Free French Classes

On September the 5^th I’ve started my new free French classes in my local Licée.  The French classes are part of the program of national education.  The classes are aimed to adults who want to learn French as part of the GRETA structure. 

For those not familiar with the educational system in France, the GRETA is part of the national adult educational system.  Greta prepares adults for most jobs based on the local economy; you can do a whole diploma or just a single module.

Greta offers free  French classes, but they also offer English classes for the French and a few other free subjects like logical thinking.  If you want to take part in a Greta program near your area you’ll need to find the nearest Greta address to your home.  The classes are free of charge but the number of students per group is limited to the number of subventions given to the program by your local authorities.  For example for this semester, my French class is limited to only 14 students.  Anyone else who wants to take part in the class will need to pay its own fees or wait until the next semester starting in January 2012.  The number of places available varies from semester to semester and sometimes the classes are separated in different levels so you can take a beginners, intermediate or advanced class, according to your French abilities.

For more information in French about GRETA you can visit their official site in de Indre region. 

Free French classes are not easy to find in small towns and villages in France, that is why the Greta program is so good.  Also, the French classes are very flexible in the sense that they try to accommodate to the students’ level of French and their main interests for learning the language.  This is the second time I am part of a Greta class in my area.  The first time was a few years ago, when I just arrived to France and all I could say was “oui” and “merci”.  Now my level of French has improved but I am coming back to the classes because I feel that now I need to learn to properly write in French.   Hopefully, by the end of the year, I will notice some improvement!

At Chateauroux, Châtillon, Argenton, La Châtre... Get more information on the Espaces Libres Savoirs du Greta about all the courses financed by the regional councel.  There are also the visas Centre on: éco-citoyens, Internet, bureautique, languages and-tourisme. 

www.els.new.fr

Candle Light Castle Tour: Park and Chateau de Valencay

The chateau de Valencay is one of my favourite chateaux in the region; firstly because it is family friendly and secondly because it is always trying to deliver new exhibitions and entertaining shows.

Usually the chateau is open from around 10am to 7pm but for the delight of its visitors, this year it opened its doors twice (the 23^rd of July and the 6^th of August) to the general public at night time to offer a candle light castle tour.

I have visited the chateau several times; usually I take my little ones there every year for Easter as they love to go egg-hunting in the Park of the castle.  However, seeing the castle at night time is and entirely different experience.  From the moment you enter the town of Valencay, you can see in the distance the castle, and you can start admiring the beauty of this building illuminated by candles.

A romantic candlelit evening

We arrived to the castle near 10pm, ready to spend an enchanted evening.  The entrance was very different to the day entrance, at this time of the night the garden paths to the castle were illuminated with discreet candles on the floor.  Once we reached the main hall of the castle I was surprised to see how well lit it was.  I have read that they use more than 3000 candles to illuminate the castle, but somehow I couldn’t imagine it until I saw it.  The big Chandeliers hanging of the ceilings with dozens of candles were breathtaking.     

Walking through the corridors and rooms of the castle, bumping into people dressed as if they were expecting the Prince the Tayllerand, or even Napoleon at any minute, you couldn’t avoid to feel transported in time.  Every room, from the smallest bedroom to the big dining room and kitchens were candle lit, even the outside windows of the castle were lit with candles.  The gardens were not exception to this extravagance and they were also candle lit so you could appreciate the beauty of its park in a romantic horse and carriage ride that would have Cinderella green with envy!

It was impossible not to feel transported in time to the great banquets organized by the Prince de Tayllerand in this castle.  There were also flamenco dancers all along the castle –I suppose to highlight the fact that the King of Spain lived exiled in this castle for about 4 years. 

To end our magic visit, we were taken back to the gardens where we were treated to a small but beautiful firework display in front of the castle, accompanied by period  music.

If all that hadn’t been magic enough, on the way home we stopped in the middle of the fields to appreciate what I call “nature’s fireworks” which is an amazing event that happens every summer in the region, a “rain of stars”, meaning and abundance of shooting stars, so numerous that you don’t even have the time to make up enough wishes…

Who said that magic doesn’t exist anymore?   

For more information on tours, opening times and prices  you can visit the Chateau de Valencay official site.

Chateau de Valençay


The town of Valençay has a lot to offer to the tourist. A detour into Valençay is certainly worth your time. It is not a surprise that Valençay is known as one of the "Most beautiful detours in France".  Located in the Indre department  Read More

The French Countryside

The French regions offer visitors a diversity of landscapes that’s unrivalled in Europe. Add to it the abundant fauna and flora, the high quality of their cultural and historical heritage, and you will easily understand why France remains a favourite tourist destination in the world.

Hiking, biking, horse riding, paragliding, hot-air balloons or camper vans, all means of transport are suitable for exploring France!

A Detox weekend

Colza fields

Listening to the opera with a glass of Haut Medoc in an empty room overlooking the fields of colza wasn’t my idea of a fun Saturday night.  This time however, I felt completely happy just sitting on the window sill tasting the wine and listening to the music, simply enjoying being on my own.

I cannot remember the last time I spent a weekend on my own.  Come to think about it, probably never as I am usually not at ease spending time on my own, least of all in the middle of the countryside with the nearest neighbour one kilometre away.  I never realized how liberating for the soul it could be to disconnect from everything and just enjoy “being there” being yourself. 

My detox weekend did not follow a traditional detox programme.  I had no spas, massages or colonic irrigations.  All I had was time with myself and nature, plus of course a couple of bottles of Haut Medoc, some local goat’s cheese and freshly baked croissants and coffee.  Probably not a very healthy diet, but an enjoyable one.  My detox plan involved cutting off from the internet, tv and telephone.  A big detox if you come to think how attached we are to these things. 

My weekend started on a Friday afternoon when I arrived at an empty country house which a friend kindly let me use . My first impression was “Oh my God, what am I doing here in the middle of nowhere”.  For a few minutes I hesitated and wanted to go back to the security of my own home, but I was here now and the sun was shining.  I braved it, opened the door and unpacked my few belongings.  After I unpacked I sat on the door step with a glass of wine, the sun warming me gently.  The rest of the afternoon I just sat there and read a book until the sun disappeared and I had to go in.  My dinner for the night consisted of another glass of wine, nuts and raisins. 

Fields of Wheat on the front and Rape-seed (colza) on the back

Saturday morning came with yet more sunshine; an opportunity I took to go out on my bike searching for the nearest goat’s cheese farm and baker.  By the time I got back to the house it was already the early afternoon.  I had taken a long time cycling, stopping on the way to admire hidden castles, rivers, flowers and wildlife.  I was exhausted after my long ride and I just sat again by the door to soak up more sun and greedily enjoy two freshly baked croissants I had bought at the nearest village.  It was a beautiful day and without a second thought after I finished my lunch I put on my walking boots and wandered among the fields of colza and wheat.  For some reason the colza’s yellow flowers looked so inviting that I couldn’t stop myself from going in the fields, the yellow carpet ahead of me just made me want to roll over it!.  After a while I reached the woods and continued my walk until I reached a small pond where I sat for a while before walking back.  All I could hear was the wind and birds chirping. I never came across another soul on my walk.  On my way back I couldn’t believe I’d just ventured into the woods and fields on my own.  I have always been scared of the woods (watched too many horror films) but this time I felt secure. 

Colza (rape-seed) flowers

Rape-seed (colza) fields

The rest of the Saturday afternoon I just sunbathed and when the sun went down I sat on the window sill listening to the opera, sipping a glass of wine, admiring the colza fields.  I felt good. 

Learning To Drive In France

One of my resolutions for this year is to learn to drive. Not an easy task considering that I believe that I do not have the motor skills to successfully drive, but mainly because having to study the highway code in French and sitting a French Driving test are, to say the least, scary.

After several visits to my local driving schools I decided on the one nearest to my home. It is only two blocks away so I have no excuse to stop going to the theory classes. To help “push me” to go to the driving classes I also enrolled the help of a neighbour who is babysitting my little ones while I go to the classes.

The first step was to register for the course. Pay the 235€ for the theory classes and hand in photocopies of my passport, 4 photos and an A5 envelope. I was told that I could start as soon as I wanted. The classes are every evening -one hour- from Tuesday to Saturday. My first class was a bit of a disappointment as I realized that by “theory class” they meant to sit a group of people in front of a big screen to do a mock driving test, that is corrected by yourself at the end of the test with the help of the explanations given on the screen.

I’ve been trying to go at least twice a week to the theory classes and I’ve noticed a slight improvement. In a month I’ve passed from having an embarrassing score of 12 out of 40 to a more decent 32 out of 40. Hopefully in another two months I will be able to sit my theory test.

In the meantime, the Prefecture (the ones in charge of dealing with the paperwork) have not accepted my application for doing the test because my British passport doesn’t say in what country I was born. To make things worse I’ve been told that I need a document with my maiden name because unlike other countries, which accept your married name, in France you must keep your maiden name for official documents like a driving license. Now, finding a document with my maiden name is not easy, I’ve been married and using my married name for the past 17 years so I do not have any records of my maiden name in any up to date official document. I tried to provide my birth certificate as proof of my maiden name, but that was not accepted because it was written in Spanish!


I’ll keep looking… maybe I’ll find something…

The Cost of learning to Drive in France

How much does it cost to pass your driving test in France?


For doing my driving lessons, I have chosen a driving school in the countryside. After researching through the schools available in my area, I found that they all offer a very similar package for almost the same price.

If you are doing your driving test in France, count on spending a minimum of €1,000

Average prices you can expect to pay to learn to drive in France:

• Theory classes: 235€
• 1^st evaluation  : 38€
• Driving class   : 38€ per hour with a minimum legal requirement of 20 hours
• Sitting the driving test: 55€

Driving in France (France Magazine)
Frommer's 25 Great Drives in France (Best Loved Driving Tours)

Living in France: Meet Ryan O’Connell

Moving to France and starting a new life is a wonderful way to broaden your horizons and revitalize your life.  True enough it requires courage and a lot of research to move to a different country but if you put your heart in it, you can make your move a success.

Winemaker at O’Vineyards: Ryan O’Connell

Today I want to introduce you to Ryan O’Connell, a young winemaker at O’Vineyards and  member of the Outsiders a group of winemakers who have all fallen head over heels for Languedoc Roussillon wines.  Ryan also runs a Languedoc Wine blog and is the author of the e-book “Wines of Carcassonne”.   

How long have you been living in France Ryan?

 I lived in France on and off as a child, but I have been here more regularly since 2005

 What inspired you to come to France?  Why France rather than an English speaking country?

 My mom is French and my parents purchased a vineyard  in the south of France.

Does the dream match reality?  Did you find in France what you were expecting?

I thought I knew what French life would be like since I had lived in Paris as a child, but I found rural life to be a totally different experience, in a good way.  It's been wonderful here.  Although, country life means everybody knows everybody.  Without the anonymity of the city, I sometimes feel like I have no privacy.  But it's worth it for the beautiful landscapes and great wine.

Ryan O'Connell

What is it that you like the most about living in France?

 WINE!  and unpasteurized cheese.

What has been so far your worst experience living in France?

 All the paperwork, bureaucracy here is exactly as bad as people describe.

What advice would you give to any foreigners who want to come and start a new life in France?

Learn about what part of France you're going to.  Each region has its own history and culture.  Don't expect all of France to be the same or all French people to be the same as it’s one of the most diverse and culturally rich parts of the developed world.  And people still latch onto their regional heritage (especially in rural areas), so know your stuff if you want to integrate! 

Wines of Carcassonne.  A book by Ryan O'Connell

For more information or to visit O’Vineyards you can call email them at ryan@ovineyards.com

Taxes In France

 

We just finished 2010, finished paying for all my 2009 taxes (taxes are paid one year in arrears in France) and I have to start worrying about my 2010 tax form for this year.  This is because the French tax year runs for the calendar year (ie. from the 1^st January to the 31^st December).  Very soon I will be receiving my annual tax return form called declaration des revenues.  Notice that in France, even if you have no income to declare you are obliged to fill in a tax return form, the French tax authorities will then send you a statement saying that you have no tax to pay.  

Taxes are high in France and as you would expect in a country with millions of bureaucrats, the French tax system is complicated even for the French!  It doesn’t matter how much you inform yourself, just when you think you finally understand it and you know it all… paffff they change the rules or even worst hit you with a new tax.

Having said that taxes are high in France, you will be pleasantly surprised to know that Personal Income Tax (Impot sur le revenue) in France is below average for EU countries, especially for large families, as the amount of income tax paid is based on the number of dependant children.  But before you get too happy, I’ll bring you back to the crude reality… once you add social security contributions (regarded as a form of tax) and other taxes, French taxes are among the highest in the world!

Every individual is responsible for paying and declaring their own Income Tax in France.  Late payment of tax bills will add a surcharge of 10% penalty to your bill.  

Who pays tax in France?

Under the French tax code if you are a resident in France you have to pay taxes in France. You are considered a French resident if:

• You are living permanently in France.
• You spend over 183 days in France during a calendar year.
• Your business is based in France
• You work in France

Allowances

Your taxable income can be considerably reduced by an array of allowances such as social security payments, home improvements and others.

For more information on paying your taxes in France, the 2011 tax calendar and some useful vocabulary to understand the French tax system you can click here.