Arrangements

I have spent the better part of a year planning, arranging and jumping through hoops to make an extended stay in France possible.  Getting time off, saving enough money, ending time-eating standing commitments, tying up all loose ends so I would be able to be gone from my home for six months has occupied most of my waking free time.  Oh yes, I was still working three jobs, and incidentally. moving out of an apartment I had lived in for the past twelve years.  Indeed, there was a lot to consider and arrange for. But I have dreamed of doing this since I was 15 years old.  47 years is a long time to wait to make a dream come true, but I am convinced that this trip will be worth all the wait and all the arrangements.

 

The hardest thing I had to do was make some decisions about when to go, where to go, and how long to stay.  Whatever did we do before the Internet?  I was able to systematically search several websites.  Vacation Rentals by Owner,  www.vrbo.com  which I have used before for shorter visits, was a place to start, but most of the listings there are for a week at a time. I wanted something that would last a long time, maybe even a year.

 

I had great success with the website Rent a Place in France.com.   www.rentaplaceinfrance.com  I was able to spend as much time as I needed looking for suitable places.  I had some specific needs that had to be met and ruled out some lovely places that captured my heart.  I desperately wanted to be in Paris, but Paris is very expensive.  With some regret, I decided that I would rather have a longer time in France than a shorter time in Paris.  After all, part of what I am trying to accomplish is immersion in the French culture.  I then began to look at small cottages, but almost all of them were situated in the countryside, and I would need a car.  I do not want to have to have a car, so I needed to find a place in a larger town or small city where I would have access to a bus and a train.  I have never been in the southern part of France, and decided that if I were going to have an adventure, it would be a real adventure in a place I'd never seen.  So, I began casting about in the south.  Carcassonne appeared on the horizon and I was captivated.  I found my apartment and sent an inquiry e-mail.  The next day, I received a phone call from Jason, the owner, calling me from France. He was extremely helpful, and I was very impressed that he had taken the time to call me. 

 

In my favor, I wanted to rent in the off season, and for a long time, so Jason offered me a really good deal on the rent. I touched base with him as my plans began to take shape.  Eventually I settled on an approximate arrival and departure time, with the assurances the dates could be flexible a day or two each way.  We agreed on the basics, he sent me an invoice for the deposit, Paypal brokered our money and I was the tenant for six months beginning around October 12.  He converted the pounds to Euros for the lease purposes, and e-mailed me the lease which he knew I would need when applying for my long term visa. 

 

We have subsequently exchanged e-mails regarding phone numbers, arrival procedures, digicodes, train schedules and most importantly, the name of a hairdresser. I have every reason to believe that the trip will be the adventure of a lifetime, now that all the arrangements have been made.