My husband and I just moved from Bordeaux downtown to a small village in the north of France. Going from being within a 5 minute walk from cafés, restaurants, shopping and even a couple movie theaters to being around… nothing! There are about 5,000 people living in this village that is completely surrounded by farmland. There is a cherry and peach tree in our backyard, hens and roosters in the yard of our neighbor and behind us are cows.
His family lives in a nearby city, but we decided on this small village because it is halfway between his mother’s house and the sea. We thought it would be nice to be around family for when the baby is born, both so that they can spend time with the baby and help us when needed. While it is only about a 15 minute drive to reach a larger city with shops, it is still a little bit of a pain. For the past year, we have grown used to life without a car! No gas, oil changes, flat tires, insurance, etc. City life was wonderful!
There were several reasons why we decided on a small village though. First of all, we missed being around nature. Bordeaux is a beautiful city, but not very green. He loves running and I love long walks with my 2 australian shepherds – not much fun when all you see are grey stones and cars. Next, we missed fresh air. Even though there are less cars downtown than what would be in the US because of their public transportation systel, when you are the one on the sidewalk you cannot help but to get ill. And finally, the price of an apartment in the city does not give you the kind of space you will find out in the country! It is slightly cheaper here but almost twice the size, gigantic balcony and generous yard. Overall, the both of us and the dogs will be much happier here in the countryside.
As for shopping, I have found the secret to success! Amazon.fr! I have used them from time to time in Bordeaux, but here I am becoming quite dependent on this site. I just purchased a new office chair on Friday because my back is aching with this pregnancy… it is coming in from Germany and will be arriving today, only 5 days (3 weekdays) later! I also forgot to pack the cable to hook up the DVD player (I miss my prenatal yoga!) so I ordered that yesterday and it will be arriving tomorrow. Oh, and free shipping on all of these orders. Convenient, great deals and cheaper than using precious gas to run to the store. So mammas in France, if you are too tired to get out of bed to go shopping, try this site out. No, I am not a spokesperson for them, haha, but happy to pass along the tip.
I just ordered a jacket from a maternity website – it will be impossible to find a warm one in a regular store now. But I am growing out of my normal jacket and Normandy is FREEZING! So it was a do or die situation. I will keep you guys updated on my shopping experiences on different maternity websites. I know it was hard to find a descent store in Bordeaux, I cannot image how hard it will be here.
Leave a Reply