Our little house in the village "au pied du château". We kept the motorcycles in the cellar.
We check regularly the status of France on the government's "traffic light" system for travel abroad. At the moment France is "orange" which means travel is possible but there are onerous and expensive conditions. So we await it "turning green".
We have now been away from our House In France for eight months. That's the longest period ever that we have been in the UK, ever since we first bought the little house "au pied du château" in the village fourteen years ago. Even when we were both still working full time and we only spent our holidays there, the longest time we were away was five months. I remember it feeling like an eternity and being desperate to get back.
We downsized in the UK so we could upsize in France to this.
Now that there are rumblings that travel to France on sensible terms might return, the longing to be there has also returned.
The re-opening of the "Jean Bart" last August.
Soon after we arrived there last summer (after seven months' absence), the bar in the village that had been closed all year re-opened and there was an opening party. There were a lot of people there, faces we didn't recognise, people from other villages and holiday makers from other countries. This was pre-vaccine and it felt very uncomfortable.
As I understand it, the vaccine has three advantages; #one is that you are less likely to get the virus, #two is that if you get it you are less likely to be very ill with it and, last but not least; #three is that if you are unlucky enough to get it, because you don't develop the severe respiratory symptoms you are less likely to pass it on. A triple whammy and all good.
There are a few "what ifs" to get out of the way before we can make realistic plans.
One thing is certain, getting there is never going to be as straightforward as it was in the past. Thanks to Brexit we have the punishing Schengen 90/180 rule so we can only stay for a maximum of ninety days unless we get a six month visa. It hardly seems worth getting a visa for this year - which involves an interview at the French Embassy, lots of documentation (no surprise there), proof of having somewhere to stay and costly insurance. Then there's the Animal Health Certificates, which can cost £150 per pet, per trip, thanks to Brexit and the loss of the Pet Travel Scheme. What if Covid tests are still required by the time we're able to travel (at around £100 each!)?
However, as soon as France "goes green" we'll be off. No iffs about that! We are at a time of life when we were hoping life would become easier and less complicated. The double whammy of Brexit and Covid has put the kibosh on that but it will take more than a bit of extra paperwork (and some of our hard earned dosh) to keep us away!
I have decided to go on amber - the costs are not actually that different - even for green you need a PCR test on returning; it is effectively one additional test and five days isolation. They cost about £45.00
ReplyDeleteIn any event I'm not letting the extra costs stop me - in the scheme of things it minor. What will stop me is having to isolate or curfew in France - that I will wait to pass before going.
If you were to stay long enough even the tests and isolation would likely not apply by later this summer.
The pet certificate is a pain but there is talk of it being brought in line with the old passport scheme soon - an interesting alternative suggested by our vet if you travel often is to do it the other way round and get a French pet passport. mmm... hadn't thought of that.
Meanwhile I'm counting the weeks till I go - hopefully mid to late June for a short trip and then again in August.
Mark, you can be my guinea pig!
DeleteThe trouble with hoping things will change is - what if they don't?! We think we can get round the expense of the AHC's by getting French passports for Daisy and Hugo. It means starting from scratch with the rabies vaccination but would save a lot of money and paperwork if the AHC's remain necessary.
I fear that we will ony go to France when the lights turn green. At present on Amber, with a test on the way out, and a minimum of 3 and possibly four tests on return, even at £50 that means a likely cost of £400 for the two of us. We are just hoping that the requirements are simplified later in the year.
DeleteAre you a biker?
ReplyDeleteYes, we still ride but only in France now. We're not club members atm.
DeleteYour house looks lovely, I can imagine you long to be there now things are improving. We on the other hand are waiting for our second jabs before we think of returning to the U.K. for a while. We shall have been in Italy almost a year, who knew this awful pandemic would impact as it has.
ReplyDeleteJenny, the impact has varied depending on the government approach. It could have been much better.
DeleteBe safe no matter where you be !
ReplyDeleteHaving lived in Brittany fr 12 years, I am happy to find another blog about life in France (coming over from Angela). We have been back in Cornwall for the last 8 years, and there is much we miss about the slow way of life.
ReplyDeleteHello Elizabeth, I remember your Brittany blog, welcome chez nous!
DeleteHi Jean! I came over from Angela's blog, too! I'm going to read some past posts now! Yay!
ReplyDeleteHi Pom Pom, I have been slow to reply to your comment as our internet was wiped out in the heavy rain during our "wet week in Norfolk". I hope you enjoy the blog!
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