Back in the day, when I lived in Europe, it was a piece of cake for an American to move overseas. Not so now. There are many rules, regulations, and required documents to obtain your initial visa, and the timing of necessary documents is crucial. It can be overwhelming.

With that being said, our goal is to move to an EU country…France (?), in particular, using it as our base, at least PART-TIME. France as a base could be our best decision because  I AM NOT SELLING ALL OUR POSSESSIONS TO TRAVEL; THAT’S NOT MY IDEA OF A GOOD TIME. 

Thank God Ray agrees!

After much discussion, we decided to move to France as FULL-TIME residents in Pézenas, our “starter village.” In February 2019, we applied for our French visas in Los Angeles, and after receiving approval a week later, we set plans in motion. By June 1st, we had sold our house and cars and donated a ton of things to family, friends, and Goodwill. We filled a container with the rest of our belongings to be shipped by sea to our new address. And, oh yeah, RAY RETIRED. YAY!

And finally, we flew to France! 

As of June 10th, 2019, we became residents of the gorgeous medieval town of Pézenas, our starter village. We’ve since moved to Béziers, a lovely city along the Canal du Midi and Orb River. Not bad. 

But, being A Gemini, change is always in the air… The journey continues.