Three things about living here are making me have second thoughts now. First, stairs. We live in a three-story house. As I've aged, I've come to wonder if this is the right place for me. Second, we have half an acre of land. That's a big maintence chore. Third, we have one of France's most popular tourist attractions less than two miles from us, the Beauval zoo with a million visitors annually. That means a lot of traffic, and increased car traffic is not a plus.
I guess all I'm saying is that if and when we decide to sell this house where we've lived for 21 years now and look for a single-story house with less land to worry about, maybe it would be a good idea to look for a house in the Sancerre/Cosne-sur-Loire area. I took the photos in this post in Cosne (pronounced [KOHN] as in ice cream cone) nearly 25 years ago. Above left, the street in my photo looks pretty nice. Above center, there's a man walking a dog that looks a lot like Collette, the dog who came to France with us in 2003.
In the middle photo just above, that's a Renault 4 that looks just like the one I had in Paris back in 1981-82. Nostalgia... By the way, Cosne and Sancerre are in different regions and different départements, but they are just 7 or 8 miles apart on the Loire river.
I learnt from my experience living in the US that a three storey house means that whatever you want to use is always on a different floor to the one you're on. Having a single storey house is wonderful: especially for ageing knees!
ReplyDeleteSome of my aunts and uncles changed their homes after retirement, but instead of thinking sensibly about space and stairs, they mostly went for larger multi-storey places. I think they imagined that all their grandchildren would come and stay at once, so they've bought for a once-in-a-blue-moon event rather than the reality of their daily lives.
My mother sold her house, where she had lived for more than 50 years, and moved into an apartment in a retirement community. She had been living alone for 25 years and was very lonely. Suddenly, in her new apartment, she had a close circle of friends and neighbors. She told me it was best decision she had ever made. No stairs to climb. She kept her car and her independence. She lived in the apartment for 13 years before she passed away.
DeleteThe area looks lovely. I'm sure there are nice buildings with elevators too, besides single-story houses.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I lived in a plain-pied (one story) house was for three years,1992-1995, in Sunnyvale (Silicon Valley), Calif. Our house in San Francisco was on four levels!
DeleteHaving at least one bedroom and full bath on the ground floor, makes life easier. We are in a high rise, everything on one floor and an elevator to the floor.
ReplyDeleteOur house here in Saint-Aignan is on three levels. The main level (kitchen, living/dining room, full bath, and two bedrooms, is on the second level, up off the ground. We spend evenings and sleep up in the loft space which is the third floor, with a steep, narrow staircase.
DeleteYou could move downstairs and eliminate one set of stairs.
ReplyDeleteWalt is going away for eight or ten days in October. I figure Tasha and I will sleep in our guest room, on the main level of the house, while he's gone.
DeleteIt is fun to look at houses online… maybe one day a property will come up for sale that looks like a great fit for a change.
ReplyDeleteNot that you asked, but my advice is to move while you’re both still physically able. Don’t wait until you’re forced into it and can’t take your time to find the perfect place.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
I think that is good advice, BettyAnn. That's why I keep looking for houses for sale on the internet, both around Saint-Aignan and farther afield. Housing prices in the Sancerre /Cosne area seem to be much more reasonably priced than in the Saint-Aignan area. I imagine we could sell our house for a lot more than we paid for it, given the way the Saint-Aignan area is growing in population because of the Beauval Zoo.
DeleteHi Ken, I'm catching up after a long, long absence from my computer and reading your blog. I get the urge to downsize - or at least move to a one-story setting. As picturesque rural France is, though, as we age, we would do well to move to a place not far from a good-sized town with a hospital, preferably a university hospital (CHU), within 45 minutes. And, aside from the presence of a hospital, the town should have doctors with practices. If possible, the GP should be closer. Finding a GP who can take you on has become a major issue, not only in rural areas, but even in Paris.
ReplyDeleteThe list of CHU: https://www.lonasante.com/chu/
Hello Ellen, I just found your comment. It was in my spam folder; who knows why? I hope you are doing okay. We are. I'm in the cataract operation time now. It's going okay but not great. The next operation is on Sept. 3.
DeleteAll the stairs to climb in this house is becoming a big deal. Also keeping the yard under control. Hello to Paul. All the best to you, Ken