Tag: Move to France

Dealing with government, Life in France

In residence

Paperwork
Residence permit paperwork

It’s official, we’re legal residents of France for a year, at least, as of yesterday afternoon! The process all began back in January of this year when we went to the French consulate in Miami to request a visa. Americans can stay here for up to 90 days in any 6-month period with only a passport but for any longer than that you need a visa that’s valid for a year. But wait, even with that document issued in the US you still have to request a titre de sejour (residence permit) once you arrive.Then the wait begins. Continue reading “In residence”

Bob5 Comments
Life in France

Bundles through Britain

The French crystal comes home
The French crystal comes back home

During World War II an organization called Bundles for Britain sent non-military supplies including knitted sweaters, scarves, and hats to the UK from the US. Seventy-five years later we have our own version, right down to the knitting, going on with the arrival of our household goods from Atlanta via Southampton, England. Continue reading “Bundles through Britain”

Bob3 Comments
Life in France

The view

Carcassonne Cité
Carcassonne Cité

Since the lease on our house doesn’t start until March 1, we’re spending a few days in a hotel that is located right beside the Aude River. That alone would be a nice enough location but as you can see from the accompanying photo from our room’s balcony, we have a great view of Europe’s largest fortress, known officially as the Cité. If this had been taken with a telephoto lens you could probably see the roof of our new place just below the turrets on the right. Continue reading “The view”

Bob4 Comments
Life in France

Looks like we made it

Heather and Bill
Heather’s first night in France

We arrived this morning, right on time, at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. At immigration we got the all-important date stamp in our passport to show when we arrived. We have to send a copy of that with our visa to the Office of Immigration and Integration in Montpelier to complete the paperwork needed to stay here for the next 12 months.Once we got to baggage claim we didn’t have to wait long for our 4 checked bags and to our delight, our fifth and most important checked item, Heather, was at the oversize baggage area in baggage claim. What a reunion that was! Continue reading “Looks like we made it”

Bob7 Comments
Before leaving the US

And they’re off!

airfrance headToday’s the big day. It’s been a year in the making and it took nearly a ream of paper to print out all of the documents we needed but we’re actually doing it – we’re moving to France today and we couldn’t be happier. Continue reading “And they’re off!”

Bob9 Comments
Before leaving the US

Thank you for being a friend

Thanks for the memories! (Photo by Jane)
Thanks for the memories!
(Photo by Jane)

One of my favorite American television comedies was Golden Girls about 4 women who shared a house in Miami. Their adventures, and misadventures in the case of character Rose, played by Betty White, always brought a smile to my face. Today at a farewell lunch I was pleasantly reminded of that show. Continue reading “Thank you for being a friend”

Bob2 Comments
Before leaving the US, Dealing with government

USDA Grade A certified

USDA shield
Grade A shield from the USDA website

This morning we had to have Heather at the vet for a 9:10 appointment. That was not a problem when we first made the appointment and lived 5 minutes from the office but since we’re in a hotel over an hour away we didn’t look forward to making the trek during rush hour traffic. As with all other aspects of this move, not to worry. Continue reading “USDA Grade A certified”

Bob