The House Removals Company

Moving to France?

If you're moving to France you may be interested in reading a few paragraphs about your destination.

Famed for their excellent wine, rich cooking, refined sensibilities and exquisite chic, it is perhaps unsurprising that the French are also notorious for having something of a superiority complex. It may be very regionalised, each province having its own distinct traditions, but France is united in appreciation of its own glories and disparagement of the Parisians. This has been the case since Roman times – most unusually, the borders have remained almost exactly the same since then, allowing the country to forge a strong identity.

After falling to the Germanic emperors in the fifth century, France finally became a separate entity in 843, although north and south were then separate at that stage. The south was home to the Cathars, a religious group considered to be heretical by the dominant Catholic Church. The Albigensian Crusade, launched in 1209, eliminated both the religon and southern independence. The French mondarchy grewy in power and ostentation, reaching its height under the Sun King, Louis XIV. France became known for its art, literature and philosophies as well as its louche aristocracy. The French Revolution in 1789 brought an end to all that: the Reign of Terror saw thousands of citizens executed, including King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette. Napoleon Bonaparte seized power and built a French Empire that took over most of Western Europe and was only shattered at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. The next century was spent consolidating the African colonies but French pride would be dealt a severe blow when it was occupied in the First and Second World Wars. Since then, France has become a crucial player in the EU but the country retains a strong nationalism.

Long the apogee of damp British dreams, the French climate in fact varies widely between the cool north and the baking south. What is certain is that France sees a lot more sunshine than her island neighbour. Even the rain is more glamorous – in Paris, the smell of wet chestnuts in considered a crucial part of the city. The capital is better known for the grand buildings that line the Seine river, including the world’s best known art collection at the Louvre, the Cathedral of Notre Dame and of course the Eiffel Tower. The artist quarter of Montmartre is a wonderful place to let your imagination run wild before visiting the magnificent Sacre Coeur Cathedral, while the Marais is the city’s liveliest area to go out. And who could forget the shopping on the Champs d’Elysee? Outside the city, the Sun King’s palace at Versailles is awe-inspiring – or for a bit of light relief, why not head to the Asterix theme park?

Famous for its seafood, Camembert and apple brandy, Normandy is also home to the nation’s best-loved landmark, the glorious island monastery of Mont-St-Michel. The Bayeux Tapestry is here, as is the medieval city of Rouen, home of St Joan of Arc. South of Paris, the Loire valley is littered with gracious chateaux. Running along the Rhine Valley, Alsace shows its Germanic past, whether in the gothic architecture or the heavily sausage-based cuisine. The pink cathedral in Strasbourg has a spire that is so delicate carved it looks spun out of sugar.

The south is a haven for sunlovers, with magnificent beaches on the Mediterranean coast at Nice, St Tropez and Biarritz but there’s a lot more to it. Marseille is earthy and exciting, home of bouillabaisse stew and most of France’s burgeoning hiphop culture. Arles has Roman remains, Avignon several cathedrals, and Aix is the ideal place to relax and enjoy the famous Provencal cuisine: ratatouille, goats cheese, seafood and garlic all feature heavily! Leave time to visit the Camargue, whose marshlands are home to wild horses and flocks of flamingos.