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The most recent entries are at the top of this page. Earlier entries follow in reverse chronological order.
23.08.2017
Ruth and I went to the Prefecture this morning to renew our residence permits (Titre de Sejour). There were so many folks in line that they sent the second half of the line home with future appointments. We missed the cutoff by 5 people. Our appointments are on 14 September.
We still had to wait for two hours to get our appointments.
The worst part of the morning was talking with an amoral Russian junk bond trader who loved the United States because it was a perfect example of social Darwinism. "It's the way the world works", he said. Ruth tried patiently to get him to see how that outlook was harmful, but she had as much success as if she were talking to Trump. He did have nice children, though.
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| Waiting in line outside the Prefecture looking at the George Jetson architecture. |
21.08.2017
We received our tax statement from the French tax office today. We are subject to both United States and French taxes so we have to file for both. We no longer have to file for Oregon state taxes. The taxes on income that we pay in the United States are exempt in France, so we do not double pay. Unlike in the USA when we file in France we declare our income, but do not state what taxes we should pay. The French determine that amount. We sent in four long forms (in French, of course) declaring our income in June. Today we received our notice of how much tax we need to pay. If there's a discrepancy we can challenge the amount. No problem this year. Learning the financial French to correctly fill out the tax forms was interesting, to say the least. But it's just another necessary hurdle to becoming integrated.
20.08.2017
We've been busy gathering the documentation for the renewal of our temporary residence permits. For each of 4 years (our years 2-5 here) we have to renew our residency. After the fifth year we can either apply for permanent residence permits or dual citizenship. We have to supply an application form, copies of our passports, birth certificates (translated into French), marriage certificate, proof of residence, 2 identity pictures, a written statement that we will not take a job in France, proof of our financial support and 269 euros worth of financial stamps each that we purchase from the French government. We have learned a lot about French bureaucracy since we moved here.
14.08.2017
Ruth and I waited for a cool day and visited the Musee des Beaux-Arts de Nice. The museum was housed in the former private mansion built in 1878 by the Ukrainian Princess, Elisabeth Vassilievna Kotschoubey. Although, the collection is not of Louvre status there were sculptures by Rodin and pieces by Picasso. Ruth pointed out a sketch by Victor Hugo. I've always been a Victor Hugo fan. Ruth later found a webpage that mentioned that he had created 4000 drawings in addition to his writing. The building itself was a beautiful example of 19th century Mediterranean architecture.
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| Musee des Beaux-Arts de Nice | "The Silence" (1880) by Luigi Guglielmi | Market of Egyptian Oranges (1872) by Felix-Auguste Clement |
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| Charenton Saint Maurice (1798) by Eugene Delacroix | Stairway going to the upper galleries | This old mansion had surprises around every corner. |
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| The Kiss by Auguste Rodin | Another view of The Kiss by Auguste Rodin | Detail from Le Danse de l'Almee (1911) by Felix Ziem |
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| Sous les Pommiers (1912) by Julie Cistello. The dappled light reminds me of Renoir. |
Faust au jardin de Gretchen (1913) by Gustav-Adolf Mossa |
Terra Cotta Owl (1957) by Pablo Picasso |
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| Bird in a Bowl (1957) by Pablo Picasso | Rain Storm (1838) by Victor Hugo | Head of Victor Hugo by Auguste Rodin |
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| Pierrot by Jules Cheret (1909) | View from the upper story at the museum. | Walking home through alleys on a pedestrian path. |
05.08.2017
Ruth and I are experiencing another very hot and humid summer in Nice. Although, the city and the beaches are beautiful, the people very friendly and kind to us foreigners, the summer weather is intolerable. We've been graphing the weather patterns for this part of France and if conditions continue it will just get hotter (Can you say Global Warming?). We are starting to seriously consider moving to a cooler, less humid part of France. We have started investigating Le Havre, Caen, Rouen, and Rennes. Our criteria are good public transportation, healthy local economy, cooler weather, affordable housing, high speed rail service, an airport, a university, interesting mix of ethnicity, strong environmental policies, lots of parkland, good infrastructure and a quick 2 hour train trip to Paris. We will keep you informed.