A friend, an American expatriate who lives in Paris, told me that Rivera was sticky. Too many tourists. Without authenticity. Hello, he admits that Antibes was a pleasant city, but advised me against Niza or Cannes.
I never considered moving to Paris. I lived in New York for 50 years and wanted to get away from the metropolis. I was looking for a more relaxed lifestyle. At 64, recently retired and financial, I decided to spend 3-4 months every year in a different part of France to decide which area should adapt.
My first exploration trip touches Brittany and Normandy. I spent a month in each one. Beautiful places, but too much rain and cold weather, right in May and June. In addition, I could not imagine living in a region that did not produce wine. I crossed my list.
The second year I went south. First for months in Antibes. And my friend was right. Visiting in March, it seemed authentically French, a big city walking and quite tempting. But it is a small town (population 75,000). On Sunday afternoon, I checked the local schedule of the film just to discover that cinemas in antibes had no exhibitions in the afternoon. And after a month I got bored without ingenuity.
From the antibes I went to the same Sanary-Sur -mer, (population 13,000) another perfect marine city for postcards, this time in the VAR region between Toulon and Marseille. I fell in love with him. As one of the only 3 Americans in the city, it was an object of a certain curiosity and quickly made a circle of friends. My active social life, including private visits to some of Bandol’s properties, blinded me to her limitations for a woman who has lived all her life in the main metropolis. I went ahead.
The following year I discovered southwest France. First St. Jean de Luz, a delicious beach resort in the Basque pay near the Spanish border. One of the most beautiful beaches I’ve seen anywhere, excellent food, a cozy atmosphere. But, in the end, too small, even with Biarritz and the very beautiful city of Bayona nearby.
To Bordeaux, where I spent the month of July in Bassin d’Arcachon, and August in the nearby suburb of Bouliac. Having made a very good friend in Gujan-Menstrastras in the Arcachon Peninsula, Bordeaux seemed perfect to me. I returned the next February. It was cold and law. In addition, friends of knowledge of knowledge told me that Bordeaux was a very closed social scene. Like many French cities (including Lyon and Toulouse, they have told me) if the port did not live there for at least 3 generations, you are a stranger and it will be difficult to make close friends. .
Year 4 I decided to ignore the advice of my Parisian friend and see Nice, who knew a little about my stay in Antibes and where I had an old friend of New York. And finally the pieces fell in their place. I fell in love with good.
I returned 3 years in a row, just to make sure. But this was the real. What my Parisian friend did not know was so pleasant (the fifth or sixth largest city in France, depending on whether you tell the metropolitan area) has everything I wanted. An animated cultural life. A climate that never puts below freezing. And more. Almost all in Nice, including French, come from another place, so strangers are more easily accepted. An international city where the Free Language is both English or Italian and French. Easy public transport. The second largest French airport after Paris with direct flights everywhere, including New York. A city as Italian and French and only 40 minutes from Italy.
And the relaxed lifestyle I longed for. A kind of southern lifestyle of California in the Mediterranean. I am, finally, home. ” Evelyn, pleasant
