Assistance France Travel» Living in France Archives – France Travel

You wouldn’t expect this in such a small village in France

admin — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 11:29:15 +0000

We live in a small village outside of La Rochelle called Clavette. It’s a village of 908 people with a mixture of both young and old. There are young couples with children going to the local elementary school and the older folk who have been living here since the early 1940s. Most small villages in France have slowly died because most of the young people moved to the larger cities to find work just as it has occured to most rural communities in the past.

But for some time now these small rural villages which are normally located just outside some larger town have opened up new home developments just on their borders. These developments have come about because the land owners of the past, who were farmers by trade, have now reached retirement age or have died. Their children, who did not want to continue in their parents footsteps, are now selling these properties to land developers. Also sometimes it is the widow of these farmers that are also selling their property. Of course, there are other factors that may have influenced the availability of this land but this explanation is a common one.

The young people who previously left the rural community for the big city are now approaching retirement age or want a change of life style from the stress of this big city life. Even if a small village doesn’t have all the stores to support the needs of this new community, everyone has a car now and large shopping malls are usually within a short driving distance. Therefore these large city dwellers are able to find all the services that they are use to. This short drive to a mall is nothing compared to what they experienced with the traffic in Paris. For them its an ideal rural life style.

New home developments means new taxes being poured back into these small villages. These same small villages are finding new available revenues to improve their communities.

A few weeks ago the over 60 years old crowd were invited to a meal at the local community center. It was completely FREE and didn’t cost us anything. There were at least a 100 people. Now remember this is a community of 908 people not Paris. This meal was out of this world and I have eaten some pretty great meals since coming to France. Of course there were all the courses. Excellent wines, Champagne and an exceptional dessert with a great cup of coffee at the end. Also during the meal there was a professional singer who sang by heart all the old songs that the French know. He had an accordion that played by itself, while he played the guitar. He had a great voice also. What a treat ! I would definitely call this Michelin restaurant quality in a small village outside of La Rochelle.

It looks like big city money is coming back to small town France.

Is life good in France or what ?

University of Kentucky Basketball Fan lives in La Rochelle, France

admin — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:45:05 +0000

Even though I now live in La Rochelle, France, I lived in Lexington, Kentucky for more than 17 years and learned to love basketball because of the University of Kentucky Team. Previous to this time in my life, I had lived in Miami, Florida and grew up as a football fan and never watched much basketball.

Watching well played basketball in Kentucky changed my attitude and my appreciation of the sport. While living in Kentucky I was privileged to witness the 1996 and 1998 Kentucky teams win these College Basketball Championships. Of course there are always the up and down years but my enthusiasm for UK basketball has never waned. Go Kats !

Tour de France 2003 – Caravan passing through Matha

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:44:25 +0000

This train of vehicules is called the Caravan which proceeds the cyclists during that days race. It is mainly for advertising and promoting the Tour de France Race. They also throw candy and small gifts to the kids.

Tour de France 2003 – Somebody put wheels on our water bottles

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:43:42 +0000

The vehicles in the Caravan are sometimes very interesting and creative.

Tour de France 2003 – Last of the Caravan passes

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:42:22 +0000

I hope they’re enjoying themselves. They have to ride in these vehicles for hours. The days race is usually about 5 hours long and about 200 km.

Tour de France 2003 – Team US Postal is leading the peloton

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:41:30 +0000

This Armstrongs team leading the group and controling the race.

Tour de France 2003 – Lance Armstrong passing near La Rochelle

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:40:46 +0000

Lance Armstrong has his whole team in front of him and he is riding behind his close friend George Hincapie. They are passing through the village of Matha.

Tour de France 2003 – The rest of the peloton passes

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:39:51 +0000

This is last of the cyclist in the race and then behind them are the cyclist support cars.

Buy or Rent French Property in La Rochelle, France

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:27:46 +0000

Whether you intend to buy a home or rent an apartment, it is the local real estate agent who will assist you. Assistance France can help you clearly communicate your needs when dealing with this agency. You can find out more about the services of this company at their web site http://www.assistancefrance.eu/buyproperty.html .

Build a home in La Rochelle, France

admin — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:18:43 +0000

Whether you want to build a holiday home or your personal residence, Assistance France can accompany you through every step of the process to completion. You can see the services the company Assistance France offers at their web site http://www.assistancefrance.eu/buildhome.html.