Aussie couple's 'ultimate tree change' to France

- by Marg McArthurThe village of Caunes-Minervois sits in the golden Occitane Landscape of the south of France. Surrounded by vines laden with purple grapes, the harvest is underway, and pickers dot the hills. Mediaeval villages with their ancient stone walls.This is rural southern France, not the jam packed boulevards of Paris, or the Côte d'Azur, but rather a living landscape that is continuing life much like it has done for centuries.It was indeed the Romans who first brought vines and olives to this corner of their empire and it is here that Bruce and Janelle Victor, plus Max their pet groodle, started their French odyssey seven years ago.READ MORE: 11 things first-timers get wrong on group toursFinding their new homeThe Victors first discovered Caunes-Minervois in 2017 when they bought a small holiday house in this vibrant town with another Australian couple. It provided both an income as well as a base to start exploring.Dating back to the 8th century, the original city wall of Caunes-Minervois still stands alongside its equally ancient Abbey. Red marbled fountain squares shaded by 200 year old plane trees sit alongside the Argent River. The town lures a community of artists, musicians and tourists exploring the narrow streets and surrounding rolling hills. READ MORE: Australian locations that offer the best sunset and sunrise viewsThe Victor's love affair with this small town continued when they bought the local chambre d'hôtes, or bed and breakfast in 2020. When the rest of the world was locking down Janelle spent her time looking out, dreaming of her return to France but this time making it permanent. She spent 2020 online looking for their new home and despite scouring the French countryside she returned her focus to her own village and it was here in the medieval quarter she found L'AncienneBoulangerie.READ MORE: Fun summer getaways in Central NSW to avoid coastal crowdsAll seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms set on a cobble stoned street in a building that centuries ago housed the Abbey's original wood fired bakery. In its modern incarnation, the L'Ancienne Boulangerie has been welcoming bed and breakfast guests for decades. The Victors had found their new home and business. Then the work started. How to move to another countryHeading off to France and deciding to live there permanently is not something you can just 'do'. There is a process, and it does take patience and importantly professional advice to navigate the vagaries of the French immigration system. It is not straightforward but as Janelle and Bruce have proven it can be done.Janelle advises that, "just like settling in Australia, get yourself a good migration agent, get yourself a hand holding/relocation service, and get yourself a good real estate agent. They have the knowledge you need to make this work."She also warns, "Facebook is not your friend, it's full of advice that may not actually pertain to your situation or is actually inaccurate and is a huge time waster"."If you want to do this, well, do it properly." Dennelle Taylor Nizoux of hand holding service, Renestance agrees. "Yes, bringing together the accurate information, hands-on assistance, and reliable professionals that expats need was our intention when launching the company in 2015. Admin here is a challenge even for the French, and mistakes can be costly when you're moving your whole life to another continent. So, paying a professional will bring you peace of mind and save you money in the long-run." mistakes can be costly when you're moving your whole life to another continent.It is through the relocation service that you will also be introduced to lawyers, immigration and financial experts. Each person an important cog in the wheel of cracking the sometimes confusing code of migration rules, property rules, small business rules, and navigating the inevitable hurdles. Each person a stepping stone on the path to a new life in France. Bruce has looked back on the overall process and says, "the effort you put into seeking out the right advice pays off ten times over as each step is rewarded with letters of approval and permissions. With a clear plan and the right assistance onboard, the challenges were easily dealt with." It took 12 months and €3,000Janelle gained French residency based on her running a small business, her bed and breakfast or chambre d'hôtes at L'Ancienne Boulangerie. She's classified as an 'auto-entrepreneur'. The whole process including visa application and business registration took 12 months and cost approximately €3,000. She pays French tax and is therefore entitled to French health care and social security benefits, but it is so much more for Janelle who now truly feels integrated and part of French society. As part of the process Janelle also underwent one hundred hours of French language and cultural classes. It worked. Her French is not perfect, but she runs her business in French, banters with passing neighbours from her kitchen and also organised renovations with an army of French tradies. Of course, there are hiccups when learning a new language in a new country. She spent 18 months thinking she was asking guests not to smoke on the terrace. Instead, it turns out she was actually asking them not to leave any horse manure. Unsurprisingly no manure was ever left on the terrace!Bruce on the other hand maintains a long stay 12 month visitor visa as he is a fly in fly out marine pilot on the Great Barrier Reef. He spends six months of the European warmer months at their French home and the other six months employed in Australia.His visa conditions require him to maintain separate travel insurance which he easily negotiates each year, and while he can work on their Caunes-Minervois home maintaining and renovating it, he cannot work in the business. Not that it's a problem as they close the doors of the business when it suits and take off on their own adventures or long weekends around France and Europe. Europe at their doorstepConveniently located close to UNESCO World Heritage sites including the Canal du Midi and the ancient walled city of Carcassonne with its airport only 25 minutes away, cheap airfares have so far allowed the pair jet off to Sardinia, Morocco, London and Portugal for mini breaks and timeout.Spain is a short drive away and of course the nearby Mediterranean coast also beckons. Old market towns, mediaeval fortresses and dramatic seascapes. Think wine, over-ripe tomatoes, luscious stone fruit, cheese, olives. This is where the 'wildcat' artists of Matisse and Derain sought the sunThe business provides Janelle the perfect opportunity to socialise and integrate with the community. Gregarious and outgoing, she loves meeting the visitors who come through her doors. Jazz bands, artists, the Grand Dames of Paris, international and French tourists alike. All supervised by Max the dog and all adding to the rich adventure of running a bed and breakfast or chambre d'hôtes. Of course, it can be hard work running a large house and a boutique hotel with a flurry of guests, suitcases, and their sometimes peculiar needs but she also has local help. Plus, they have those breaks. If not with Bruce, then hitting the local brocantes or flea markets with girlfriends, vineyard lunches and long summer evenings drinking local rosé under those centuries old stone walls. The business is closed for winter so that is her opportunity to see family and friends as well as recharge. The three storey L'Ancienne Boulangerie is packed with luxurious and classically French interiors, many items sourced by Janelle from the local antique markets. Gloriously comfortable beds, intimate quiet loungerooms, stone terraces spilling with flowers. Marble fireplaces burning bright in the cooler months. It is an authentic immersion experience into French village life and offers true comfort for guests.True comfort also for Bruce and Janelle who have renovated their own owner's top floor apartment offering privacy from the day to day running of the chambre d'hôtes.Time for another changeBut there is change afoot for the Victors with the property recently listed for sale. Completely turnkey with furnishings, linen, pots and pans, all ready to operate from day one. After all this is a business. Unless of course the future owners intend to fill the seven bedrooms with their own family and friends.The couple aren't leaving France or even the village. Although sad to leave their home, they think it's time for a change and are looking forward to new horizons.Capitalising on her eye for styling and bargain hunting, Janelle has teamed up with local real estate agent, Andrew Guck from Leggett Immobilier International, transforming houses before they hit the market. Her visa is transferable to her new business - Home Staging Sud de la France, and it's already up and running. It's booming and Janelle says, "serious fun". Guck is marketing and selling L'Ancienne Boulangerie as well as advising Bruce and Janelle on the purchase of their new home. He has spent decades in this part of the world, and describes their home and business as the perfect opportunity to own a piece of history while opening opportunities for new friendships and adventures. He also observes that, "here in the Languedoc, well it's the less pretentious 'other' south of France, and fair property prices are not the only advantage. These areas are surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, proximity to the Mediterranean, and plenty of opportunity to explore the outdoors, including the towering Pyrenees mountain region close by." Janelle says whoever takes on L'AncienneBoulangerie next will have a chance to really integrate into the community. "The renovations are done and the property is ready for the next French adventurers."So, whether running a classic French chambre d'hôtes is your dream or another passion drives you to this sunlit countryside, it is achievable to call France your home, with a bit of patience, good planning, and the right contacts.À bientôt, see you there soon.