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  Andrew Midgley May 18, 2016 at 8:55pm

  The pace of life in Europe is much slower than ours but be aware that you will have to pay your way for medical care etc.... Whereabouts on Germany did you go to?
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  Daniela McGhie May 18, 2016 at 9:12pm

  Yes I am aware. But it's ok. All our old haunts, Celle, Bergen-Belsen, Hohne, Detmold etc. Visiting Ex-Army buddies and families.
  
  Sunday and Monday everything was shut, being a bank holiday, except restaurants and petrol stations. It's like someone shut down the country. Not used to it anymore.
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    Andrew Midgley > Daniela McGhie May 18, 2016 at 9:16pm

    Very nice part of the world. Our Bank Holidays is like any other day unfortunately as all the shops are open. Really would like to see only garages and restaurants and visitor attractions open on Bank Holidays in the UK.....
    • PRO

      Richard Gadsby > Andrew Midgley May 18, 2016 at 9:25pm

      Hardly fair on those hospitality workers though. If things should be shut shut them all or don't bother. In my opinion
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        Andrew Midgley > Richard Gadsby May 18, 2016 at 10:36pm

        I disagree as that is the nature of the business they are employed in I am afraid. It would be like a fireman not attending a house fire on a Saturday.
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          Richard Gadsby > Andrew Midgley May 19, 2016 at 7:38am

          Not true the fire service is an emergency service having a nice lunch is not.
          But I actually don't disagree with your point in principle
          I did 15 years in hotel and restaurant kitchens and missing bank holidays off never bothered me.
          The same could be said for shop workers they all signed the contract so they get to work them too!
          It take it you mean hospitality people in Europe get time off in lieu? They rarely did here.
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        Daniela McGhie > Richard Gadsby May 19, 2016 at 7:30am

        Those employees get a day off in lieu anyway. If a restaurant was open on a weekend it used to be closed on a Monday. But now I'm the summer months they have more staff anyway so stay open. They really live their working directive. They would not work the crazy hours we do here. But then they don't have the high rents and mortgage payments we have to deal with.
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  Phil Voice May 18, 2016 at 9:32pm

  I can speak from my experience of living in France.

  Life is definitely slower but that's not always a positive. Especially if you like to have people around you.

  Some positives:

  • Property is cheap(er). So if you're bringing a reasonable budget then you're going to get something bigger with possibly lots of land. 
  • There is a lot of space between towns and villages. Masses of open countryside with masses of wild flower.
  • Wildlife is abundant. Much of it here is often rare in UK. I can often hear up to 8 nightingales within a short walk from my house. The Hen Harrier is a regular visitor.
  • Restaurant food is cheap (although it's gone up 50-100% since I moved here nearly 12 years ago). It's still possible to get a wholesome meal for €9.00 (£6.50). That's 3 courses.
  • Gardening and landscaping appears to be held in higher regard but there are a lot less gardeners and/or landscapers.
  • Machinery is more expensive.

  A few negatives:

  • Setting up in business isn't straightforward in France. For example you can't just declare that you are a gardener and start trading. Traders may have to prove competence and/or qualifications. 
  • To start trading it's often required to take a course in advance (called a stagé). These courses may be anything from one day to over a week.
  • Social charges are high. In some cases they can be 45% of turnover.
  • In France there is a simplified system called Auto Entrepreneur. Those who register can turnover up to €32,600 per year. However stoppages are rated at 26% of turnover. It is therefore essential  to keep expenses to a minimum, otherwise you'll pay, even if 50% of turnover is expenses, for example. This is essentially a services only classification.
  • If you sell products then stoppages are deducted at 19% to allow for material costs.
  • It is acceptable to ask clients to supply blank cheques to pay for materials (or you can ask them to order and pay for them themselves).
  • Penalties for going over turnover threshold. The next level is much more expensive.
  • From a gardening perspective, the summers can be extremely hot meaning there's often little work to do as lawns become parched and plants shrivel up. Water restrictions are often but I've not heard examples of enforcement.
  • PRO

    Phil Voice > Phil Voice May 18, 2016 at 9:32pm

    p.s. I can add more if anyone has any particular questions.
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      Daniela McGhie > Phil Voice May 18, 2016 at 10:29pm

      I know in Germany they are quite anal when it comes to training and qualifications. We have property over there which we rented out up to a couple of years ago. But rents are low and costs high. The landlord has no rights and cannot increase rents like here. So I moved my mom in the downstairs part of the house. The self contained upstairs we use for us and family visits. Idea is that the rent from our property here along with pensions and savings will keep us going.
      
      The house next to ours is going for €95K but needs a full refurb. It's large with a huge garden. Ex-army houses and flats are going for as little as €45K. Those have massive rooms. Locals hope they sell soon as they don't want the refugees there.
      
      My impression: they are going to ditch Merkel, pray that the UK stays in EU and that Trump will not win. They cannot understand why some want to leave the EU.