[amolpol]

It was early spring and life was all colorful again, my daughter and wife had just flown in so we were re-united as a family. After six months of living a bachelor life, I was going to get some good food to eat. A quick trip to the Normandy coast to celebrate their arrival was in order.



And then of course the spring colors were everywhere, even the local garden in St Germain looked stunning!



A couple of weekends later, we found ourselves driving to the north-eastern region of Alsace for the Motocross of Nations event. While I have seen enough supercross tracks/events in India which is an obstacle track on an otherwise flat ground, we don’t have any motocross type events or even terrains like these to practice. It was our first live experience of watching the madness of motocross in action and it didn’t disappoint us!





Our quest to find a motocross track outside Paris was almost an every weekend activity. One such weekend also happened to be the French MotoGP in Le Mans. So while we were disappointed that the track we were visiting was closed, we took the opportunity to visit Le Mans which was about a 100km away to get a feel of the place on a race weekend. The whole city was packed with cars parked almost every possible place and we finally found our spot as well. A casual check at one of the gates revealed a big surprise, there were still tickets being sold for the General Category. It was already late afternoon on a Saturday and that meant we got in just as the Sprint was about to finish but we were delighted with the thought that we will see the race in person the next morning.

And so it happened, our first MotoGP experience!

[amolpol]

The next road trip happened to be to Swiss with another close friend of ours who had carefully planned out most of what to do there for a week. It was amazing to see the beautiful Swiss landscapes, no matter which direction you saw. All of us were staying together in an amazing Airbnb which added to the whole experience of spending time together vs staying in a hotel.

Somewhere along the way!


You could just sit there for hours and not feel bored


Top of Jungfrau



Waterfall at Lauterbrunnen


Exploring parts of Grindelwald



Räterichsboden Dam


The beautiful gorge of Innertkirchen


With this trip we had covered most of the scenic and touristy places of the Swiss Alps, there were still a few more on the list but we were out of time I guess.

A couple weekends after, we had finally made contact with the Motorcycle Club of Dreux and were in attendance of the French National Championship being held there. After this meeting is when it started moving for my daughter’s license and training etc.

[amolpol]

The arrival of the family meant we needed to find a bigger place and beginning of summer (early July) was the perfect time to do it. It’s when the school holidays begin and a lot of families move in and out. The real estate market moves quite fast and is unforgiving, so you need to be ready to scoop up something as soon as you find it as most likely it’s gone in a day or two. After the school was finalized, it was time to find a place that was either closer or at least convenient to get to the school. The ladies were rooting for an independent villa but I was in no mood to take care of all the work that comes with it, I was looking for apartments. We got super lucky to rent a fantastic duplex apartment with an amazing garden in a renovated yet historic chateau to call our home. It was the best of both worlds and the deal became even sweeter when we were told that the property is fully maintained by the society including our garden. Parts of the property has trees that look several hundred years old and the internet seems to think the larger estate attached to it has been in documentary existence since the 12th century, although the building structure is more 17th or 18th century styled.

This was how it looked in early 1900s, it’s pretty much retained the same structure and looks good even today!



And this is one of the best things about our day, the serenity!


Or maybe a ride along the Seine that’s just 5 minutes away!


Given that we had to finish moving to the new place in summer and the dates were uncertain, we hadn’t really planned for a family vacation. But then I got invited by my building neighbor for a ride to the southern Alps to attend the Alpes Aventure Motofestival. He rides a BMW 850GS and spoke enough English for us to become good friends quite instantaneously. Apparently it’s a really big thing with over 10,000 Adventure bike riders attending the 3 day event in early September. Barcelonette is quite a small town and the bikers had taken over the whole town, but the energy was super positive, everyone seemed really happy!

Here's a link to a youtube video (in French) if you’d like to know more:

https://youtu.be/GLeZZx4FAT8?si=9j0eLlJF0XYy3tHj

The main market place had a lot of programs going on along with the stalls put up by every major bike and accessories brand. Sadly, I didn’t have anything to buy, but there were a lot of deals everywhere. Just a bit away from the venue, all ADV bike manufacturers had setup their off-road camps where they were letting people experience the demo bikes on an obstacle trail.

There were planned group rides that were organized for groups that were a mix of road and off-road trails, but those had to be booked months in advance. There were suggested trails and gpx files that you could download if people wanted to do it on their own. My friend had already booked himself on some of the test rides and group rides so I was on my own. I chose to wander off on the winding mountain roads and passes and skip the trails in the woods given that I hadn’t ridden offroad much and it’s never advisable to do it alone anyway.

A lake along the way to Barcelonette


The marketplace


Some interesting route maps that I followed



The landscapes are simply amazing and reminded me so much of my Ladakh rides. But here you could really enjoy the scenery while you scraped the footpegs on curves and there was nothing to worry about dropping oxygen levels or AMS.



Soon summer was over and it was time to get busy at work. Things were settling down for us, my daughter was finally back to school after a 5 month vacation and my wife was beginning to enjoy life in the chateau. Given that the chateau is situated a little away from the nearest city, we had to make arrangements for the last mile connectivity to the train station. It meant that my daughter had to cycle her way to the station (<10mins) and take her bike on the train (<10 mins) and ride it to the school (<5 mins). So it’s about a 25 min commute to school which was a first for her to do it on her own, but given her motocross pedigree, she was good with it right from day 1. We even tried with the electric scooter for her but given that she would be in the middle of traffic for a part of her commute, it didn’t feel very safe and we decided to let her use it for other stuff and not for school. In order to give her company in the mornings and to save myself from the 1.5hr drive to office, I got myself an electric scooter as well. I must say, this was one of the best decisions because it saved me all the trouble I would have had when I had to stop driving for a couple of months while I was waiting for my license.



The e-scooters had become a nightmare in the city of Paris to a point where the rental ones got banned from the city limits. The personal ones are still allowed (with a mandatory third party insurance) and you can use the cycling lanes that are now pretty much everywhere in the city. What is not normal is that the bike lanes are more dangerous than riding in the middle of traffic. Parisians have literally no respect for anything or anyone when they’re in the bicycle lane. It’s literally like riding in India where every person needs to look out for themselves. I was riding that thing almost 20kms every day and after the first week, my brain was fully tuned to think I was in India whenever I’m enter the bike lane. Stopping for signals, people crossings, vehicles and most importantly other cyclists means you need to look over your shoulder to check if someone is going to dash into you from behind because nobody generally stops.

[beemer5499]

Congratulations on your really successful move to Paris Sir and hats off for being an amazing father and husband that you sorted out everything for your family before they came there!

Also, this post is so extensive that it feels like an engrossing story but its a lovely read and great for anyone planning to move to a European nation.

I felt envy looking at your Indian garage but the French garage has outdone it even considering the lack of 4x4s.

If possible, I would love to understand what you do and your career trajectory as well. The job you’re in seems to be the dream job for many given the possibility to explore the foreign life and culture temporarily and enjoy a great work life balance too. Or maybe you’re just too good with time management!

[Axe77]

What an absolutely riveting read that was over a weekend and so nice to see the shared motorbiking hobby between father and daughter. It was simultaneously entertaining, informative and heart warming and just so beautifully narrated.

All the best with your stint in France and look forward to reading more such posts of your experiences there.

[Utopian]

That is one hellish yet exciting journey traversing loops in the complicated French system. One things which has always amazed me is the massive cultural difference even in between European countries, with French being one of the tougher ones to deal with.

Thanks for sharing this. Looking forward to hear more such anecdotes from you.

[ba run]

Congratulations on your perseverance in navigating the French system. Very well & systematically done with all the careful planning & patience. Enjoy your time .

[MadBiker]

It was an incredible read! We all dream about moving to greener pastures, but your log truly captures the challenges of making it a reality. Thank you!

[sharad_kmc]

This made for an engrossing read on an otherwise mundane Monday. Kudos. 🙌🏽
Sharad

[ads11]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Since early times, we were always focused on road trips for exploration... the small city of Arles where I learnt that being out on Xmas evening is like walking in a ghost town... This time it was the volcanic mountains in the centre of France known as Massif Central in the Auvergne region. Not super high mountains, but really beautiful scenery and even more beautiful winding roads for a motorbike ride.

Ah Arles being mentioned took me back to my undergrad days. It really is a quaint little place. Funny you should mention the Christmas ghost town thing. My dad recounts this very same culture shock when he first moved to the UK. He had the idea that Christmas would be a boisterous occasion for the whole town the same way festivals are in India.

Seeing the Massif Central being mentioned brings me back. If you like trail biking or mountain biking, or just road trips through the Cevennes can recommend the area around Florac. I spent quite some time there work wise but still got in plenty of exploring. Though most famous for the donkey trail from Robert Louis Stevenson, I do remember one day getting spooked by a motocross rider appearing on the trail behind me with no notice. In fact seems like a lot of the places you might like exploring on your travels overlap rather well with the more out of the way corners of the old continent where I ended up doing field work over the years.

[14000rpm]

Originally Posted by amolpol

This thread aims to cover a few aspects of our migration journey to France,

So, Md Bin Tughlaq whispered in your ears too? lol.
I thought I was the mad guy making insane international relocations but you sir, have aced this.

Very well written chronicles of your life-transforming journey.

Moving to France bag and baggage needs balls of steel given the Language and ways of life change. For some France is a huge barrier but it seems seamless to you.

Glad to know you've not sacrificed your adventure-being's mindset just because of a Geo-Change.

Kudos to your wife. My wife sacrificed her career too when we moved about but I'm glad she bounced back to work-life. Else the guilt would've killed me.

Originally Posted by amolpol

I like to think of this like a long travelogue, with accounts of experiences that shaped a lot of things in our lives.

More like a Lifelog? Where have I seen it before? wait, it is my own thread about my life in Finland.

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by beemer5499

Congratulations on your really successful move to Paris

If possible, I would love to understand what you do and your career trajectory as well. The job you’re in seems to be the dream job for many given the possibility to explore the foreign life and culture temporarily and enjoy a great work life balance too!

Thanks Beemer5499 for your kind words.

To answer your question on what I do, I’m not very different from the typical IT guy but yes as a family we’re a bit crazy about enjoying our time together exploring different places. And to make that happen, we squeeze every ounce of the weekends and holidays we get, no secret sauce! It’s not always easy but then it’s definitely rewarding and rich in terms of the experiences we’ve been having over the years. What makes it work is the fact that we don’t have a calendar of events to do, pretty much all our trips (in India and now in France) are unplanned and open for changes and that’s why we prefer only road trips.

Originally Posted by Axe77

What an absolutely riveting read that was over a weekend and so nice to see the shared motorbiking hobby between father and daughter.

All the best with your stint in France and look forward to reading more such posts of your experiences there.

Thanks Axe77, i am truly blessed that my daughter shares my passion for motorcycling. Will continue to post more experiences here. It’s been a year that I had this in mind and done some ground work but now that I have started, will follow through!

Originally Posted by Utopian

That is one hellish yet exciting journey traversing loops in the complicated French system.

I believe its probably similar levels of stress everyone goes through whichever country they move. Its a bit more complicated in a non-English country and maybe France in particular. Culturally as long as you remain open then each experience teaches you something new, which you can laugh about later and have some interesting stories to share!

Originally Posted by ba run

Congratulations on your perseverance in navigating the French system. Very well & systematically done with all the careful planning & patience. Enjoy your time .

Thanks, I will soon complete the full cycle of migration and even the return has its own funny moments is what I can say.

Originally Posted by MadBiker

It was an incredible read! We all dream about moving to greener pastures, but your log truly captures the challenges of making it a reality. Thank you!

That was more the intent, to document it without prejudice, although I am yet not sure what’s truly “greener”

Originally Posted by sharad_kmc

This made for an engrossing read on an otherwise mundane Monday. Kudos. 🙌🏽
Sharad

Haha, glad that I made your Monday better

Originally Posted by ads11

He had the idea that Christmas would be a boisterous occasion for the whole town the same way festivals are in India.

Seeing the Massif Central being mentioned brings me back. If you like trail biking or mountain biking, or just road trips through the Cevennes can recommend the area around Florac.In fact seems like a lot of the places you might like exploring on your travels overlap rather well with the more out of the way corners of the old continent where I ended up doing field work over the years.

I have always felt that festivities in India are always over the top, but yeah I now think it’s better than the ghost town feeling. I struggled to find any place open for dinner that evening, except of course for an Indian who was the only one with lights on and maybe another Kebab place that I discovered on my way back after a nice dal-rice and aloo jeera in an unsuspecting place.

You’re right, quite a few bikes in the Massif Central area. Roads are narrow and winding and motorists have to really watch out for the cyclists. But this is what I like about Europe in general, there’s a lot of respect and care for people on two wheels.

[SS-Traveller]

And what a migration it was! Your travails in securing the permis for car & motorcycle would put off most non-French (and many French) folks from ever securing one. As you rightly pointed out, they don't really want people to own cars, and public transport is usually the chosen option. Anyway, you're well-settled-in with the family, vous parlez bien français maintenant, and there's a lot of Europe left to explore. Best wishes for all your new adventures.

[amolpol]

I believe the school system in France is the best in the world. Every six weeks, they believe they’re putting so much knowledge in the kids that they need to take a two week break to settle. This generally puts a lot of pressure on the parents who unfortunately don’t get the same number of vacation days, and children at home means chaos. Apart from the summer vacation, usually the Christmas and Winter Breaks are the ones where a lot of families take holidays and go out but the spring and fall break are not usually that popular vacation times. For us, all these breaks meant scouting for places to go, even if it meant for a couple of days clubbed with a weekend or just the weekend maybe.



The autumn break of 2023 was supposed to be a trip to the low lands of Netherlands. Of course, Amsterdam was on the list but then this was a family trip so we decided to try all other places around before going to the city for a day visit. We were staying in a small town of Egmond aan den Hoef in a superb villa rented on Airbnb.



The cute little village of Giethoorn was something we really enjoyed. Each house is tastefully done and the canals along the boundaries makes it look stunning.







The retro windmills were on our list, although I must say that the pictures with the tulips that float around the internet are a bit suspect. I tried hard to find a spot to get a better shot of the windmills at Zaandam but didn’t find anything very satisfying. Overall, a bit over-rated in our opinion.



Next up was a castle in Muizenfort which had a good story and some nice gardens around. The season wasn’t the right one for us to enjoy the beauty of the garden.



A quick search took us to Edam and we ended up buying quite a bit of cheese which is a local specialty. We’re not really educated about cheese, but being in France you end up tasting a lot of variety and we can say the one in Edam was also quite nice. The last day was spent exploring parts of Amsterdam, but again as I said, cities are generally boring and repetitive in the experiences. I believe you need to be high to enjoy the beauty of Amsterdam because at least I struggled to see it.



Autumn in general has a riot of colors across France and every forest carries a magical touch until everything starts to wither away.

[amolpol]

By the time Autumn was done all the leaves had fallen, I had also lost my rights to drive with the failed first attempt of the driving test. I had to now wait until the end of January to find another date for my exam. While it wasn’t a big setback because I was already using the e-scooter for the work commute, it was a big limitation for when we wanted to go out on weekends. We were also scheduled to host my niece from India who was traveling alone to join us for a couple of weeks during the Xmas break. Both girls were super excited about the trip.



The trains/flights are super difficult to get and super expensive when you’re booking late, especially for travel in the Xmas period. Not having a car meant we were confined to Paris and around to take her out, but this was not so bad when there’s plenty of touristy things to do. We ourselves hadn’t done most of the touristy things so this was the perfect opportunity for all of us. Starting with Disneyland which was a first time for me even if the girls had been there before, to the Montparnasse tower for a panoramic view of the city, to the Louvre for you know who, to a day trip to Versailles or the boat ride on Seine, we had enough time to do it all.



End of January is when I finally received my honors degree in driving and the four wheeled freedom was back. It was the perfect time with the Winter Break to plan a trip to Camargue and visit the flamingoes again, this time with family. We had chosen a gite which is equivalent to a farmstay but has all the basics covered, pretty close to the bird sanctuary.



After spending some quality time at the park, we decided to explore nearby places and I had high hopes about the pink salt lakes in Aigues Mortes. But this turned out to be quite disappointing since it was probably the wrong time of the year and the place itself is quite regulated because it’s a private salt factory that operates a toy train for tourists and you’re not allowed to wander off anywhere. Also, to get the colors of the lake, you need to get higher which is possible only with a drone.



One of the days we visited Marseille which is the second largest city of France and is quite a special one. The city is quite notorious and safety seems to be a general concern here. Breaking into parked cars is quite common in a lot of cities in France and while I had researched on the “safer” parking spots in the city, it didn’t look very reassuring when we saw a GLC parked two cars to the left of ours with a smashed driver-side window and flashing lights showing distress from the vandalism.



The old port has it’s charm and so does the Basilica of Notre Dame on top of the hill. But other than those highlights, the city seems to be always on the edge. A lot of gangs operate here and illegal immigration is a concern which in turn brings poverty and therefore more crime.




On our way back from Camargue, we decided to take a stop over and instead of just stopping somewhere by the highway, we booked ourselves one of the tiny homes at Huttopia in Arcachon.



The Arcachon bay hides a secret small desert and probably the only sand dune in all of Europe known as Dune du Pilat. It’s quite mind boggling to even think that there’s a 2km desert surrounded by a forest on one side and the Atlantic sea on the other, but there it was, standing tall.



The other secret that I unlocked, was a bird sanctuary (Réserve Ornithologique Du Teich) just a few kilometers away. Made for an excellent morning walk before we started back on our way home.