We have moved to France! But can we get our one year TLS visa? A New Life in France Ep 3

[@LimousinLife]

Very enjoyable video to watch, beautifully edited. Enjoy your new life in France 🇫🇷

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

Thank you so much! Yes will do :)

[@Jean-MarcBordeaux]

More detail on the process. I opted to pick up my visa in person from the TLS Contact center in London, I thought it to risky for it to come through the post they say special courier but its just sent first class post if your within the UK, I applied just after you it seems and they had already brought in new rules, Starting October 2024. I just discovered I am in the same region as you Nouvelle-Aquitaine I am more south then you towards the Spanish boarder. So I do most of my shopping in Spain and come back over the boarder. As its much cheaper for food and clothes, Merci

[@michelle2b]

Nothing like living on a boat in windy winter for a while to make you appreciate a home in France in the sunnier climes!!! 😊🏡 🇦🇺

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

Haha so true - sooo relieved to get home! Btw love your blue ensign :)

[@petebartlett2229]

Welcome home!

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

Haha, thank you !

[@DeanRamser]

Bonjour! Excellent video! We are retired American educators. We just finished a long stay in Europe: 5 months helping a new school open in Lvivv, one month in Krakow learning about WWII, and a month in Tallinn. My teacher's pensions and our social security, plus rental income, qualify us for the Long Stay Visa. How many months did your LSV take? A MS neurologist recommended St. Malo; it looks cooler than SoCal where I lived my whole lfe. But we are not sure which area of France is best for us as seniors. Toulon looks perfect. And we love the beaches!! Healthcare, public transportation, and within walking distance to markets are important. Merci! Dean & Cindy

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

Bonjour Dean and Cindy. We used to live in Jersey so we know St Malo really well. There are beautiful beaches along the coast. Actually Britanny is fabulous for its old towns like Dinan and its coastal walks. We decided to look further south for a warmer climate. So if you like Toulon I’m guessing you enjoy that too. There are so many lovely villages with markets where we live in Lot-et-Garonne, all served by great train links, and good healthcare (as per most of France) however its an inland destination, so there are no beaches, but there are wonderful rivers with plenty to do from fishing to boating and restaurant hopping! I think maybe rent first until you find your own perfect spot. Our long term visa took two months to get. It was a very straightforward process from a Brit point of view and I’m sure it would be the same for American citizens. Whatever, just enjoy the French adventure and take each step little by little and don’t be put off by the French bureaucracy, it’s slow, but you do get there in the end!

[@DeanRamser]

@@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance Bonjour Richard! Thank you for the comments and suggestions. There is much to explore in France, and I'm sure we'll learn a great deal about ourselves in the process.

[@heliedecastanet1882]

Hello Dean ! And welcome to France (if ever you decide to stay for good 😉) As Richard says, it depends on what sort of weather you are looking for : Toulon and the Mediterranean coast are… well, mediterranean, meaning very warm in Summer, not cold at all in winter, blue sky, few rains, warm sea (26°C/77°F). Saint Malo and the area around are very beautiful, wild, never very cold, but very rainy, a bit like in England : as we say : the four seasons in one day (probably the Irish say the same lol) and the sea is more 19°C/67°F. Now, there is an area few people know, which is the Pays Basque (just google it). It is marvelous, on the Atlantic front. And the beaches are gorgeous, as well as in the area just above the Pays basque : les Landes. Just remember that there is a strong and beautiful culture in the pays Basque, where people speak French of course, but also their own language : the Basque, a language no linguist knows where it comes from (I am serious). To put an end to my message, I also want to warn you that the South East France (from the Spanish border to the Italian border) is VERY French far right, especially Toulon and its area. They are not like American Supremacists, of course, there is no tracks of any past segregation (on that matter France can't be compared with the US : each of theses two countries have a different History) but the atmosphere there is, in my opinion, very particular. But of course, as Americans and if you are white people, you won't suffer this atmosphere… Also, this part of France is one of the most expensive, keep it in mind 😉 So, as a conclusion, I would prompt you into renting a car, taking your time, visiting Saint Malo and Brittany (all the region is beautiful, especially the Golfe du Morbihan), and then visiting the warmer Atlantic coast from Bordeaux to Saint-Jean-de-Luz first (if you have a look on Google Earth, you will see that France is nothing but a 400km/250 miles long beach, from Bordeaux to the Pays Basque). Good research and have a good trip ! (and if you have any question, just ask !)

[@DeanRamser]

@@heliedecastanet1882 Merci beaucoup! There is much to unpack: weather, accessibility, and politics. I am very active in social justice causes, starting with organizing events for Vietnam Veterans in the 80's, working on High Impact Practices in educational pedagogy, and recently volunteering in Ukraine by helping a new school open in Lviv. My wife is less active although she walks with me in the walk, so to speak. Her MS and our enjoyment in the sun seem to lead us to the coast. A French MS neurologist recommended St. Malo, but it looks like Portland, Oregon (where we live now until we sell our condo): rainy, cloudy, and summer heat. We had looked at southern Spain until I learned of the assassination of a Ukrainian activist in Alicante. Pays Basque looks good. Is Biarritz there? Is it less RN-driven than Toulon? Thank you for such great details! Merci!! Dean & Cindy

[@DeanRamser]

@@heliedecastanet1882 I just saw a political map of France....wow! cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/139/590x/secondary/French-election-results-map-921803.jpg

[@amandavanasselt]

Loved this❤

[@tixien]

Bonjour😊 Welcome! Looks super nice, in which area did you settle? Cheers😉

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

Merci! We have settled in the region of 47 or Lot-et-Garonne on the river Lot very close to Villeneuve-sur-Lot. It’s a lovely part of France!

[@tixien]

@@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance It is. And just between Bordeaux and Toulouse, both nice and vibrant cities. You won’t get bored, for sure. There are quite a lot of British people in the area, aren’t there?

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

With thanks to music artists including : kzbin.info, ImmersiveMusic from Pond5 and MoodMode from Pixabay

[@bouletcie]

in France you can ask for more bread at restaurant! no big deal ;)

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

So true… daftly we didn’t think of that!

[@daynight4902]

BEST WISHES TO YOU

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

Thank you :)

[@MrSebfrench76]

"i'd much rather be in France".... I'm 56, and i now can say that i have heard this from a Brit's mouth, hehehe...😘😘 Joke aside, brilliantly made , Sir, err, Monsieur..

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

Haha yes, Jersey is lovely but our new home was calling. Also living on the boat in a very windy winter was challenging! We were so excited to get to our new warm home that didn’t creak and move around in the gales 😂 thanks so much for your comment, tis much appreciated!

[@muttersmenu2422]

The trials of life. A clear picture of trying to move countries but congratulations on getting the paperwork 👍🇦🇺✔️ Informative video

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

Thank you! So much more to come :)

[@shamsularafin01]

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[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

Thanks for watching the back catalogue.. we have over a hundred old videos up there. please do keep watching them as it should keep our hours up :)

[@josephkolmansky8965]

So nice to be "colonized" by civilized people for a change.Welcome.😎

[@Maria_and_Rich_Newlifeinfrance]

We do try our best to integrate :)