I certainly would not imagine the idea of owning property in France without having a French bank account. There are so many annual or monthly fees (taxes, utilities...) that it would be an incredible hassle not to have a local account to deal with such things.

<i>that it would be an incredible hassle not to have a local account to deal with such things.</i>

We have automatic payment for utilities, but pay our taxes by mail. No problem, but we do have a bank account. It could be done by using a company like http://www.xe.com/xetrade/ which in my experience charges 2% to 3% above the daily rate with no charges from the banks on either side of the transfer.

Michael,

Agree the physicians' fees are very, very reasonable, starting with 23€ for a GP appointment, bit more for consultants (Haute Garonne). Where I lived in the Midwest, a GP appointment would be around $125-150.

Although we moan about Crédit Agricole, as K wrote, a checking account is so convenient for all standing charges. We pay electric, phone, 3 taxes, 3 insurance premiums, all by monthly debit. Really helps us manage our budget. We also keep accounts in the US but use them less and less.

Certainly true Bordeaux in the SW not SE, but so close on the keyboard! And sorry, no french speaking here and my friend says really not needed in his village as some many Brits live there now. He says the pubs fairly crawl with ManU and QPR fans. Sounds like i'll need to bring lots of cash dollars to smooth my path. I really look forward to a nice slow bike jaunt through the vineyards of the region. Samples too. But i'm not much for white bread, which i gather is the daily fare. Do love witloof however.

Oh certainly you do not need to speak French to live here - unless you want to get your hair cut, take a gym class, meet your French neighbours, ask directions, pay a parking ticket, or even more important, go into hospital. Our neighbours whose French isn't terrific, have just had to deal with cancer. Not easy, and while they were able to call on me for help, you may not want to divulge your intimate medical details to a third party. Get the message?

So if you are not interested in learning/improving French, I really wonder why you would bother. You can be with Man U and QPR fans in their natural enviroment.

I agree with Carlux, am starting my 4th year of French classes. I had passable spoken tourist French when I moved here three 1/2 years ago, slightly stronger comprehension.

I'm much improved, far from fluent. Had a 5- day hospital stay last November, no one spoke English, nor should they have been expected to in a small regional hospital. So glad my French had progressed beyond ordering a kir!

As for white bread, I suggest your first French lesson could be learning all the varieties of bread available, starting with pain complet, brown bread, and wholemeal bread, pain entier, meule, stoneground and that is just the top of the panier! Our little boulangerie must have about 12 types of bread available every day.

<<my friend says really not needed in his village as some many Brits live there now. He says the pubs fairly crawl with ManU and QPR fans. Sounds like i'll need to bring lots of cash dollars to smooth my path.>>

Ugh.

<i>Ugh.</i>
Ditto. Going to France to be amongst drunk Brit soccer rowdies is nonsense.

Couldn't have said it better.

Regarding the variety of French breads: probably about a decade ago, we stayed in a B&B in Montréal. One morning our hosts served bagels for breakfast. There was a French couple staying there, and it was clear from their reaction that they had never before seen a bagel. They asked how bagels were made, what you served with them, and so on.

I thought that maybe I could make a killing by opening a bagel shop in Paris. But then I thought over the varieties of breads available in France, and decided that adding one more would barely be noticed.

Have any of the residents of France commenting on this thread seen bagels in France more recently?

I've seen bagels available in Toulouse, Bergerac, Bordeaux and in several smaller communities in the southwest. Those all have or are within areas of large expat populations.

Lidl supermarkets sell bages (and they are not very good.

"bagels" !

There are even dedicated bagel shops in Paris now. I have never liked bagels, though, so I can't say if they are any good.

There is a shop that makes bagel sandwiches just across the street from where I work in Paris on rue Poissonnière. I've seen several others.

I would think that a small French village is the last place you'd run into a crowd of British soccer rowdies. Think Tenerife or Benidorm instead.

Maisie,

I have news for you. We did a bit of house-hunting around Bergerac three years ago, walked into a café in Duras and heard nothing but Hooray Henry accents. Eymet, near Duras, has a British mayor. Sports bars/cafes which broadcast Premier League are very popular.

Not judging, really, just stating what we've observed. People have a right to bing their customs and sports preferences with them. We will probably watch the Super Bowl Sunday night if I can stay awake. Shutters closed, of course.

Eek Hooray Henrys! Not really football hooley types though,Cathinjoetown. Brits in France tend to be more middle class than anything else..:)

"Eymet, near Duras, has a British mayor".

This is very surprising since EU citizens c

.......since EU citizens cannot be elected mayors.
They can only be elected to the town council.