“We always have been, we are, and I hope that we always shall be detested in France.”
That may have been the sentiment of Napoleon’s great adversary the Duke of Wellington, but two centuries and two world wars as allies on and relations between the Brits and French have become – mostly – more amicable.
Certainly I detected no animosity during my family’s recent foray into France on holiday. Instead, despite my barbarous misuse of their beautiful language, we were greeted with smiles and warmth wherever we went.
Likewise, today’s Brits seem to hold their neighbour and erstwhile foe in particularly high esteem (although for some reason my grandmother, who I’m sure was not alone, harboured a lingering resentment towards France, and refused to buy any French produce in the supermarkets until the end of her life!).
And we Brits are not alone. As the CIA’s World Factbook observes, France is the most visited country in the world, to the tune of 82 million foreign tourists in 2007.
With good reason too. For it is a breathtaking country, as I was reminded on our recent journey across the Pyrenean border from Spain and up through Aquitaine into the Charente, near the Atlantic coast.
I have to confess, our time in the country made me a little envious of the French and anyone else who lives there. Not enough to want to upsticks from Spain and move perhaps. But I can certainly see why its appeal for anyone else thinking of relocating abroad.
So here are my top five reasons for moving to France:
1) The Countryside
As Meg Ryan exclaimed in the movie French Kiss, while admiring the French countryside passing by her train window: “Err, beautiful!”
Oh yes. Think of the Loire, the forests of Fontainebleau, the Bordelais and Burgundian wine regions, the Alps, the Côte d’Azur. France has it all.
2) Towns and Cities
Is Paris the most beautiful city in the world? It’s got to have a claim. But even in the smallest provincial towns and villages it is easy to find a delightful shaded square, an arched bridge across a meandering river, a bustling market, or a maze of narrow cobbled lanes.
3) Climate
France encompasses all three European climates: maritime, continental and Mediterranean. And while this contributes to the beauty and variety of its geography, it also brings an abundance of leisure opportunities, whether for adventure sports like skiing or surfing, or more gentle pursuits such as golf, walking or painting.
4) Wining and Dining
Need I say more?! Just picture yourself kicking back with a glass of claret after a sumptuous four-course French meal. I rest my case.
5) French Living
And all of this is wrapped up in something that is at once intangible and yet very real: the whole mode of French life, its attitudes and cultural mores. The beauty that seems to imbue everything French, whether in its art or architecture, its language, music or their inimitable sense of style. And, perhaps most importantly, a cultural emphasis on pleasure and appreciating the good things in life. Indeed, like chic, the French expression has even entered the English vernacular: joie de vivre. Who could say it better?
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