightful story--I am so glad I clicked on it! Congratulations to you--what a beautiful property!

Ah, ‘left click’, now I know what the problem is. I’m almost always on my phone, not laptop! Thanks AJPeabody, learned something new today 😉

I ended up in a a hotel in Transylvania one time (cycle touring) and my wife became sick. Walked into the hotel and they showed me a lovely suite with fantastic views plus two other rooms on the same floor. When I heard how much the suite was and the rooms, I said "I'll take them all", the woman looked astounded but I knew we were there for 3 to 4 days and I might as well spread out. It worked out at about £100 a night. I've also tried to buy a property on Ile de Re. An old wharehouse, how much?

When I recall that I stayed at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore no fewer than 3 times, I know that I am really old. I just checked the rates for a week from now and a double room is going for more than 800 euros a night. In olden times, I paid about 40 euros....

Bilbo

a arehouse on Il de Re ?

How ,ice ? I can only wince and guess ....£2m ?

it always fascinates me why Northern Europeans are so racist about the South. Particularly Brits regard, Southern Europe as some sort of peasant hangout where you can buy a mansion and 10,000 hectares for the price of a two bedroom terrace in Rotherham. People have commented how small our house is and “thought it was going to be a Chateaux”. The Chateaux next door to us has just sold for e6.4m.

i always fancied a house on Cap Ferret until I saw the prices.

Kerouac

best £40 you ever spent.

we should start a separate thread on travel things we have done which are no longer possible .

It just would say "Travel."

Congrats BC on what looks like a brilliant purchase and your persistence to get it. For the same reason as you i would love permanently to escape this presently benighted isle but I will simply have to reconcile myself to wishing myself upon unsuspecting friends such as you who have been foolish generous enough to extend an open invitation!

I just don’t know what’s happened here. Either I’m getting old or people or getting worse. Just too many people with the wrong approach to life, my friends laugh that all the slobs that are normally in Torremolinos are stuck here. I just don’t know but after 4 years of Brexit and 13 moths of Covid this island is becoming toxic.

Yes, once we are settled in Bordeaux, it will be open house. We’ll have nothing else to do!

I have noted that people are almost always completely negative about plans to settle in a foreign country.. I attribute a big part of it to jealousy.

And if we're talking about non-travelers, I think there's an element of suspicion of anything foreign, which extends to people who choose to associate with foreigners over their "own kind."

I read Annhig's post as a warning about open invitations, which has its justifications. However, BC seems to know what he's doing and it's nice to know there is someone to meet on this forum in those part of the woods.

good grief it was a joke people

I think most of us knew you said that lightly, BC. Nobody wants you to be the next Peter Mayle, driven away by his fans from the area he made popular. But please let us have the occasional photo. Or start a blog. If I have one or two more blogs from France to read each day, I can consider it my full-time job.

<<good grief it was a joke people>>

+1

And I agree that photos etc would be nice if you have the time. No pressure!

How lovely! Congrats!

Congrats BritishCaicos

It looks wonderful & I am sure that you will enjoy it!

Living elsewhere is a fantasy many of us have/have had. The cold hard realities of aging often require a close proximity to affordable sustained healthcare – doctors, hospitals etc etc. Other than that, I’d be living in a beach hut in southern Crete or raising goats in Sicily . . .

I loved it! Congratulations on the lovely new home and even more on achieving your dream!! That was epic.

Delightful trip report and fabulous house! Good luck with the transition!