Tuesday 18 October 2016

Planning our year in France


We have been back living in Australia for a few years. Whilst, in a practical sense, we feel less present than when we were living in France, we are still very much attached. Physically, we have our French village house, which is also our business as it is rented out for holiday lets; emotionally we have our friends, our photos and our memories. 

At various points around our current house we are reminded of our French story. Above my desk is a large canvas photo of the view up to the castle that we had from our balcony and an old postcard holder in our living room makes an excellent display for our French photos. Even curled, I still love stopping, flicking through a packet of images and reminiscing. 

Plus, we have our hopes and plans for the future.

An old postcard holder is an excellent way to display our thousands of photos from France
Strangely, I don't recall the exact moment that we decided to uproot us all and try living on the other side of the world, knowing no-one and only one and a half of us knowing the language (my son was only six...he's the half). But, I still remember quite distinctly the moment that we set our sights on living in Annecy.

Up until that day, we had done a lot of talking, hours of Internet searching and written many long lists of things to do and to decide. We knew by then that we wanted to be close to an international airport, not too isolated but not in a big city, be in an area where we could truly integrate with French speakers and preferably where skiing was an option.




It was mid-afternoon and we were on holidays in Adelaide. The fact that we were on holidays is probably significant as it meant that my husband and I were actually together at that time of day. He had packed a Lonely Planet Guide to France and was flicking through it. The book opened to Annecy and he started reading, he then looked up at me and asked if I knew of the town. Hmmm, did having a page of the Year 7 text book that I used to teach French, dedicated to the beautifully clean Annecy Lake, count?

Finding schools and accommodation seemed to be the most urgent tasks and we had several false starts before we came across a school in Annecy that had both a primary and secondary section, and was able to accept all three of our children. One thing organised and still so much to do. From one day to the next, I declared to a girlfriend that I had come to an important, perhaps surprising, decision - that I was pulling the plug on our year away. Packing up our house, organising our extraction from our entire Australian lives (think insurances, subscriptions, schools, work, clubs...), balancing our finances to be able to go for such a long time, being so far away and intimidated by doing everything in French, even the task of buying light enough suitcases to give us more flexibility with our flight weight allowance, was huge. If I then added to that the bureaucratic expectations of living in France, the difficulties I was having finding suitable accomodation, working out the best way to transfer money (the exchange rate was at a 10-year low) in addition to school runs, normal household chores, birthday parties, confirmations, health checks...it was just overwhelming.

The next afternoon I went and bought our airline tickets.

But, in reality, Annecy was a gamble. I had heard good things about it, that was all.

Last weekend, I wrote an introduction to a book that I was preparing.

C’est le plus bel endroit du monde.” (Winston Churchill)

Churchill was not the only one to think this way. We first stopped to explore the village of Talloires on the Annecy Lake a couple of weeks after our arrival in France. It was an overcast day and the lake’s blue shades, about which Mark Twain had written so beautifully, had been replaced by reflective hues of cloud grey. The mountains were slightly obscured and the streets were empty. A photo of me strolling along Rue André Theuriet that day turned out to be strangely portentous. There, in the background, long before thoughts of purchasing or living permanently in France had entered our heads, was our house; the one that we ended up buying many years later.

Our initial infatuation, over the years, turned into a constant love affair. Living there, we had experienced highs and lows, some predictable and some not-so, but it was the feeling that we got, the lurch in the pit of the stomach, the fleeting reflections that lingered, the sounds, fragrances and beauty that kept on floating by well after our return to Australia that convinced us that we, like Churchill, like Mark Twain, Cézanne, Gide, President Nixon and Napoleon 3, to name just a few, had found a special place in Talloires.


Then at the end of an hour you come to Annecy … which breaks the heart in your bosom, it is so beautiful.” (Mark Twain)

I am sure that we could have found other places in France that would have suited us just as well as Annecy. But, to feel so deeply we had to go and let go in the first place.

Linking this post to AllAboutFrance Number 26




26 comments:

  1. It was very brave to pull up stakes and move like that! As beautiful as Annecy is, I suspect you would have loved it no matter where you settled. ;-)

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    1. At the time, I didn't think of it as brave. I am a bit of a nomad, and wanted (want) my children to feel that you don't have to do what is expected of you; that living can be done in different ways, but it is a lot easier to live like that when you are single!
      You are right, of course, I would have loved wherever we had gone.

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  2. That's when you know it is right. Despite all obstacles and reason, something in your gut tells you this is right. It is not to say that there aren't days where you question your decision and wonder if you are just plain crazy. But you have fallen in love and that cannot be denied.

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    1. You have done much the same thing, Lisa, so I know that we have similar ideas. I'm sure that around you in Italy you see a lot of examples of being guided by passion!

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  3. Amazing that the house you were to later purchase was already looking over your shoulder! Which one is it?

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    1. Looking over my shoulder...I like that! Our house is on the right hand side of the photo, about half way back down the street, cream coloured with an arched doorway on the ground floor - roughly opposite where the car is parked.

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  4. Beautiful story. I hope you get back to your beloved
    Annecy soon.

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    1. Thanks Cheryl! We will be back soon. Enjoyed your Provence posts!

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  5. How beautiful that you found a place that felt like home. That is my dream too when my husband and I move to France, hopefully next year. Thanks for playing along with Dreaming of France. Here’s my Dreaming of France meme

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    1. Thanks Paulita. I'm sure that you and your husband will find what you are looking for and I look forward to reading about your journey on your blog.

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  6. What a lovely story, what is it about france that once visited it has that irresistability that keeps pulling you at every opportunity, the french always ask us, what is it you love about france and we cannot give a solid answer, I think it is a lot of different things that you cant put your finger on but mainly it is life as we knew it 50 years ago.

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  7. What is it about France...? Like you, I try and answer that question when it is asked and can come up with some of the expected answers to do with food, the pace of living, family focus, traditions that mark the year, the beauty and history and, indeed, it is all of that. But, for me, it is also the struggle to learn and understand, the need to be flexible in my thinking, the rewards when I manage to do something that takes effort because of a lack of instinctive knowledge of protocol and the deeper awareness of others that comes from speaking the language. I hope that the winter is not too hard on you! Thanks, too, for your comment. Regards, Catherine

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  8. Moving across the world is intimidating - but it is a magical experience :)

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  9. Catherine, je suis vraiment admiratif et impressionné par votre amour de notre pays ! Talloires et la région d' Annecy sont un choix fantastique ( pour moi le meilleur en France )!!! Votre mari a eu " le nez creux " ( Une grande intuition )de vous proposer ce coin de France. Je vous souhaite le meilleur pour votre future installation en Haute-Savoie.// Catherine, I am very admiring and impressed by your love of our country! Talloires and Annecy area both are fantastic choices ( In my humble opinion the best choice in France )!!! Your husband had a big intuition by proposing you this corner of France. I wish you the very best for your futur installation in Haute-Savoie. Philippe ( Lyon )

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  10. Merci Philippe d'avoir pris le temps de lire mon blog et de laisser un message. Oui, cela a été un vrai coup de chance d'avoir choisi Annecy. Comme vous, nous considérons que Talloires et la région sont parmi les meilleurs en France. Ceci dit, on aurait pu être content ailleurs, j'en suis convaincue!

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  11. Quand je lis les blogs de passionnés de la France, comme le votre Catherine, je suis étonné qque vous soyez natifs de pays si lointains tels que l' Australie, l' Afrique du sud, la Nouvelle-Zélande, les Etats-Unis etc...Beaucoup de français se demandent, comme moi, d' où vous vient cet amour pour une culture différente , bien que proche, de la culture anglo-saxonne qui est la votre. Et malgré la mauvaise image de ce pays dans les médias anglo-saxons, vous continuez à rêver de le visiter et,comme vous Catherine, de rester pour y vivre. Moi je dis: Chapeau bas ! Un mot pour vous féliciter de votre excellent niveau de français.// As I read some blogs like yours Catherine, about France's lovers, I am astonished that you come from distant countries like Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, USA, etc... Many french people are wondering, like me, the origin of this love affair with a different culture, although close, to the anglo-saxon culture on your own. Despite the negative image of this country in the anglo-saxon media you keep dreaming to visit and, even like you Catherine, to live permanently. I say : hats off! One word to congratulate you on your excellent level of french. Philippe.

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  12. Merci encore Philippe. D'où vient cet amour? Difficile à dire mais comme vous constatez c'est un amour qui est partagé et réel. A bientôt!

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  13. I was married in Annecy and we spent our honeymoon night in Tailloires!

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  14. So I'm guessing that you love Talloires and the Annecy area as much as I do!

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  15. I love how you chose your part of France. I've only been to Annency once but I remember it well and loved it. Your story is so inspiring, I moved so much in my childhood and up to a few years ago but have been a little too static for my liking recently and long to have the courage to do what you did. I would love to live in a 10th country....Thanks for sharing this lovely tale with #AllAboutFrance PS, just love the snowy photo above your desk. Did you take it?

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    1. Thanks Phoebe. I have to be careful when I talk with others that I tone down my insistence that change is good...and necessary. For me, it is a double-edged sword. I am always on the lookout for our next project, which is exciting, but it can be rather unsettling for my nearest and dearest who, I'm sure, would appreciate a bit more certainty regarding the future. I do take photos but my husband is a more avid photographer and probably took this one of the snowy castle. Our guests (and we had many!) photographed this beautiful balcony view in all seasons, and sometimes several times a day, so we have a lot of gorgeous snaps to choose from. A bientôt!

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  16. The boys all visited Annecy a couple of times when they travelled down through France whilst waiting for me to finish work. they fell in love with it & have told me I must visit - so I'm sure I'll get there sooner rather than later. Like you we have felt the pull of France & happily now consider it our second home (although we would love to live there permanently) - we are though rather closer than you! #AllAboutFrance

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    1. Hi Julie, when you do get to Annecy send me a note. If I'm there, it'd be fun to catch up. My husband has put a few of his favourite rides onto our house rental webpage and knowing how you all love to ride this might be of interest to you. http://www.ourfrenchvillagehouse.com

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  17. Bravo for just going for it. I hear Annecy is lovely. Hope to get there one day!
    #allaboutfrance

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    1. Thanks Diane. I am actually really proud of managing despite the set-backs and difficulties. For my children, too, they have a different view of the world that they otherwise would not have had - or at least not yet! Do put Annecy on your list of places to visit. I'd love to see your take on it in a blog post.

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