Ep.17: Life in France - 6 lessons I've learned since moving to France

[@familleurbain]

Hi Beth, thanks for sharing little snippets of your life with us. I was born in Scotland, but moved to France to work when I was 20. I am now a French citizen who lives and works on the German/Austrian border, I am a teacher, but every school holiday I return to my "home" in Perpignan and will live there again permanently after retirement. The enormous selection of flavoured chips is a relatively new development in France, for a long time, you could only have more or less plain salted ones. Of course, the aisle is enormous with chips, nuts and savoury snacks because, as you probably have already experienced the "Apéro" is holy in France! I smiled at your cheese-cutting tutorial, shortly after arriving in France I was invited to dinner. I love cheese, so my new friends forgave me for the massacre that I caused, but they did lovingly teach me how to cut all sorts of cheese so that I wouldn't commit such a "faux-pas" again. Have fun, looking forward to hearing/seeing you soon.

[@LeslieFitzpatrick-j6j]

Beth, one very early summer morning my husband and I were sleeping when we were awakened by a roaring whoosing sound. We looked at each other, in unison exclaimed "Dragons??!!!" and rushed to the window. We were under the flight path of a dozen hot air balloons from the local balloon festival. 😄

[@france7678]

éclair also means lightning in french, so yes ! It can come together with flood in the same day.

[@AustintoAmboise]

I had no idea! Unintentional double entendre!! 🤯 Love it.

[@AzerUiop-q2l]

Hi! I am a French farmer near Chartres, and I can assure you one thing: do not take pâté in metal containers, they are generally of much lower quality than those in glass jars. And always eat it on toast or a baguette! Don't hesitate to come to Chartres, discover our cathedral, our Mentchikoff (sweets), the Picasiette house or L'Eurélienne (a local beer brand, with a wide range of flavors). Good luck!

[@AustintoAmboise]

Good to know! Thanks for the information and for watching. 😊

[@brezhoneg9159]

Food from the Netto chain is low-end. The best is the Carrefour, Auchan and E. Leclerc chains.

[@AustintoAmboise]

Not so - we shop at all of those stores and they're pretty much all the same. There's no noticeable difference in quality at all. Netto seems to have a bad reputation and I'm not exactly sure why... Could be that folks confuse it with other European and UK chains named Netto that are completely different companies. Also, I think a lot of Netto stores have recently gotten upgraded, and the Amboise store is one of them.

[@brezhoneg9159]

@@AustintoAmboise I never liked the discount stores, Lidl, Leader Price, and Netto, the French brand (affiliated with Intermarché), whose prices are low, but the taste of the food suffers. It has a bland or strange taste compared to Intermarché or E.Leclerc. People who go to buy there generally have small budgets, we know that. When I go there, and it's rare, it's to buy water, household products, biscuits. The German discount store Aldi is a little better but will never have the food quality of a Carrefour, Intermarché, Hyper U, or E.Leclerc. Auchan is average. I stopped to buy food at Aldi in Moselle when I returned from Germany this summer; it was tasteless.

[@xouxoful]

@@AustintoAmboiseit totally depends on the brand you choose. Carrefour (and maybe to a lesser extent leclerc and intermarché) have their own brand with high quality standards, and still relatively cheap.

[@deborahdoll4111]

So fortunate to be staying and part time living in France. It’s the one do over I would indulge in were I young again. Five adult children and nine grandchildren keep me tethered to the US.

[@AustintoAmboise]

We hope you enjoy a bit of escapism and virtual traveling through our videos. 😊

[@siobhansullivan803]

Love your meandering thoughts and observations 😊

[@AustintoAmboise]

Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching! 😊

[@jameswilliamson6665]

So funny. We’ve been traveling to France yearly for 34 years now and we always laugh about Daddy Sugar 😊

[@AustintoAmboise]

😂 It's so funny. I just wonder if whoever named it that truly understood the meaning of the term sugar daddy? Like, where they in on the joke, or not? 🤣🤣🤣

[@philippebonnemains92200]

@@AustintoAmboise Hi! Daddy is a french sugar company created in 1981 by someone whose grandchildren called Daddy! It's more frequent to have a grandfather being called Papy or Grand Père in France but why not!

[@Thordelan]

@@AustintoAmboise I could be completely wrong but I feel like most of us buy La Perruche (or other Béghin Say brands) or Saint Louis sugar. I had totally forgotten about that "Daddy" brand anyway :)

[@colombe245]

Well the "sugar daddy" expression doesn't exist in France... So it's a non event for us french. 😅

[@TheLeeBlackman]

The area where I live host the headquarters and the factory for the Daddy brand. They moved the headquarters to a new-built city a few years ago, and the mayor named the street they moved in "Rue Daddy" (Daddy Street). You can look for it in Google maps, it's located in Bezannes. 😊

[@grabowskycountry]

What a beautiful week though 😂 flipping and flopping so you get the joys and the reminders of what to add to the never ending list of a new home. Cheers 🥂

[@AustintoAmboise]

So true! 😂 Thanks for watching!

[@melodyfisher1512]

I enjoyed every minute! Thank you 😊

[@AustintoAmboise]

Glad you enjoyed it! 😊 Thanks for watching.

[@joellenmeek658]

I love your petite work space. I also like your, very french, stripped shirt.You are a very talented artist - loved the sketch. Man, I’m full of praise today.

[@AustintoAmboise]

I love praise! Feel free to leave me some anytime. 😅 Thanks for all of it!

[@laceyjane4285]

Love that you bring us along on your daily journeys. Try a piece of French cheesecake for me 😊

[@AustintoAmboise]

Thanks for watching! Ooh French cheesecake sounds good - maybe I'll have a chance to try it! There are endless goodies to try here.

[@carolynmehlow611]

We finally got somewhat cooler weather here in Austin. So jealous of you not having to deal with the Austin traffic.

[@AustintoAmboise]

I heard that it's pretty nice there right now, fall-like. 🍂 I don't miss the traffic one bit. 😆 Thanks for watching!

[@BaltimoreanAbroad]

I love your videos. My husband and I are moving to Normandy next week. We have so much work to do - but, like your place, the bones are good. :) We will also be cooking on a portable cooktop and have no hot water. Kettle, bucket, and shower stall it is! (At least in the short-term.) Keep your chin up. You can do this!

[@AustintoAmboise]

Awesome! Good luck and have so much fun! 😃

[@karynhitchman2498]

Sometimes you have to push through the boredom huh, it did last for long tho did it. Haha, I yelled at the screen as you were leaving the house, “but you still have your slippers on!” 😂😂😂

[@heidiraia9902]

I love seeing the progress you guys are making in your new home. Keep the great videos coming!

[@daneegirl]

I was thinking... "Is Beth gonna leave the house in her slippahs"? 😄 I fully enjoyed every bit of this ... hearing your voice, seeing your beautiful face, all the fun, beauty, yum & wisdom you share....and that peeps just fly around in balloons on the regular over there. 🎈You made my day. Thank you. Sending all my love. 🩷Puma

[@pobrigham]

You are a delight! Thanks for sharing your week and your looking for the beauty in each day!

[@AustintoAmboise]

Oh thank you! So glad you enjoyed it. 😊

[@harrietdevine1295]

I really enjoy your blogs. So sorry about the flood!

[@kfx216]

It's fun to watch your videos - appreciate the good-natured humor :) btw, there is a great tapas place cattycorner to the entrance of the chateau on the right almost on the main drag where all the large cafes are. The street it's on has a cute baby store on the left side a block down and I think an archway. But you can see the side chateau entrance from the cafe, and they have several small tables on both sides of the pedestrian street. It would probably help if I actually remembered the name, but there you have it.

[@isabelled4871]

Re cheese cutting, some cheeses that come in huge round blocks like Comté taste better right in the centre. So they are cut like a birthday cake. And so you must cut them lengthwise. If you chop the thin end it means "I'm taking the best bit for myself". Embarrassing, right? 😁 Well a lot of people in France don't know that especially the young so not to worry. Sometimes they sell the centre separate, it's called cœur de meule. Watch out for Comté affiné, 9 months (or even 12) coeur de meule. Expensive but sooo good 😋

[@nathaliepetit7434]

Hello beth. A kiss from a french woman who live in champagne. I've recently discovered your channel and i love it

[@AbigailGerlach-zt1sh]

When I was in London, I discovered a love for mushroom pate. OMG! So good! Find a good crunchy bread and enjoy one of the best things in life.

[@AustintoAmboise]

Ooh that does sound good! 💯

[@lisa5249]

😂sucre daddy ! The foreign brand names are so often hilarious!

[@AustintoAmboise]

Yes, so funny. Sucre Daddy has to be the best one I've seen so far though. 😂

[@HistoricHomePlans]

12:15 I love those pave cheeses. I've usually got one in the fridge. I'm also a fan of the fresh goat cheese.

[@mariebambelle7361]

In the north of France, it has been the wettier year in 15 years... no wonder you had a flood. Everyone had one this year... (And good job for the cheese !)

[@caromurray6152]

Those hot air balloons 😊. So much nicer that a 737 going overhead. Lovely vlog.

[@AustintoAmboise]

Yes a lot nicer! And they look so magical. Thanks for watching.

[@bondfieldmarcoux833]

Delightful vlog ❤

[@AustintoAmboise]

Merci beaucoup! Glad you enjoyed it. 😊

[@pamelam.7789]

Hi, I just returned from France and was lucky enough to visit the Loire Valley and Amboise. Checked out the chateaux and Clos Luce. So impressed with your town. Great choice. I am very envious.

[@AustintoAmboise]

So glad you got to visit Amboise! We're in love with this town - full of charm, fun places, friendly people. 😊

[@BrendaHARDAWAY-q7x]

I loved this video.

[@AustintoAmboise]

Merci beaucoup! 😊

[@thebluecrabstitcher7152]

LOL, our family was visiting France this summer and saw the Daddy sugar in the grocery store and just had to bring a box home! 😄

[@AustintoAmboise]

😅 It's a conversation piece for sure!

[@nicolethijs5428]

Loved it! In Belgium we have less flavoured chips but we do have Ketchup chips and Pickles chips.

[@AustintoAmboise]

I've tried pickle chips before, but never heard of ketchup chips! Sounds... Interesting. 😅

[@pawlieblog7967]

Hey guys! I just bought a 19th century townhome (smaller than yours) in Montmorillon. I’m in the Houston area. We should rendez-vous sometime in the future, but I’m not moving yet. Will keep my place as a pied a terre and second home for a couple years until my parents leave this life. Then I might move permanently but no need for a visa just yet. I have dogs and cats to consider too. 😅 ENJOYING YOUR CHANNEL!!!

[@kellyoconnor9024]

Your vlogs are so much fun to watch! I lived in Italy for three years and I miss it so much. Life in Europe is exciting!

[@TheTlyoung]

OMG thank you for this. I will be in Amboise in Dec and shopping for food always throws me

[@AustintoAmboise]

You are so welcome! Glad you found it helpful. 😊

[@yogisurfrunner1925]

J’adore! We came from Austin in Avril and are settling outside Toulouse in Montrabé. Fun story about pate - accents soooo matter. One day I ordered pate from a menu board in a restaurant expecting pasta and got a gorgeous pastry-rimmed ‘pâté’. My husband was the beneficiary as I’m not into it either😂😂😂

[@AustintoAmboise]

Oh man. That's the worst! 😆 I once got what I thought was a fruit salad at a breakfast bar in Germany. It was light pink - kind of like that stuff they call ambrosia. Well... Turns out, it was some kind of cold smoked fish salad! 😩 When you're expecting fruit and get fish.... 🤢 😅 Thanks for watching & best wishes for your new life in France!

[@yogisurfrunner1925]

@ Keep up the great content!! You just saved me a full day (at least) of hassle-factor w/the Darty tip ;)

[@TheFatesLieutenant]

Amboise is a nice place - we biked down the Loire (Orleans to Saumur) and camped on the little island across from Chateau royal d’Amboise - beautiful!

[@michellerougeux1526]

Great video! I think, though, that "seeping up through a dirt floor" and pouring out of a pipe are two very different things! I would still have that pipe looked at!

[@AustintoAmboise]

Patrick ici. We understand well the problem with our wastewater system now. The rainwater downspouts feed into the same pipe as the blackwater and there was a downpour. Since the street system was blocked ours overflowed. We're working on a correct solution and plan on working with the city to do the right thing to separate out the two types of water. But it will take some time to sort out the engineering and works.

[@markcampbell369]

Hola from Ecuador! I’ve been an expat for many, many years across three continents. The FIRST thing I always have to do is “nest.” I have to get my house comfortable and familiar. There’s a lot of, well, foreign things across the threshold. I need a nest to return to!

[@ntakovacj3644]

A great video. I subscribed some time ago but am distracted and missed a lot. I'll look for you now. And I see you have those Tombow markers! So yummy.

[@robbiemoriarty7499]

Enjoyed your video!

[@bartonone2005]

This was a wonderful video. I enjoyed it all, except the flood of course. I've had first hand experience with that!! The supermarche segment was very interesting. I wish I had access to a boulangerie & patisserie. Though my local farmers market has a Frenchman who makes baguettes, pan chocolat & sourdough bread. Tradesmen are notorious the world over it seems. Chuck in Northern New England

[@SquirrelDiaries]

👏 👏 👏

[@williamtate4339]

How do prices at the supermarket compare between Amboise and Austin?

[@AustintoAmboise]

Food at the grocery store is generally much less expensive in Amboise than in Austin.

[@williamtate4339]

@@AustintoAmboise Interesting. Thànks for the answer.

[@phillipphil1615]

Pretty soon there will be more Americans in France than in the US. 😀 I'm in Brittany , been here for 35 years.

[@AustintoAmboise]

Hope not! 😅 Thanks for watching.

[@rhdrhd3255]

no you can cut le pavé by following the lines but well it's good as you did , but it is not a real cheese it's ok but industrial cheese If you like le pavé try la brique it's almost the same thing but better more creamy trust me

[@Jordan-tr3fn]

you are lucky, we don't have these types of BRETZ chips in Paris yet 😃

[@BatisteBieler]

I can understand that some water can seep in in a wet basement. But that is a different thing. What is this odd canalisation doing in your basement and why is openly overflowing? Maybe it is a security to avoid sewage to go back into the appliance above? I do not get it, your basement shouldn't be an overflowing variable.

[@AustintoAmboise]

Patrick ici. We understand well the problem with our wastewater system now. The rainwater downspouts feed into the same pipe as the blackwater and there was a downpour. Since the street system was blocked ours overflowed. We're working on a correct solution and plan on working with the city to do the right thing to separate out the two types of water. But it will take some time to sort out the engineering and works.

[@Alban_Gaultier]

@@AustintoAmboise the two water systems (dirty and rainwater) must always be separate. I know that sales contracts are too long to read, but this "network" problem must have been specified, otherwise it's a fault.

[@AustintoAmboise]

Yes, the problem was specified in our contract and we were well aware of it at the time of the sale. We agreed to take on the project of updating the water connections, we just haven't had a chance to get it done yet.

[@arianaconnor8208]

Ah the cheese instructions fab .. washing machine nightmare!

[@swenger27a]

is it wrong that I am more interested in the chip prices than flavors? hahah here you have to sell your first born just to afford one bag of chips. Like dang inflation is killing us. I just want to jump thru the screen and weed your garden for you. It is such a cute little "secret" garden space and you have so many nice plants that just need a little pruning back to make it a little less wild.

[@lisa5249]

@@swenger27a ditto! I’d love to come help them get the garden spiffed up again! My first tip for them though is live a whole year there, observe how wet it is, where the hot and cool spots are in there and just keep it weeded and pruned. Then decide on sitting areas, and amendments (more or less plants, mulches, fruit or veg additions) to see how much upkeep you want to regularly put into it. It’s already got marvelous ‘bones’!! Bet they have a ton of vintage cultivars in there

[@Eccoriens80]

Comment se passe l'apprentissage de la langue française ?

[@france7678]

Québécoise ici ! La bouffe, à l’épicerie ou au resto, semble moins dispendieuse qu’au 🇨🇦🇺🇸 .

[@janetwann5578]

When will you be able to move permanently

[@kerouac2]

Who eats an éclair with a spoon? The format is one of the few things made in France for eating with your hand.

[@AustintoAmboise]

I didn't want to get it all over my fingers, and it was soft and easy to eat with a spoon. You'd be surprised how many desserts are served with a spoon in France, even when a spoon is not practical at all! 😅 I was given a spoon to eat a hard cookie with. That was a challenge.

[@kerouac2]

@@AustintoAmboise I know tthat we eat all of our desserts with a spoon in France -- except éclairs!. I upset an American friend in Paris once when she thought she was serving me the perfect French meal. I pointed out that she had put out forks for dessert instead of spoons. She was quite offended.

[@AustintoAmboise]

It's the little things that are so difficult to get right in a new culture. 😂 I don't think anyone truly cares if you eat with your fingers or a fork or a spoon. Just get it into your mouth somehow, without making a huge mess. 😆 I find it strange that a lot of French people eat burgers with a knife and fork. No one does that in the U.S. But I also see a lot of them eating burgers with their hands here too. So I don't think there are hard and fast rules about these things.

[@antibash691]

Vous devez être assez pénible à vivre à faire la leçon à tout va ! Laissez les gens faire ce qu'ils veulent. Et je comprend que vous aillez offensée votre amie américaine. La politesse et surtout la délicatesse aurait été de ne rien dire. Deux qualités qui semblent vous faire défaut. P.S. Il n' y a rien qui contrevient à la culture française dans tout ce que vous reprochez, c'est juste vous qui vous enfermez dans des conventions qui n'existes pas dans la vie de tous les jours en France. Les aristocrates et leurs conventions sont minoritaires dans notre pays, il faut vous réveiller. Malheureusement, il n'y a pas que les américains qui ont des "Karens"

[@Snug-the-Joiner]

Too much panning for comfortable viewing.

[@j.c4007]

Try the organic shops, like "la vie claire", "naturalia", "biocoop"...where you can find very good local products !!! 😊 They have good cheese, good local wine, local beer too😊

[@AustintoAmboise]

We don't have any of those particular shops in Amboise, but lots of great local products in most of the shops. I'll keep an eye out for those in bigger cities. Thanks for watching!

[@j.c4007]

@@AustintoAmboise there are a lot of Biocoop in France now: Beaugency, Tours ...