La Mer, le Canal & les Pyrénées

[Jacques Vert]

It’s been five years since my last trip report but this one will be a little different. We are travelling for six months so a daily report on what we do and don’t do could become quite tedious and boring. OTOH, there will be plenty of ideas to share and locations/experiences to report on.

Back around 2018, +1 & I came up with the idea of spending a year or two in Europe, based in France. We would find somewhere to live and become part of the local community rather than racing around various locations trying to squeeze as much as we can into every single day. No unpacking and repacking every few days, getting to know local customs and cultures, and able to relax “at home” whenever we feel the need.

In fact, in 2019 on our last trip to Europe (Ouzo, Schnapps, Rosé & Prosecco) we even checked out a few locations we had considered for our base. (More on that later.) And then, as we all know, along came Covid19 and we were not going anywhere; not even to see family in Qld!

We spent the next couple of years researching the challenges (and there were quite a few) of doing a one or two year extended stay, before booking flights on SQ for June 2023. However, some unexpected medical issues got in the way and we had to rebook for 2024.

So some of the challenges:

• Visa requirements
• Travel insurance
• Tax residency
• Award flight availability
• Expiring airline/hotel loyalty points
• Loyalty point enhancements (devaluations)
• Accommodation in Europe
• Transport options
• House sitter/renter for our home

 

[Pushka]

It’s been five years since my last trip report but this one will be a little different. We are travelling for six months so a daily report on what we do and don’t do could become quite tedious and boring. OTOH, there will be plenty of ideas to share and locations/experiences to report on.

Back around 2018, +1 & I came up with the idea of spending a year or two in Europe, based in France. We would find somewhere to live and become part of the local community rather than racing around various locations trying to squeeze as much as we can into every single day. No unpacking and repacking every few days, getting to know local customs and cultures, and able to relax “at home” whenever we feel the need.

In fact, in 2019 on our last trip to Europe (Ouzo, Schnapps, Rosé & Prosecco) we even checked out a few locations we had considered for our base. (More on that later.) And then, as we all know, along came Covid19 and we were not going anywhere; not even to see family in Qld!

We spent the next couple of years researching the challenges (and there were quite a few) of doing a one or two year extended stay, before booking flights on SQ for June 2023. However, some unexpected medical issues got in the way and we had to rebook for 2024.

So some of the challenges:

• Visa requirements
• Travel insurance
• Tax residency
• Expiring airline/hotel loyalty points
• Loyalty point enhancements (devaluations)
• Accommodation in Europe
• Transport options
• House sitter/renter for our home

Wow. We thought about doing this too but things didn't quite go to plan. Very jealous.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Wow. We thought about doing this too but things didn't quite go to plan. Very jealous.

Well perhaps this TR will inspire you to put it back on the agenda....

 

[VPS]

Very excited to hear all about it

 

[FlyingFiona]

What a dream - I wish I had a job I could take with me and do what you're doing! Looking forward to your updates (esp. where you settled on basing yourselves).

 

[Jacques Vert]

As mentioned in post #1 above, one of the first challenges to overcome was the Visa requirements. You can read the full story relating to this here: French Long Term Visas, so there’s no need to repeat the whole saga here.

In summary (and without getting too technical):

• When visiting most countries in western Europe, you are allowed 90 days out of 180;
• If the country you arrive in is one of the 29 countries that are party to the Schengen agreement, you are allowed to travel freely throughout the other Schengen countries during those 90 days (with some minor exceptions such as land borders to Bulgaria and Romania);
• The Schengen zone and the EU are not the same.
• The UK and Ireland are not part of Schengen
• If you are staying more than 90 days (out of 180) you’ll need a Visa although there are a few exceptions as discussed in the thread French Long Term Visas.

So as we were intending to stay for six months, we needed to apply for a Visa and the process is complicated. It became very frustrating and quite stressful. Our applications consisted of close to an inch of paperwork each: you need to include copies of confirmed accommodation for every night of your stay, income and bank balance details, health insurance policy, passport (together with a photocopy of every page), covering letter stating the purpose of you trip, passport photos, etc. If you are staying with friend or family, or at an airBnB, you have to provide your hosts name, address, phone number, ID number, etc. Obviously, you have to have made all your airline and accommodation bookings before submitting your application.

You can’t apply for the visa until three months before your arrival and you then need to make an appointment for an "interview" where they take your fingerprints, photos and, of course, the fee. Appointment times are scarce and you may have to wait a few weeks to get one and then it takes 2 to 3 weeks to process. So what happens if your application is rejected and you have already made all the other arrangements? And it is reported in numerous places that France does reject a significant proportion of applications (perhaps more than any other Schengen country).

If you are thinking of applying for a long-stay visa for France then read the other thread and I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have.

So the good news: our Visa applications were accepted and our passports, with visas, were received about six weeks before our scheduled departure. At last we were able to finalise our plans.

 

[ellen10]

Looking forward to following along with your adventures.
Before Covid we too looked at a long term stay in France. We looked at house sitting and lots of other ideas. We have been to France 8 times and love it. So many different areas and experiences.

Until reading your thread I did not know you could apply for a long term Visa. Unfortunately It probably will not happen for us at this stage. Two grand children and commitments, will limit our trips away.

So I will love following along on your experience, so jealous! Enjoy!

 

[Fifa]

I’ll be living vicariously through your trip report so look forward to your updates.

Have fun and grab a baguette, croissant and champagne for me!

 

[Jacques Vert]

Like most of our trips, this one started with a QantasLink Q400 flight, CFS-SYD. Although our flight to SYD was delayed, we arrived at the QF Business lounge just as the bar opened.



And now to my pet hate: why do they insist on opening 9 bottles of sparkling wine all at once? Don’t they understand that at least 7 of them will be flat before anyone gets to them?

It was then a QF 738 up to Brisbane in Economy (oh the shame!). Oh well, at least we got DSCs for these flights.

We originally booked award flights to CDG with SQ back in 2022 at 10:01 on the day they were released. Back then, award flights were as rare as rocking horse dung and the only availability was ex-BNE to CDG or FRA and we were extremely fortunate to pick up 2 saver awards in J. We were due to depart in July 2023 but as mentioned above, we couldn’t take those flights due to unexpected medical issues. So I contacted SQ customer care and after providing medical certificates they agreed to extend the validity of the tickets for 12 months which was indeed fortunate as I couldn’t cancel the booking: as the KrisFlyer miles had already passed their expiry date, they would have been lost.

Then came another few weeks of frustration as there was no saver availability ex-Brisbane for suitable dates in 2024 even though we are very flexible. Luckily after around 10 phone calls I got onto a senior agent who opened 2 seats for us. Problem solved.

 

[Jacques Vert]

As we can’t include flights ex-CFS on the same ticket as SQ international flights, we departed CFS the day before to avoid the risk of a delayed or cancelled flight from CFS resulting in missing the international connection. We stayed overnight with one of our sons before he dropped us back to the airport the following morning for our flight with SQ to CDG via SIN. Unfortunately the SQ check-in was unattended on our arrival so no way of getting into the SilverKris lounge as we were stuck landside. So we had breakfast at Cornetto using my Priority Pass that I received with my St George credit card.

After an hour or so we were able to drop our bags off and head through emigration, etc. and into the lounge for an aperitif or two before boarding.

SQ236: the regional Airbus A350-900 product. Nothing to write home about but Always nice to be in business…



For my meal I ordered the Chicken Briyani from Book the Cook, very nice:




+1 had the beef burger but didn’t think it was worth a photo and wouldn’t order it again.

We found the seats on the Airbus A350-900 to be fine for a day flight; in fact +1 managed to get quite a few hours sleep.

 

[Jacques Vert]

We had a three and half hour transit at SIN so we went for a stroll around the terminal and I found this:



And just in case you are wondering; no I didn't buy it as I would have had to carry it around with me for the next 6 months.

 

[craven morehead]

It’s been five years since my last trip report but this one will be a little different. We are travelling for six months so a daily report on what we do and don’t do could become quite tedious and boring. OTOH, there will be plenty of ideas to share and locations/experiences to report on.

Back around 2018, +1 & I came up with the idea of spending a year or two in Europe, based in France. We would find somewhere to live and become part of the local community rather than racing around various locations trying to squeeze as much as we can into every single day. No unpacking and repacking every few days, getting to know local customs and cultures, and able to relax “at home” whenever we feel the need.

In fact, in 2019 on our last trip to Europe (Ouzo, Schnapps, Rosé & Prosecco) we even checked out a few locations we had considered for our base. (More on that later.) And then, as we all know, along came Covid19 and we were not going anywhere; not even to see family in Qld!

We spent the next couple of years researching the challenges (and there were quite a few) of doing a one or two year extended stay, before booking flights on SQ for June 2023. However, some unexpected medical issues got in the way and we had to rebook for 2024.

So some of the challenges:

• Visa requirements
• Travel insurance
• Tax residency
• Award flight availability
• Expiring airline/hotel loyalty points
• Loyalty point enhancements (devaluations)
• Accommodation in Europe
• Transport options
• House sitter/renter for our home

Onboard

 

[RooFlyer]

Onboard

You can carry the Glengoyne then.

So, JV you are now clear to buy it! just think how much lighter and easier to manage your wallet will be after shelling out the A$46,000

 

[Jacques Vert]

You can carry the Glengoyne then.

So, JV you are now clear to buy it! just think how much lighter and easier to manage your wallet will be after shelling out the A$46,000

Actually it is SGD 46,000 so that's AUD 50,578 which is above my credit card limit; but think of the points I could have earned!

 

[Jacques Vert]

Have fun and grab a baguette, croissant and champagne for me!

+1 said she has done all that so what's next?

 

[BriarFlyer]

+1 said she has done all that so what's next?

My advice is to repeat daily.

 

[Jacques Vert]

SQ336 SIN-CDG

I’ve read on one of the SQ threads that members dislike the regional Airbus A350-900 product ex-BNE due to the small footwell, etc. and that the A380s and B777’s are much better, so I was looking forward to our 777 flight to CDG. What a disappointment, hard-product wise. We must have gotten one of their old birds as the seats in Business were the worst lay-flat seats I’ve experienced.

These were ones where to make the bed you have to fold the seat back forward and the bed is on the back of it, plus the footwell is off to the side. All the seats were like this as everyone sat directly one behind the other rather than staggered. +1 can sleep in almost any position, anywhere, but she struggled to get much sleep on this flight. I managed to get an hour or two but only after a few wines followed by two glasses of port.

OTOH, the service was excellent, as expected.

For dinner I again ordered from Book the Cook. I’ve read some reports that the Lobster Thermidor isn’t great and should be avoided but I decided to give it a go anyway:



Actually I found it was quite nice; perhaps not the best I’ve ever had but still very enjoyable, especially when washed down with a glass of Champagne. For dessert I had the cheesecake, again very nice:




+1 had a Prosciutto Salad entrée followed by the Cauliflower Steak:



Her verdict: “I wouldn’t order them again”.


For breakfast I ordered the Satay Sticks off the Book the Cook menu, very tasty:




It was then time to land at CDG and off to the immigration counters with our passports and visas in hand……

 

[Jacques Vert]

We arrived at the immigration desk and the chap behind the desk flicked through +1’s passport until he found some empty space, then stamped her passport; no questions asked. He then turned to mine and again flicked through the pages looking for somewhere to put his stamp when he came across my visa. This confused him and he asked “why do you have a visa?”. Because we are staying more than 3 months, I replied. Looking more confused, he looked back at the front cover and said “But this is an Australian passport, you don’t need a visa to enter France”. I said I believe I need one if I am staying more than 90 days.

Looking even more confused than before, he typed away on his computer before mumbling something like “it doesn’t matter anyway”, stamped my passport and sent us on our way.

Now everything you read would suggest that he had no idea of the rules; after all, why would the French Embassy in Australia be processing hundreds of applications per day if visas were not required?

So, you're unlikely to be asked for, or required to show, your visa on entry. However, when it comes to departing and you have stayed more that the permissible 90 days, you could be answering a few uncomfortable questions! Then again, knowing the French Authorities, perhaps no one will even bother to check when we leave in December. We shall see.

 

[Pushka]

We arrived at the immigration desk and the chap behind the desk flicked through +1’s passport until he found some empty space, then stamped her passport; no questions asked. He then turned to mine and again flicked through the pages looking for somewhere to put his stamp when he came across my visa. This confused him and he asked “why do you have a visa?”. Because we are staying more than 3 months, I replied. Looking more confused, he looked back at the front cover and said “But this is an Australian passport, you don’t need a visa to enter France”. I said I believe I need one if I am staying more than 90 days.

Looking even more confused than before, he typed away on his computer before mumbling something like “it doesn’t matter anyway”, stamped my passport and sent us on our way.

Now everything you read would suggest that he had no idea of the rules; after all, why would the French Embassy in Australia be processing hundreds of applications per day if visas were not required?

So, you're unlikely to be asked for, or required to show, your visa on entry. However, when it comes to departing and you have stayed more that the permissible 90 days, you could be answering a few uncomfortable questions! Then again, knowing the French Authorities, perhaps no one will even bother to check when we leave in December. We shall see.

Agree. Its always on departure that things come back to bite if not done properly.

 

[Jacques Vert]

I’ve been caught out before when planning activities on the day of arrival after long flights; there is always the risk of flight delays or cancellations, etc. I remember arriving at CDG in 2010 where we had booked a rental car and were planning to drive to Épernay, about 130 km to the east. Only problem was BA left our bags in London and we had to wait 4 hours for them to arrive on another flight. By then it was around midnight, we were very tired and the last thing I should have been doing was driving a car at 130kph down a motorway on the wrong side of the road.

These days I try to spend the first day/night close to the arrival airport to catch up on sleep and “settle in” a little. Hotels around CDG were quite expensive but I found a reasonably priced airBnB near the airport and the host will pick you up for an extra EUR10. Sounded like a good deal and it was except that I overlooked the fact that check-in wasn’t until 3PM and by the time we got through customs, etc., it was only 10AM. Fortunately our host rang and said he could come about midday.

Being jetlagged we forgot to take photos of the digs but you can look it up here: BnB near CDG While possibly not ideal when arriving on a morning flight it would be a good option for the night before departing from CDG.

Our host Jacques turned out to be a very friendly chap and invited us to join him for a drink. Not wanting to cause a diplomatic incident on our first day in France, we agreed. So for the next few hours we helped him polish off a couple of bottles of wine. Jacques also fancies himself as a good cook and treated us to some of his home-made bread and other delicacies, including his home-made harissa paste. A most enjoyable afternoon.