First steps to our new life...

After we'd talked and talked and talked round and round in circles we decided that the first step was a trip to France to look at houses and see how we felt being out there. So we booked a dog sitter, flights, a hotel and some house viewings and off we went!

We have lived on the continent, but it was quite a long time ago, and we thought we'd be fine, but wanted to go and see how we felt once we were there. I speak a bit of French, but am out of practice and Hubby doesn't really speak it at all. It took me a couple of days to get my ear tuned in but quite quickly I was understanding large parts of the conversations! I was really chuffed!! It's going to take me a bit longer to be able to think quickly enough to have the conversations myself!

Anyway we arrived in Bordeaux airport to dry, mild weather if a bit cloudy, having left the UK in cold, wet and windy weather. Within 24 hours we were in t-shirts in 22 degrees, blue skies and sunshine! So, that ticked that box then, that area of France generally has much better weather than the UK, and more importantly for us, there are definite seasons. We picked up the hire car (in a moment of complete madness, or return to childhood, I'd upgraded the sensible saloon car Hubby had booked to a soft top convertible) and off we drove to the hotel in the Vendee region we were booked into. The roads were so quiet in comparison to the UK, even the motorways. Driving was a positive pleasure - another tick in the box - and there was so many fewer cars on all the roads we drove on while we were there than there are on the roads in the UK. Okay we had to pay the tolls (peage) on the motorway, but the rest of the roads were sooo good we didn't mind, and actually it wasn't difficult to find ways round the motorways if you wanted to!

So, by this time the idea was beginning to grow legs and looking good. Weather definitely better, driving and roads much better, and when we got to the hotel that was okay too! 

We stayed in a hotel in Fontenay le Comte, as that's in the Vendee region where we were house hunting and had booked to see 11 houses in all. The next few days were fascinating, interesting, worthwhile and incredibly tiring, and by the time we flew back we were both so exhausted we could couldn't think straight never mind make any decisions.

But wait, I haven't got that far through the story.... Next time the actual house visits....