Henk & Wilma(56)

The idea started at a campsite in the Dordogne, seven years ago. Wilma and I were sitting on a terrace overlooking the walnut orchards and both said at the same time: "This is where we want to live." That feeling never left us. Every year we went back, visited estate agents and kept dreaming. When the kids moved out and I could take early retirement, there were no more excuses.

We bought a fermette \u2014 an old farmhouse with outbuildings \u2014 in a hamlet near Sarlat-la-Can\u00e9da. Cost: \u20ac185,000 for the house, barn and half a hectare of land. In Amersfoort we couldn't even have bought a garage for that. The notaire handled the acte de vente, which is comparable to a notarial deed in the Netherlands but with more formalities. We also had to get a diagnostics dossier prepared: asbestos, lead, energy label and termites.

The renovation was the biggest adventure. French builders work differently from Dutch ones. Everything runs through bouche \u00e0 oreille \u2014 word of mouth. Our neighbor Pierre sent us to his nephew who's a roofer, and he knew an electrician. Quality is excellent, but you need patience. A quote is called a devis here, and it's binding. We had the roof, plumbing and kitchen done for \u20ac65,000 \u2014 in the Netherlands that would have been triple.

Rural life is exactly what we were looking for. We have chickens, a vegetable garden and two cats that appeared out of nowhere (apparently that's normal here). Every Tuesday there's a march\u00e9 in Sarlat where we buy fresh foie gras, walnuts and ch\u00e8vre. The boulangerie is five minutes by car. The rhythm is slower, but fuller.

The carte vitale \u2014 the French health card \u2014 was essential to arrange. As EU citizens you can register with the CPAM (Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie). We had to request an S1 form from the CAK in the Netherlands, which entitles you to the French S\u00e9curit\u00e9 Sociale. The GP (m\u00e9decin traitant) we chose doesn't speak a word of English, but with our now reasonable French it works fine. Healthcare is excellent and cheaper than in the Netherlands.

What we've learned: France isn't a holiday, it's a life. The bureaucracy is heavier than in the Netherlands \u2014 everything goes through the pr\u00e9fecture or the mairie, and documents often need to be submitted in person. But if you accept that and learn the language, you're rewarded with a life richer than we ever imagined. Our neighbors invite us for ap\u00e9ro, we've joined a hiking club and Wilma takes cooking lessons from a local chef. We don't miss the Netherlands.