Daily life
Telephone calls
Making a telephone call in france is not the easiest thing. It often starts with a bunch of multiple choice questions in high-speed french. Contacting the insurance agency, the telephone company, a medical service… …dial 1, dial 2, dial 3…
When you finally managed to get through to a real person, they only speak french, often with a local accent and little patience to help “the foreigner”.
Some services indeed have an english speaking line. There you will find employees who speak this very charming english-with-the french-accent, but with a very poor vocabulary, so they too can’t help you.
I had these lovely Finnish clients, who needed a good working internet connection. It took some persuation to get the operator to transfer me to technical support.
The technician was very friendly and helpful, but was not allowed to schedule appointments himself. Back to the general technical service I could plann a visit, but could not schedule a time, only for a half day.
I was so happy when they said I could provide my mobile number, so that the technician would call me as soon as he left the previous job. Unfortunately the technician didn’t know that, so he was faced with a closed door.
I was lucky that he than thought of calling me instead of driving away and so we did solve the problem.
On holiday to France by car
Holiday crowds, toll roads and environmental zones
This government website contains current traffic reports and advice for the whole of France. https://www.bison-fute.gouv.fr/
During the holiday periods, the French roads are really busy. Black Saturday is the peak of holiday traffic on the motorways. Roads are overcrowded and there are many traffic jams, especially at the toll gates and the ring roads of large cities. Returning traffic is also affected.
Check your car before leaving for France
There is nothing more annoying than to be stranded on the side of the road. Before leaving, check the tire pressure, oil level and air conditioning. Of course, it is even better to have your garage perform a holiday check. Taking out a subscription with a Roadside Assistance service is also a good idea.
Buy a toll badge before you leave
Most motorways in France are toll roads, indicated by the blue signs Péage. You can pay at the toll gates with a credit card. Cash is also possible, pay attention to the signs above the pre-sorting lanes. You can also buy a toll badge. Toll badges are available via the website of Vinci-autoroutes. When using the toll badge, the barriers open automatically and you can use separate lanes at the toll gates, which saves you a lot of time when the roads are busy.
Medical subjects
A sudden toothache, an allergic reaction, a backache… How do you quickly find an available dentist or doctor? What a relief when you have my phone number at hand! I call around and make an emergency appointment, and I stay on the line during the consultation.
You need a new supply of your medication, how do you explain it at the pharmacy? Give me a call, together we’ll figure it out.
In France, General Practitioners work alone or with others in a so-called Cabinet Médicale. Sometimes they have a joint receptionist, but often not. Doctors then answer the phone themselves, also during a consultation. Don’t be surprised!
Emergency numbers
For emergencies, you can use one of the following telephone numbers. For less urgent reports, I can assist you in contacting the local police.
112: This is the European emergency number. It can be used in all member states of the European Union in the event of an emergency. Anyone calling this number will be put through to the emergency services centre. They can send the police, a medical team or the fire brigade.
17: Police. This number of the Police Nationale is exclusively for emergencies in the event of an accident, burglary, aggression, disturbance of public order, etc. (for the deaf and hard of hearing there is 114).
15: Ambulance service. In France this service is called SAMU. It is recommended to call General Practitioners first in case of emergency and, if they are not available, call SAMU. The ambulance service can often provide assistance on the spot and if necessary take care of the transport to a hospital.
18: Fire brigade. Les Pompiers. You can call this number in case of fire and also in case of a car accident.
About buying and selling houses in France
Renting and Letting
Renting out your French home is an attractive idea. Tourist rental is subject to a number of rules and to French taxes.
Long term rental contracts can also be an option. Here the tenant is subject to rental protection which makes it dificult to evict tenants in the event of non-payment or misconduct.
I once spent 2 weeks collecting data, phoning, translating, correcting, collecting more data, phoning again, correcting once more to get a file in the right form for court. This case involved misconduct towards the owner who lived on the same property. Noise pollution, violation of privacy, defamation, threats, damage to property, rent arrears and so on. But all very difficult to prove.
The judge eventually ruled in favor of the landlord, mainly because the rent arrears were very large.
Reviews
In 2014 there was a nice article published about me Ma Deuxième Vie. Currently I live in the Netherlands again, but it is still relevant! I think it’s fantastic to help people understand the french language and the french people. I made a translation for you here.
Daddy was a lover of classical music and let Mozart’s symphonies resonate loudly through the house. As a small child, Linda stood on the coffee table conducting concerts. After her schooltime, at the age of 20, she was waving a “Baguette” herself. The musical theatre in particular had stolen her heart.
From “De Kleine Komedie” in Amsterdam via “Saint Claires College” in Cambridge, Linda even ended up in New York, where she led a choir of over 200 in “Canergie Hall”. You would think this woman was made for music. But then she ran into the love of her life on the other side of the world, a French man.
They decided to move to the south of France where she is very happy. She quickly mastered both language and culture in france, but she remained restless. Linda had to have something to do.
By chance (and because of her extensive knowledge of languages) she ended up in real estate . A completely different world opened up for her. Under the motto “learning by doing”, she quickly got the ins and outs of selling houses and mastered the profession of real estate agent. In collaboration with local real estate agents, she guides potential buyers, mainly from abroad.
People who had bought a house through her mediation often kept visiting Linda with many questions. And she helped them.
Linda: “The fact that I have so many loyal customers is not only due to my fluency in my languages, but also to a real understanding of the culture. A concept such as a “cozy eat-in kitchen”, for example, cannot be translated, and is therefore almost impossible to explain to a Frenchman. When an Englishman talks about “a house with character”, there is more “standing” behind it than the French “maison de caractère”.
Because of this knowledge, Linda was increasingly asked to take care of all kinds of practical matters, such as solving problems with the internet or with an energy supplier. Also she fulfilled an intermediary function between Dutch and French contractors in cases of renovation or maintenance and applied for building permits.
She then decided to start her own company. LVFrance aims to assist and advise non-French speaking people with issues where a good knowledge of the country and the language are essential. She has already proven to be a solution for many foreigners and her company has grown into a valuable source of information. She can be reached via: lvfrance83@gmail.com
Also check out her website: lvfrance.nl
Ma-Deuxième-Vie is delighted that we got to know Linda.