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Old 12-16-2018, 10:40 AM   #221
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Good luck with everything. I still can not get over how quickly that everything in your life changed. I hope that you are happy in your new life and please keep posting.
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Old 12-16-2018, 12:50 PM   #222
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Have really enjoyed reading about your journey, and admire your organizational skills, tenacity and patience. My DH jokes about moving overseas. Next time he mentions it, I will ask him to read your post. Best of luck on the next phase of your life.
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Old 12-16-2018, 12:56 PM   #223
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Your attitude during all this has been inspiring. Carry on and enjoy the next phase of your life. Happy Holidays...
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Old 12-17-2018, 04:31 AM   #224
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Let me know when you have landed here. I live very near where you will be, drinks are on me
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Old 12-17-2018, 07:17 AM   #225
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Let me know when you have landed here. I live very near where you will be, drinks are on me
Nice 1st post.
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Old 12-28-2018, 04:25 AM   #226
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Update:

I arrived in France last week, just in time to spend Christmas with my family. I currently live in temporary (furnished) housing. I already signed up for a French cell phone number (all done online, the SIM card came by mail already and I activated it yesterday). I chose a plan with the leading local provider featuring unlimited voice and text anywhere in Europe plus 50GB of data for 20 euros a month. Yesterday, I bought myself a "new" car (a 1-year old Audi A3 Quattro). It should be delivered around mid-January as it needs to be shipped from another part of France. I also purchased four snow tires to handle the roads up to the nearby Alpine ski resorts (the car I chose even comes with a "ski hatch" in the back seat). I am now shopping for car insurance (first estimate is around 45 euros per month for full coverage).
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Old 12-28-2018, 06:42 AM   #227
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^ Looks like your transition to Europe is progressing well!
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Old 12-28-2018, 07:33 AM   #228
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Good to hear that you are settling in well.
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Old 12-28-2018, 08:08 AM   #229
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Old 12-28-2018, 08:11 AM   #230
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Originally Posted by FIREd View Post
Update:

I arrived in France last week, just in time to spend Christmas with my family. I currently live in temporary (furnished) housing. I already signed up for a French cell phone number (all done online, the SIM card came by mail already and I activated it yesterday). I chose a plan with the leading local provider featuring unlimited voice and text anywhere in Europe plus 50GB of data for 20 euros a month. Yesterday, I bought myself a "new" car (a 1-year old Audi A3 Quattro). It should be delivered around mid-January as it needs to be shipped from another part of France. I also purchased four snow tires to handle the roads up to the nearby Alpine ski resorts (the car I chose even comes with a "ski hatch" in the back seat). I am now shopping for car insurance (first estimate is around 45 euros per month for full coverage).
Don't you just love it when a plan comes together!
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Old 12-28-2018, 09:50 AM   #231
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Good update and Happy New Year FIREd, I hope 2019 is a better, happier year for you.
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Old 12-28-2018, 11:07 AM   #232
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Update:

I arrived in France last week, just in time to spend Christmas with my family. I currently live in temporary (furnished) housing. I already signed up for a French cell phone number (all done online, the SIM card came by mail already and I activated it yesterday). I chose a plan with the leading local provider featuring unlimited voice and text anywhere in Europe plus 50GB of data for 20 euros a month. Yesterday, I bought myself a "new" car (a 1-year old Audi A3 Quattro). It should be delivered around mid-January as it needs to be shipped from another part of France. I also purchased four snow tires to handle the roads up to the nearby Alpine ski resorts (the car I chose even comes with a "ski hatch" in the back seat). I am now shopping for car insurance (first estimate is around 45 euros per month for full coverage).
This is the best post of the month! So happy to read that you completed this huge move back to France. What a huge accomplishment. Not only that, but you also found and purchased a nearly new Audi! That's wonderful too. I hope you can manage to get around somehow for the next couple of weeks or so until it is delivered. Glad you found some temporary housing, enjoyed Christmas with your family, and have a local cell phone now.
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Old 12-29-2018, 09:37 AM   #233
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Glad to hear all is going well!

Congrats on the transition and enjoy the Alps!
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Old 12-29-2018, 09:57 AM   #234
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Wow...sounds like your plan is falling (has fallen?) into place perfectly!

So, so happy for you.

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Old 01-11-2019, 01:48 AM   #235
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Update:

I will be taking delivery of my new car this afternoon. The car buying process is quite a bit longer in France than in the US. In the US, for the last 3 cars I purchased, I walked into a dealership, picked a car, paid for it by check, and drove off the lot a few hours later. In France, payment can only be made with a cashier's check or bank transfer. I selected to pay with a bank transfer because the fee was lower (€4 vs €15 for a cashier's check) . But the transfer had to occur a full 5 days before the delivery date (due to increasing bank transfer fraud I am told). I also had to secure insurance at least 2 days before delivery. I was asked to provide proof of address as well as full banking information even though I paid for the car outright. But the process was still very simple.

I ended up contracting a kind of umbrella insurance policy (coverage up tp €1M) at the same time as I contracted the auto insurance (full coverage, €500 deductible). I was told that €1M was more than enough coverage for the umbrella as seven figure judgements are exceedingly rare in France. Overall I will be paying about €75 a month for auto and umbrella insurance.

I have started looking for a condo. I visited my first one on Monday and I have another visit lined up for this afternoon (a 550 sqft, 1-bedroom condo with large windows and a terrific view on the mountains). There are no buyer's agents in France. Sellers list their property for sale with a real estate agency and potential buyers must contact that agency directly to make an appointment for a visit. So it takes more time to visit properties, as the buyer has to arrange each visit separately. The area that I am targeting has a very dynamic real estate market and properties are often already under contract by the time I try to make the appointment for a visit. So it has been a bit frustrating.

I have been in France for almost a month, and so far I have done very well on my food budget (€400 a month). On that budget, I can buy plenty of organic fruits and veggies. I can buy meat from a traditional butcher shop, perfectly aged cheese from an independent cheesemonger, and bread from an artisan bakery. And I have plenty left over for wine.
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Old 01-11-2019, 02:14 AM   #236
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Good progress.

Thanks for the detail on buying a car. In England it was very much like the USA. We went through this in 2016 and I helped our son in 2017 go round the dealers. Find a car, leave a deposit and return 2 or 3 days later after it has been detailed and you have arranged insurance. Pay the balance when picking it up with either bank to bank or can use your debit card, either way the money arrives at the dealer in minutes.
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Old 01-11-2019, 06:33 AM   #237
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I love France Fired; You mentioned a view of the mountains. Where in France do you live now?

PS: We were in France for two weeks in September. It had been many years since we last visited France. We travelled down the Rhone through Beaujolais country. It was delightful. We spent the last several days in Nice. I love that city.


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Old 01-11-2019, 07:03 AM   #238
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Sounds like you are starting well the your new environment. Glad to hear your budget includes wine and good cheese!
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Old 01-11-2019, 07:14 AM   #239
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Pretty sure I’m not alone in wanting to know what car . Great progress! Good luck on the condo!
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Old 01-11-2019, 07:19 AM   #240
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Pretty sure I’m not alone in wanting to know what car
He got a beater.

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(a 1-year old Audi A3 Quattro)
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