This famous date in French history commemorates the storming of the Bastille in Paris in 1789, an uprising, the end of the absolute monarchy, as well as the French Revolution. France still celebrates a national collective spirit on that date, as witnessed by the numerous events planned all across the country. There will be grand military parades, firework displays, balls, music and dance spectacles, children’s plays, concerts – all good reasons to be part of it! The largest parade will be held in Paris, with the military troops of France’s former African colonies on the Champs-Elysees, marking 50 years of independence.

The Côte d’Azur is certainly no exception and there is plenty going on, both for old and young.  The most famous are the firework concerts which take place all along the coast.

The Cannes displays are world-renowned.  There is a firework concert 6 times during the summer starting on the major holiday night of the 14th July and ending on the 24th August.  Different countries are in a competition for the most wonderful display.  They are truly splendid and awe-inspiring, and choreographed to music.  All the beach restaurants have special dinners and they create an evening to truly remember.  The Cannes dates are:

Wednesday 14th July – country competing – Austria

Wednesday 21st July – country competing – Czech Republic

Thursday 29th July – country competing – France

Saturday 7th August – country competing – Germany

Sunday 15th August – country competing – Poland

Tuesday 24th August – announcement of competition winner – and choreographed display by France

(NB 24th August is celebrated because in 1944 it was the date Cannes was liberated)

Hope you can be here!  Contact me, Jackie Pressman of French Riviera Property Search, if you need any further information.

Link:   floods in the Var

I always hate to be the bearer of bad news, but so many of our friends and clients are phoning to know what is happening, that I considered you should see the worst – albeit the first time in 200 years.

The weather has been extraordinary over the last several months and although the beaches are full with people calmly sunbathing and swimming, just yesterday the winds were so high that the waves threatened anyone who dared.

Everywhere in the world there seems to be deep changes in the climate – let’s hope it settles very soon.

The mid-summer day music festivals are in just a couple of days time so we hope for the usual fine beautiful wind-free rain-free weather so that all can enjoy them.

See you here soon.

Jackie Pressman, French Riviera Property Search – at your service

www.career-and-lifestyle.com for all information.  Should be a very interesting weekend – see you there.

http://www.fr2day.com/news-info-talk/summer_shocks_on_the_c%C3%B4te_dazur

But, weather scheduled to be great again this weekend in preparation for the Cannes film festival and the arrival of 200,000 show-biz personalities, all associated business people, photographers, and gawkers.   The beach restaurants are racing to complete all their rebuilding, re-equipping and redecorating to be ready for the onslaught.  Great excitement.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llrAemrsKG0&feature=player_embedded#!

Some apartment rental agencies are extending the accommodation free of charge to facilitate those who cannot leave.  We, French Riviera Property Search, do whatever we can to assist our clients and encourage loyalty.

What is MIPTV? It is an international convention which brings broadcasters, producers, distributors, actors etc. into the centre of Cannes and it is the world’s leading content market for buying, selling, creating, producing, financing and distributing entertainment content for all media platforms – i.e. TV, film, mobiles, etc.

The organizers, Reed Midem, announced that there were delegates from over 100 countries who came to discuss everything – from new content, new distribution, new shows and it was announced that a great deal of business was done during the week.

MIPTV is always a great opportunity for everyone to meet up and there were the big decision-makers from the entire world of Film, TV, digital media, and advertising, etc.

The organizers claim “It’s the only international marketplace where these sectors connect, network and do business, learn and discover future trends and cement partnerships on a global level.”

It was clear at this year’s event that the international TV market is shaking off one of the biggest recessions and everyone seemed to be focusing on finding new ways to increase their revenues and to cut production costs.

Meanwhile, many well-known names fly into Cannes to promote their recent or current work and parties flourish everywhere.

The Croisette is crowded and the sun shines – without any apparent volcanic dust!

Contact us soon: Jackie Pressman +33 (0) 698 12 89 00.  Or skype: Jaknburt

The advance guard is already here – cruise ship passengers up from Villefranche, Easyjet weekenders, convention stragglers, white trousered couples hiring limos at Nice airport.  Yes, just into April and the tourists are back – great for local businesses, not so good for those who live here and don’t like sharing.  So if you’re one of the latter, here are five chilled things to do on the Cote d’Azur – before the tourist trickle becomes a deluge.

1.  Visit St. Tropez
If you are an A-lister then July and August is your time in St Tropez. Celebrity parties, exclusive clubs and over-priced restaurants – ‘St Trop’ is a money-no-object party central.  But if you don’t fit into this category, get down to St Tropez now – stroll through the Vieux port, enjoy the spring rays on the beach and find a deserted cafe where you can sit and imagine St Tropez fifty years ago, when it was still a fishing village.

2.  Sunday Lunch, at the Cours Saleya market, Nice
Cours Saleya is never deserted, not even in the middle of February.  But Sunday at this time is a good time to visit.  If the sun is out, the flower and fruit markets are in full swing and you can find a good restaurant table, Cours Saleya in old Nice has an allure.  Not least because you have fine Italianate architecture all around you, and if you pick the right restaurant, you’ll enjoy mouth-watering fresh fish dishes.

3.  Picnic on the Iles de Lerins
Best avoided in summer – the 15 minute ferry trip from Cannes can be a real-life refugee experience and no matter how far you walk when you get there, you’ll always be surrounded by other people looking for the same thing as you – a lonely spot.  But visit either St. Honorat or St. Marguerite now, especially during mid-week and you’ll probably have the whole islands to yourself.  Enjoy the trip over, take a bottle and a picnic, find a little cove and chill to views of the Riviera that are usually exclusive to the yacht sailing fraternity.

4. Catch some Rays on the Bay of Cannes In summer, the beaches along the Bay of Cannes can become a tourist hell. But there are reasons why people visit this coastline that stretches all the way from La Croisette to La Napoule further west.  They come for the open panoramic views and some of the best sand on the coast – and at this time of year, if you head out of Cannes towards La Bocca, you’ll have a whole sweeping six miles of soft sandy palm fringed beach with only a few joggers and fishermen to share with.  If the sun’s out you might even consider a swim!

5.   Drive along the Coast.
During July and August, this is clearly an insane thing to do. The only view you’re likely to get is the back of an East European coach.  But in these Spring weeks you stand a real chance of experiencing a clear road along some of the most spectacular bits of coastline in the world.  Try the Moyenne Corniche. Put on your favourite sounds and just drive – you’ll remember why you came to the Cote d’Azur in the first place – and wish you’d lived here seventy years ago, when the French Riviera was like this all year round.

Here at French Riviera Property Search we are FREE.  We are not tied to any specific estate agency and search the market for you, including private sellers, auctions, Notaries, Managing Agents.  Unlike in the UK there is no register of available properties and so a buyer wastes a lot of time with many agencies and still may not find what he is looking for.   We act specifically for the buyer whilst the estate agencies are all legally instructed by the seller.  We see this as a conflict for the agencies and it is well worthwhile to have your own representative who will search for your specification and budget and act in your best interests at all times.

Importantly, unlike in the UK, WE DO NOT CHARGE A PERCENTAGE TO THE BUYER. We take our fee from the advertised price so you have nothing to lose and much to gain by appointing us.  Not so many buyers from the UK at this time with sterling so weak against the euro, but we are currently seeing buyers from Scandinavia and northern Europe.  UK owners of French property are sometimes selling at this time as they can repatriate the euro funds back to sterling and see a good profit – so there are bargains to be had if motivated sellers can be found – and we know them.

It is always a wise move to take a French loan.  It is invariably at a lower rate than elsewhere and can assist in reducing your exposure to the French wealth tax, which starts this year at net asset values of 790K euros!  Don’t be mistaken into thinking this only applies to French residents – it applies to anyone who has property in France.  Many second home owners have ignored this to their detriment and did not structure their purchase correctly when buying.

Current mortgage rates are low.  Last month I obtained a mortgage for one client at 2.22% and for another at 3% interest only.

So, let us handle your purchase from beginning to end – the references on this site will assure you are in the right hands.

We look forward to hearing from you.                                                                                   Skype: jaknburt or email to Jackie@FrenchRivieraPropertySearch.com

France is considered a pretty healthy place to live – coming in 9th place along with Canada in The Economist’s life expectancy index – with the population reaching an average age of 80 years.  Many analysts claim it’s the lifestyle: healthy eating, easy access to outdoor activities and, importantly, good State health care.

And don’t forget that the health-care is second to none. The WHO (World Health Organization) puts France as number 1 in the world.

Health care when it matters

We can supply information to help you make the most of the health-care and facilities available, with local English-speaking professionals.

There is also information available which explains who qualifies for state health-care and there is information relevant to any foreigner moving to or living in France, whether as a retired, employed, self-employed or unemployed person;  EU citizen or not.

We help all our clients with local information concerning health and social welfare organizations.

Residents of France are entitled to an European Health Insurance Card for use when traveling elsewhere in the EU.   If you’re a holder, this means you are able to receive the same treatment at the same cost as a national of the country you are visiting.

Finally, remember that while it’s your responsibility to make sure you have all the insurance the law demands of you, you can always opt for more cover with private health insurance.  A local English-speaking health insurers list can be provided to our clients.