Haunted Houses and Quiet Neighbors

There is a wonderful story in the news this week about British soccer ace David Beckham and his wife Victoria who are selling their luxury $2.55 million home in the South of France…because it is haunted. No one told the couple the 19th-century mansion in the village of Baregemon, near the Côte d’Azur, was still inhabited by the spirit of its former owner, the late Leslie Duck, who shot himself in 2001.

In France when you’re buying properties that have seen centuries of lives, there is no doubt there is the possibility of ghosts, that is of course, if you believe they exist. If you don’t, then you can’t deny that each inhabitant has left some sort of trail — if not his spirit. I have always said that in my own apartment in Paris in a 17th-century building, I could feel the energy of the “good ghosts” — although I’ve never seen one. The traces are in the form of walls that were removed leaving patches in the parquet floors, cracks in the walls indicating where doors once opened and fireplace hearths that bricked but no longer used.
The French seem to live with their dead in the midst of their lives unmoved and unnoticed. Cemeteries are everywhere in the middle of the city and those who live near them enjoy the pleasure of the quiet and solitude they offer. Today we bring you a glimpse of the ghosts of the City of Light, their resting places, as well as the places they bring to life.
Billy Cone, American photographer, was drawn to the Paris cemeteries, photographing their statuary for his book, “Living Statues.” Billy attended this past week’s Parler Paris Après Midi and kindly brought me a copy of this beautiful compilation of his textured and soulful photos. Be sure to read more about it at https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apresmidi.html and visit his site to see more or order the book.
On a financial note, be sure to read about Moneycorp’s RPA plan — Regular Payments Abroad that takes away the hassle of paying your mortgage while reducing expense and risk. Also, have a look at GE MoneyBank’s most recent rates, still under 4%. It still makes sense to buy with a mortgage while rates are low and the exchange rate high.
Hot Properties are in the quiet neighborhoods, not far from the famous Paris cemeteries! These are for people who don’t mind good ghosts!
Next Thursday FPI will be coming to you from Paris, but the next day I head for New York City to celebrate my daughter’s graduation from college. The following week, FPI will be coming to you from New Orleans…another city with lots of history and ghosts galore! We are meeting there for the Living and Investing in France Round Table on May 27th. On May 28th, we are offering a Grayline Tour of the areas of the city most affected by Hurricane Katrina. We are sure to see lots of ghosts amid the ruins.

A bientôt…

Adrian Leeds
Editor, French Property Insider
Email: [email protected]

P.S. I hope all of you (especially those of you living in the vicinity) will join us either for the Round Table, for dinner at Tujague’s on May 27th (open to the public), or the tour on Sunday afternoon. There are still places left — it’s not too late to reserve. For more information, visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/liveinfrance/LIF_NOLA_2006/LIF_NOLA_home.html
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Volume IV, Issue 19, May 11, 2006

In this issue:
* Moneycorp Makes Currency Transfer Easy
* Simple Mortgage Solutions for Your French Property
* Raffling Off the Family Château
* Beck, Posh and a Ghost
* Ghost Hunting in France
* Paris Resting Places
* Photographing Cemeteries
* Spend an Afternoon with Adrian Leeds in New Orleans, May 27, 2006
* Tour America’s Worst Catastrophe: New Orleans After Katrina
* FPI Property Consultation, Search and Relocation Solutions
* Today’s Currency Update from Moneycorp
* Next Parler Paris Après-Midi: June 13, 2006
* Hot Property Picks: “Quiet” Neighborhoods
* Leasebacks: Residence Cannes Mandelieu Petit Lac: France, Mediterranean Coast
* Classified Advertising: Parler Paris Apartments
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Save Time and
Money on Overseas Currency Transfers
By Justin Harris, Moneycorp
Foreign exchange specialists Moneycorp will save you time and money when buying currency and making regular transfers overseas.
Once you have bought your overseas property or migrated, you may still need to make regular currency transfers abroad. Reasons for this may include:
– Foreign mortgage payments.
– Pension transfers.
– Rental income repatriation.
– School fee payments.
– Salary transfers.
Moneycorp has developed a Regular Payments Abroad service to remove the stress associated with organizing regular currency transfers. We can help you fix the exchange rates for between 6 and 24 months into the future and organize your international money transfers. The process is fully automated and guarantees clients will never miss a payment. All you need to do is arrange a monthly ACH/direct debit to Moneycorp and we’ll take care of everything else.
The service is currently used to make over 20,000 payments every year and by using our regular payments service, Moneycorp could save you over $500 a year on transfer fees alone. The savings you’ll make don’t end there. Not only will you get a competitive exchange rate, with NO commission charges and NO receiving fees at any bank, guaranteed…we make sure you’ll receive more for your money!
Example:
Let’s assume that your overseas mortgage is 1,200 euros every month.*

With Moneycorp you could save up to $93.34 each month or $1120.08 every year. Over the typical life of a mortgage (15 years) using Moneycorp would save you $16,801.20.
*Figures are for illustration purposes only and may not reflect present rates and bank charges.
Editor’s Note: Justin Harris is a Senior Foreign Exchange Dealer with Private Client Services at Moneycorp Inc. To contact Justin, or any of the Private Client Team please call: (415) 678-2770, email enquiries to [email protected] or click on http://www.Moneycorp.com/agent/frenchpropertyinsider

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Simple Solutions To Make Home Ownership In France Easy
By GE MoneyBank
View the RATE CHART as of March 1st, 2006 and valid until further notice. Click here for the pdf document:
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/members/content/GE_Rates_1-3-06.pdf
GE MoneyBank is a trusted and proven lender. Client Managers Philippe Vasseur and Meadda Ang will be present at the Living and Investing in France Round Table in New Orleans on May 27th.
To contact GE MoneyBank, email Meadda Ang, Client Manager [email protected]
(When you use the link provided, it lets the lender know that we recommended you speak with them, so please be sure to do so!)
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Expat in House Sales Fix Raffles the Château
By John Elliott, The Times Online
http://www.timesonline.co.uk
If your house won’t sell, raffle it. An ex-soldier and his wife, fed up with waiting for a buyer for their French château and keen to raise money for a business venture, are to give the house away as a prize in an online competition.
Patrick Rosney, 43, bought Château d’Andrivaux in the Dordogne five years ago. He put the property on the market last July, with agents valuing it, he said, at up to £890,000.
Now Rosney is planning to sell tickets to win the château at £45 each and, if there are enough takers for the tickets, two sports cars — a Jaguar XK8 convertible and an Aston Martin DB9 — will also be on offer.
The 16th-century property has failed to shift, despite its 11 bedrooms and 105 acres.
Rosney, originally from the Wirral, said “We often feast on boar because I allow hunters to use the land…and I’ve seen a stag on the front terrace.”
The château, which is also described as a mas, or large manor house, was overhauled in the 1930s and has a swimming pool, ancient walnut staircase and large terraces.
Rosney said he and Jacqueline, his Panamanian wife, had substantially restored the property after buying it for £300,000. The couple’s five children like to cycle through the vast rooms.
Rosney plans to launch the competition today (May 7, 2006), with the winning draw made in August, by which time he hopes to have sold tens of thousands of tickets.
So as not to fall foul of laws regulating gambling, the competition is not strictly a raffle. It will have a competitive element, including a cricketing spot-the-ball, said Rosney.
He has engaged Fabien Cordiez, an English-speaking French lawyer based in Nice, to oversee the “sale” of the château.
Andrew Gregg, a Bristol-based lawyer with expertise in French property law, said that exchanging properties in France using Internet competitions was a largely unexplored area of the law.
“You’re taking a bit of a punt, but if you’re a gambler, you might want to have a go,” he said. “But you would want to make sure it was all compliant with building regulations and there’s not an airport or bypass on the way, or other claimants coming out of the woodwork.”
The house sits in an idyllic spot beside the River Isle, and Rosney is offering it furnished.
Editor’s Note: Feeling lucky? To get your ticket for your chance to win Château d’Andrivaux, visit http://www.be-in-to-win.co.uk/
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Is the Beckhams’ House Haunted?
By Peter Allen, Daily Mail
http://www.dailymail.co.uk
On a warm spring morning earlier this week, a burly English labourer cut an unlikely figure as he stood in front of the high, wrought-iron gates of a French country estate.
Hands in pockets and cigarette hanging from his lower lip, he shook his head as he surveyed the broken letterbox, malfunctioning intercom, crumbling walls and rusting wire fence.
Further up what was once a splendid half-mile driveway, terraced gardens lay untended, sculptured fountains were switched off and what should have been a vast swimming pool was slowly stagnating into an oversized green-brown pond.
Domaine Saint-Vincent: The reputedly haunted home
The Italianate-style buildings were similarly neglected and empty. There was just an eerie silence, punctuated only by the occasional clatter of odd-job men carrying out basic maintenance.
Clearly, Domaine Saint-Vincent, once one of the most impressive estates in the Var-Provence region of the South of France, is now a pale shadow of its former glory.
For anyone with some knowledge of the area’s proud history this would be sad enough, but considering the current owners of the 19th-century manor are David and Victoria Beckham – together worth an estimated £78 million – the neglect appears unpardonable.
It is exactly three years since the couple paid £1.5 million for the property after “falling in love” with it on a flying visit in 2003.
Yet since then, they have not spent a single night there. On their visits to the South of France they stay at the home of Elton John in the hills behind Nice.
What is it about the Domaine Saint-Vincent that has made the Beckhams stay away? Could it be that the couple – as locals believe – are simply frightened to stay there?
Violent death
For what David and Victoria did not know when they bought the property was the extraordinary story of the violent death of its previous owner, and that his ghost is said to haunt the house.
Leslie Duck, a former European Union diplomat, and his Swiss wife Catherine De Tscharmer bought Domaine Saint-Vincent in 1986.
The retired couple, then in their 60s, divided their time between the South of France and their main home in Geneva. Estate agent Jean-Louis Lagadou, who is based in the nearby village of Bargemon, sold them the property and 250 acres of forest and meadow.
He said: “They maintained it beautifully. I sorted out a geological survey for them which revealed there were five separate mineral water sources on the estate, which they used to create beautiful pools and fountains.
“They had friends and family visiting them all the time. Their style was very upmarket. You’d always hear classical music and interesting conversations going on, just as you would have done at Saint-Vincent throughout the centuries.
“Leslie was an Ernest Hemingway-type character who had travelled all over the world. Like Hemingway, he had a big, bushy white beard and used to sit in the cafes of Bargemon sipping Pastis.
“He told extraordinary stories, often about Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, the French admiral at the Battle of Trafalgar, who also came from this area. Leslie said he felt close to him as a historical character.”
Vice-Admiral Villeneuve’s family home is less than an hour’s drive from Bargemon, at Tourette-sur-Loup. Humiliated at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 by Nelson’s smaller British fleet, Villeneuve was shipped to Britain as a prisoner-of-war but later returned to France.
Took his own life
It was in the Hotel de Patrie at Rennes in April 1806 that Villeneuve took his own life with his naval dagger.
Duck was particularly impressed w
ith the
sense of honour which prompted Villeneuve to kill himself after the shame of his defeat. But there was nothing to suggest anything similar would darken his own life – after all, as the couple’s lawyer Godfrey Sparks said of Leslie and Catherine: “They were comfortable and happy at Domaine Saint-Vincent.”
But then Duck – who was a keen swimmer and walker, and used to go hunting in the nearby fields – fell victim to a muscle-wasting illness.
A neighbour said: “He believed in the Greek ideal of a healthy body leading to a healthy mind. Accordingly, any kind of physical illness affected him enormously. It was all too much.
‘Catherine told us that his body was deteriorating and we all assumed he had multiple sclerosis. He was in a very bad way at the end and couldn’t take much more.”
Local estate agent M. Lagadou added: “Leslie’s mind was as alert as ever, but his body was not what it was. He became very frustrated and upset that he could no longer do the things he once had.”
One day in 2001 – perhaps inspired by his hero, Villeneuve – Duck retired to his book-lined study with his shotgun and killed himself.
A close family friend said: “Like Villeneuve, Leslie saw suicide as an honourable end to it all. He was suffering from a crippling disease and didn’t want to become a burden on anybody, least of all his wife, and just thought it was the right thing to do.”
As Domaine Saint-Vincent was a place where Leslie had once been truly happy, Catherine interred his ashes in a wall of the estate’s private chapel. Over the ensuing months, she found the mansion increasingly lonely and was seen there less and less.
Then rumours began to circulate in the village of an apparition.
A local said: “It was just a few months after Leslie’s death that the reports of his ghost wandering around started. He would never harm anybody – he just mumbles a bit, going on about naval battles and other historical events which he was passionate about.
“A couple of French estate workers have seen the white-bearded apparition. Leslie was unmistakable, so it would certainly have been him.
“As well as a diplomat, Leslie was a keen historian and he was always trying to find a link between Villeneuve and Bargemon. He is sure Villeneuve used to spend time here in between wars. It was perhaps Leslie’s great unfinished work, which is the reason he’s such an unsettled spirit.”
However, the rumours clearly didn’t reach the Beckhams. By 2003 the property was on the market, and the pair made a flying visit and paid the full asking price.
Certainly, at first glance, Domaine Saint-Vincent appeared to be the ideal holiday home for the Beckhams (David was then still playing for Manchester United before his move to Real Madrid).
Made up of two separate 2,500 square foot buildings separated by a 30 foot pool, the main residence is a manor house with four bedrooms, a loft conversion, a living room and dining room (both with open fires) and a fully fitted kitchen, all “packed with original features.” The second building is a four-bedroom barn conversion.
Dense woodland surrounding the house is populated only by roe deer and wild boar, ensuring that prying eyes can be kept well away. The land also borders the Canjuers military base, which has a training ground where live ammunition is used, making it even more unattractive to potential intruders.
Despite being just 20 miles inland from the Cote d’Azur resort of St Raphael, the countryside around Domaine Saint-Vincent is a world away from the Ferrari and Porsche-packed coastline beloved of supermodels and racing drivers. The tree-lined hills of Var-Provence are better known for their poets, writers and retired diplomats.
A medieval fortress town, Bargemon (population 1,228) has just a handful of traditional French restaurants. There are certainly no casinos or nightclubs and only one clothes shop, Petit Provence, which does not stock a single designer line, specializing instead in T-shirts and staid lace tops.
M. Lagadou said: “Victoria fell in love with the property the moment she saw it. She insisted they sign the paperwork straight away. Sadly, none of us have seen her or David since. We’ve been waiting for a party at Château Beckham from day one.”
A source close to the couple admitted that they found out about the haunting only after they had completed the purchase. “Victoria’s seriously spooked and can’t bear the place now,” said the source. “She likes things to be neat and in their place. She loves buying property as much as Dior handbags, but ghosts don’t fit into her view of the world.”
Since hearing about the ghost story, David and Victoria have spent all their Riviera holidays at Castel Mont-Alban, Elton John’s £5 million “Pink Villa” near Nice.
Apart from the disappointment of the villagers of Bargemon that their famous neighbours have never stayed in their own house, there is also growing anger at the suggestion that Victoria is bringing in a team of British workers to renovate Domaine Saint-Vincent before selling it.
M. Lagadou said: “This kind of work should be going to local tradesmen who have been working on these kinds of houses all their lives. We are all very worried about what she’s doing to that lovely estate.”
Asked about future plans for Domaine Saint-Vincent, the labourer seen wandering around its grounds this week would only say: “There’s a lot of work to be done, but everything is in hand. I’m sure people will be happy enough when they see how it all turns out.”
But Leslie Duck’s lawyer Mr. Sparks believes the Beckhams’ retreat may need spiritual as well as physical renovation. “Maybe they need to bring in an exorcist,” he says.
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Haunted Places In France
http://theshadowlands.net
Warning: Any places listd in the Haunted Places requires permission to visit or investigate. Many of the places are patrolled by the authorities, trespassers will be prosecuted.
Besancon – Downtown – A man was driving down a road at a very high speed and crashed into a brick wall. At night time, you can hear squealing tires, and a man saying, “Merde!” (French curse word) before hearing a crash.
Blois – Fougeacuteres Sur Bieacutevre – Poltergeist outbreaks with loud banging noises on house walls, things being frozen in ice and eerie figures that make themselves noticed from the window sills.
Lyons – Seyssuel – Rumor has it that there was once a school ground that got destroyed in World War One. Since the village was re-built in the late 1920s, ever since then, there have been reports of poltergeist activities, contagious laughter and singing.
Paris – Best Western Montparnasse – Reports of awaking from strange dreams to see a bright wispy blue hand and arm directly over their face.
Paris – The Catacombs – Found camera and video, of an explorer, the footage shows him running, and being afraid of something. He was never found.
Paris – Eiffel Tower – One night, a girl and her boyfriend went out. The girl arranged the date to break up with him. He wanted to propose to her. When she told him, he erupted. He took her to the top of the Eiffel tower, and threatened her. She didn’t believe him, because he had always been so nice to her. So when he said if she married him, he would spare her, she said NO. Then, he pushed her off the top! At night, you can hear a girl laughing and saying NO, then a scream, and silence.
Versailles – Chateau of Versailles – This was the home of the French royal family from 1682 to 1789, when the French Revolution began, and in the end, the King and Queen were beheaded. People experience seeing people in 18th century clothing and a different landscape from what it is today. It is said that you travel back in time during their visit. Also an odd silence is heard. The most famous ghost of this palace is Marie Antoinette herself, the queen who was beheaded long ago.
More on the Versailles Palace from http://en.wikipedia.org:
In 1889 two school teachers on a visit to the Palace grounds walked through a set of Palace gardens, saw a physically deformed man on a swing in 18th-century clothes, and entered the Chapel Royal where a Mass was being sung on the High Altar. When they returned the next day they found the gardens completely changed and the door they supposedly entered the Chapel Royal through locked with a rusted lock. Staff at the Palace insisted that the grounds they claimed to have walked through didn’t exist and the door in question had not been opened since 1789. Both women were sacked from their teaching posts and called liars. Years later, a file was discovered which showed that the grounds at Versailles had once looked as the women described and the man they described seeing matched the description of Queen Marie Antoinette’s brother. But the part of the grounds the women had walked through had been remodeled during Napoleon I’s reign and details of the grounds up to that point forgotten except in long unread state files. How the two women could have seen the gardens as they had existed in 1789 (one hundred years prior to their visit) when no-one in their lifetime knew what the grounds had been like, and when the only file describing the layout was locked up unread in the French national archive, remains a mystery.
Vimy Ridge – One student tells of hearing the sounds of the war. Another described being grabbed by someone who looked like they were in a period movie about the site and being told to “run for your life you stupid kid” and being shoved towards the tunnel exit. As they were exiting the tunnel, yet another student tells of seeing, in plain daylight, a soldier stepping on a land mine and then nothing.
Vimy Ridge – Canadian trenches – Soldiers have been awoken by the sounds of heavy breathing and gear rustling, and were startled and amazed to see a German soldier in full WWI combat gear attempting to “stick” them with a bayonet.
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The Cemeteries of Paris
Cimetière Père Lachaise
The Père-Lachaise is the largest cemetery in the city of Paris and is certainly one of the most famous in the world. Located in the 20th arrondissement, La Père-Lachaise is reputed to be the most visited cemetery in the world, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors a year to the graves of the those who have enhanced French life over the past 200 years. It is also the location of five Great War memorials.
Catacombs of Paris
The Catacombs of Paris is a network of subterranean tunnels and rooms located in what were Roman-era limestone quarries. The quarries were converted into a mass tomb near the end of the 18th century. It is most widely known as “the catacombs,” but the official title is “les carrières de Paris” or “the quarries of Paris.”
Les Invalides, Paris
The most notable tomb at Les Invalides is that of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) in the crypt under Mansart’s dome. Napoleon was initially interred on Saint Helena, but King Louis-Philippe arranged for his remains to be brought to St Jerome’s Chapel in Paris in 1840. A renovation of Les Invalides took many years, but in 1861 Napoleon was moved to the
m
ost prominent location under the dome at Les Invalides. A popular tourist site today, Les Invalides is also the burial site for some of Napoleon’s family, for several military officers who served under him, and other French military heroes.
Cimetière de Montmartre, Paris
Cimetière de Montmartre is a famous cemetery located in the 18th arrondissement located west of the Butte, near the beginning of Rue Caulaincourt in Place Clichy. The cemetery in the Montmartre quarter of Paris is built below street level in the hollow of an old quarry with its entrance on Avenue Rachel under Rue Caulaincourt. The cemetery epitomizes the artsy, quixotic, gentle, almost whimsical Paris that every romantic visitor secretly cherishes.
Cimetière du Montparnasse
The Cimetière du Montparnasse is a famous cemetery in the 14th arrondissement created from three farms in 1824. Originally known as Le Cimetière du Sud, cemeteries had been banned from Paris since the shutting down of the Cimetière des Innocents in 1786 due to health concerns. The Montparnasse Cemetery is the eternal home of many of France’s intellectual and artistic elite as well as publishers and others who promoted the works of authors and artists. There are also monuments to police and firefighters killed in the line of duty in the city of Paris.
The Panthéon
The Panthéon in the Latin Quarter was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Geneviève, but after many vicissitudes now combines liturgical functions with its role as a famous burial place. Among those buried in its necropolis are Voltaire, Rousseau, Marat, Victor Hugo, Émile Zola, Jean Moulin, Marie Curie, Louis Braille and Soufflot, its architect. On November 30, 2002, in an elaborate but solemn procession, six Republican Guards carried the coffin of Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870), the author of The Three Musketeers, to the Panthéon. Draped in a blue-velvet cloth inscribed with the Musketeers’ motto: “Un pour tous, tous pour un” (“One for all, all for one,”) the remains had been transported from their original interment site in the Cimetière de Villers-Cotterêts in Aisne, France. In his speech, President Jacques Chirac stated that an injustice was being corrected with the proper honoring of one of France’s greatest authors.
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Living Statues
Photography by Billy Cone
http://www.living-statuary.com/plates.php
In 1994, Billy Cone began traveling to France and Italy to shoot the people and places. His artistic color travel photography led him to publish Sixty Days Under the Influence — A Photo Journal Through France in 1997 and then, the award-winning Photos de Voyage & A Gourmet’s Journal in 2000. Billy has done numerous book signings, including slide show/signings at WH Smith Book Seller in Paris and other fine bookstores and galleries.
The entire year 2002 witnessed Cone living out a long desired project/dream of photographing, solely in black and white, the statues in the cemeteries of Paris. Living Statues Photographies (Hexagon Books) is the fruit of his labor of love, and you are invited to share in that joy through his book — Living Statues Photographies.
Photo of Billy Cone by Francois-Olivier Goulliart
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Parler Paris, French Property Insider and John Howell & Co. Present the …
Living and Investing in France
Round Table — An Afternoon with Adrian Leeds
May 27, 2006, 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
at Historic Tujague’s
823 Decatur Street
New Orleans
If you’ve ever dreamed of moving to France, creating a new life in Paris, purchasing a “pied-à-terre” of your own or perhaps investing in other property in France, this power-packed afternoon with Adrian Leeds is a MUST.
New Orleans is Adrian Leeds’ Home Town
New Orleans has a heritage that dates back to the Spaniards who settled there, to the French who turned it into the country’s most cultured and fun-filled city and to all the others who followed and added a profound texture of culture and spirit. Before Hurricane Katrina struck, it was one of the most visited U.S. cities and is still host to such important events as the Mardi Gras and the Jazz Festival. New Orleans is also one of the only U.S. cities that can claim centuries of history not to mention the greatest food, music and art.
The Round Table
Round Table and Discussion will be led by Adrian Leeds, Editor of Parler Paris and French Property Insider, Director of French Property Consultation, author of the Leeds Good Value Guide to Paris Restaurants and co-coordinator of the Parler Parlor French-English Conversation Group!…
There is nothing else you can do in less time and as inexpensively to learn the important facts you need to know to get you on the right road and in the right direction for a successful investment and life in France!
Adrian will give you a brief overview and introduction to each the following topics:

* Obtaining the Right to Be in France!
* Buying and Owning Property in France!
* Profiting from the Leaseback Program, Corporate Housing in Paris (CHIP) and Other Investment Property Programs
* How to Rent Your French Property for Profit!
* Finding Your Dream
Apartment in Paris or Home
in the Country!
* Getting a Mortgage!…with GE MoneyBank*
* Minimize Your Tax and Maximize the Benefits!
* Reducing Your Currency Exchange Risk!
* Crossing the Cultural Divide!
* Plus, you’ll get answers to all of your questions during a Q and A session…an opportunity to ask questions particular to your situation and receive answers you need to make your dream to live in France come true and how to invest in property there profitably.
* Plus special appearance by Client Managers Philippe Vasseur and Meadda Ang who will be present to provide you with specific information on how to get a mortgage!
The Round Table Location and Dinner (Open to Everyone!)
http://tujagues.com/
The Second Oldest Restaurant in New Orleans!
823 Decatur Street, New Orleans

Plus Special Guest Speaker!
Ruth Mastron, Co-Author of “Au Contraire: Figuring Out the French”
Located in the heart of the French Quarter, facing the historic French Market, Tujague’s has retained its reputation for providing an unforgettable dining experience in the original Creole tradition. Tujague’s has been a favorite for over 143 years, entertaining and satisfying the appetites of delightfully robust patrons to the French Quarter.
You’ll think you’ve stepped back in time when you see the ancient mirror which graced a Paris bistro for ninety years before making its journey to New Orleans, or when you run your fingers across the famous cypress bar which splendidly survived prohibition. When you enter the restaurant and smell the aroma you’ll be enjoying the same sensations as did brunch guests to Madame Begue’s “petite déjeuner” all those years ago, as Tujague’s serves-up those same famous dishes today!
The original Creole tradition of hand selecting fresh produce purchased daily from the open French Quarter market also continues today, ensuring cuisine of the finest possible quality. Sit back, relax and enjoy course after famous course of traditional New Orleans dishes and drinks!
Plus, gain insights to French culture and lifestyles…Meet Ruth Mastron, co-author of “Au Contraire: Figuring Out the French” and Vice-President of SoCoCo Intercultural. She has delighted our Living and Investing in France Conference attendees for many years stopping the show every time with her mascot Peppy Le Pew by her side — the amorous French skunk from Loony Tunes, who sits atop the projector, representing the stereotypes of the French we’ve grown up with. Ruth’s engaging presentation wows the crowd with the most concise explanation of cultural misunderstandings foreigners are sure to encounter upon moving to France. “Duh!” we all cried, “Mais oui! Now we understand!”
May 27, 2006 Round Table
2 p.m.: Registration
2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.: Round Table with Adrian Leeds
7:00 p.m.: Optional Dinner at Tujague’s —
Dinner is Open to Conference Participants, Their Guests and Everyone Who Would Like to Join Us!
Round Table Also Includes
* Coffee Break Mid Afternoon
* Canvas Tote Bag with Free Gifts from Paris
* Reference Materials
Dinner at Tujague’s Includes

Menu:
• Cocktail
• Shrimp Remoulade
• Louisiana Gumbo
• House Specialty Brisket of Beef with Tujague’s Special Creole Sauce
• Choice of Main Course: Fish, Meat, Chicken
• Banana Bread Pudding
• Wine and Coffee

Round Table and Dinner Fees
1st Person Round Table Only $147
1st Person Round Table with Full Cocktail and Dinner $197
Add a Spouse, Partner or Friend!
Two People Round Table Only $267
Two People Round Table with Full Cocktail and Dinner $367
Dinner for your friends or
anyone who would like to join us! $67
Cancellation Policy
Round Table: Cancellations received on or before April 30, 2006, will receive a full refund, less a $50 processing fee. From May 1 – 15, 2006 a refund of 50% per person will be given, less a $50 processing fee. After May 15, 2006, the round table Round Table fee is non-refundable. Please call, fax, or email our offices immediately to avoid any unnecessary charges if you are unable to attend. If you cancel due to medical reasons that are covered by your purchased travel-insurance policy, we will advise the insurance company that your travel and conference or seminar fees are non-refundable. Any refunds issued by the insurance company will negate any credit due.
Protect Your Investment: We strongly suggest you protect your investment by purchasing trip-cancellation insurance. We are happy to recommend a policy to you. Please visit http://cruiseorairtravel.com/travel_insurance/insurance.htm for more information or contact Maria Maher at Agora Travel, [email protected].
Don’t miss it. Visit the site for more information at
Round Table — An Afternoon with Adrian Leeds
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/liveinfrance/LIF_NOLA_2006/LIF_NOLA_home.html
Or sign up now.


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Hurricane Katrina, “America’s Worst Catastrophe”
Optional 3-Hour Tour
Sunday, May 28th 1 p.m to 4 p.m.:
Take the Grayline Tours eyewitness account of the events surrounding the most devastating natural disaster on American soil!! We’ve reserved seats for our special group to take the tour at $35 per person.
($3 will be donated to a non-profit organization of your choice [1 of 5] that has been directly affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Choice of charities: America’s Wetlands, Habitat for Humanity, Louisiana SPCA, Tipitina’s Jazz Foundation or New Orleans City Park.)
* Learn the history of the original city, the French Quarter, and why it was built at this particular location along the Mississippi River. * We’ll drive past an actual levee that “breached” and see the resulting devastation that displaced hundreds of thousands of U.S. residents. * The direct connection between America’s disappearing coastal wetlands, oil and gas pipelines, levee protection and hurricane destruction will be explained. * Your tour guide will give a “local’s” chronology of events leading up to Hurricane Katrina and the days immediately following the disaster. * You’ll be amazed at the volume and variety of products “offloaded” in the multimodal port of New Orleans , the second largest port in the country, and then distributed to your hometown. * Did you know that 30% of the seafood (fish, crabs, shrimp, oysters, and crawfish) harvested in the lower 48 states comes from the coastal wetlands in South Louisiana? * After this tour, you’ll have a better understanding of events pre and post Katrina and the “Rebirth of New Orleans!”
Everyone is welcome to join in our group! Reserve in advance with Schuyler Hoffman by emailing [email protected]/parlerparis
Please make your payment of $35 per person when you arrive at 12:45 p.m. at the Grayline Meeting Point.
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Property Consultation, Search and Relocation Solutions
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/consultation
Visit our new site!
Let French Property Insider expert property consultants find your dream home in France for you. We consult with you to help you make the best decisions, ferret out the finest properties to meet your criteria, schedule the visits and accompany you, negotiate with the agencies and owners, recommend the notaires and other professionals, schedule the signings and oversee the purchase with you from start to finish! You could never do it so easily on your own. Let us take the time and effort off your hands.
FPI Offers More Relocation Solutions!
Moving to Paris? Our experienced relocation expert will make your move easy and hassle-free. We offer complete property and relocation services normally only provided by employer hired relocation firms…but at a price much more affordable for individuals.
Download Complete Brochure
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/consultation/fpibrochure.pdf
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TODAY’S CURRENCY UPDATE
Visit the FPI Web site and click on the link on the left panel or click here for Currency Convertor by Moneycorp: https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/moneycorpconvertor.html
for up to the minute conversions of all major currencies.
Compare currency values easily and quickly by visiting:
https://adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/loan/moneycorpconvertor.html
Charts
http://www.Moneycorp.co.uk/members/charts.asp
The charts below are updated every ten seconds.
The prices shown are “inter bank” exchange rates and are not the rates that you will be offered by Moneycorp. Your rate will be determined by the amount of currency that you are buying. Please speak with an Moneycorp dealer or your consultant for a live quotation.
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Parler Paris Après-Midi
http://www.adrianleed
s.com/parlerparis/apresmidi.html
NEXT MEETING: June 13, 2006 AND EVERY SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
This is your opportunity to meet every month, often with local
professionals who can answer your Working and Living in France questions. You are invited to come for drinks and share your questions and comments about what it takes to create a life here, own property and enjoy what France has to offer. It is also an opportunity to network with other Parler Paris readers.
Upstairs at La Pierre du Marais
96, rue des Archives at the corner of rue de Bretagne, 75003 Paris
Métro Lines 9, 3 et 11, stations Temple, République or Arts et Métiers
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HOT PROPERTY PICKS: “Quiet” Neighborhoods
Each week French Property Insider features a range of properties which we believe are on the market at the time of writing. These properties are featured in order to give readers a sample of what is currently available and a working example of prices being asked in various regions of France and districts of Paris.
As we are not a real estate agency. These properties do not constitute a sales listing. For those readers seriously interested in finding property in Paris or France, you can retain our services to do the whole thing for you. For more information, visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/consultation
*** Paris, 14th Arrondissement, 3 rooms, approx. 80m²
This apartment of 80 m² (about 860 ft²) on the second floor contains 3 rooms including 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and 1 toilet. It is equipped with a living room, dining room, a separate kitchen and cellar.
Asking Price: 540,000 Euros + 2.5% Finder’s Fee
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
*** Paris, 18th Arrondissement, 3 rooms, approx. 92m²
Montmartre. This apartment of 92 m² (about 989 ft²), is on the fourth and top floor of a hôtel particulier. It offers 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and 2 toilets.
Asking Price: 828,000 Euros + 2.5% Finder’s Fee
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
*** Paris, 20th Arrondissement, 3 rooms, approx. 173m²
In a quiet area, this apartment of 173 m² (about 1860 ft²) contains 3 rooms including a living room, 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.
Asking Price: 849,000 Euros + 2.5% Finder’s Fee
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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LEASEBACK NEWS FROM IMOINVEST
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/sales/leasebacks/lb_list.php
RESIDENCE CANNES MANDELIEU PETIT LAC
France, Mediterranean Coast, Mandelieu
Studio 24m² to 30m² Euros 160,000 to Euros 196,000
One Bedroom 36m² to 38m² Euros 230,000 to Euros 246,000
New Listing: LEASEBACK PROPERTY
GUARANTEED RENTAL INCOME UP TO: 4.00%
 

MINUTES FROM LUSH GREEN GOLF COURSE
Only 5 minutes from the beach, steps away from the Golf Club of Cannes Mandelieu and minutes from the Golf Riviera club. Just 7km from Cannes along the French Riviera, 20km from Antibes and 38km from Nice! Mandelieu La Napoule is the Mediterranean’s premier golfing resort and an all-round “Active Holiday Resort” with a whole range of sports and leisure facilities. Perfect area for tourists who love to golf or visits including the nearby Esterel Mountains, Barbossi Estate, Tanneron Mountains or the Lerins Islands.
4 star tourist resid
ence offering the best in services and guarantees. Only 5 minutes from the front door to the Mediterranean Ocean. Mandelieu is an area of the French Riviera that is vibrant with a high tourist demand. The beautiful Cannes-Mandelieu golf course, the Royal Casino, Canne’s legendary yacht port and so much more.
The resort is situated around a park of 6 hectares with a vast lake and parking is available. The completion date is scheduled for June 2008. The residence offers a pool, tennis court, hammam and spa facilities. Clients will receive a complete refund of the tax paid on the property and receive an attractive rental income for a minimum of 11 years. Owners may use the property for vacations and take advantage of the fantastic surroundings!
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SEEKING A MORTGAGE IN FRANCE?
Let us help you secure a mortgage in France with interest rates as low as 3%. Visit https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/loan for more information.
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INSIDER PARIS GUIDES DISCOUNT FOR FPI SUBSCRIBERS
Don’t forget that with your FPI subscription you are entitled to a discount on the purchase of any Insider Paris Guides. You’ll find details of the guides at http://www.insiderparisguides.com/. When ordering, a box will pop up allowing you to enter the following:
Username: fpi
Password: subscriber
Order more than one guide at a time and you will receive an additional discount!

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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

To access password protected pages: click on any of the links on the left panel of the home page of FrenchPropertyInsider.com under “Subscriber’s Only,” then type in your personal username and password.

Past issues of FPI are available on the website. You will find the
“Past Issues” link on the left under “Subscribers Only” or by going to
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/members/content/pastissues/index.html
To receive your free French Leaseback Report or the Paris Property
Report, click on
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/members/content/reports.html

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HELPFUL CONVERSIONS FOR REAL ESTATE

1 square meter = 10.7639104 square feet

1 hectare = 2.4710538 acres

For more conversions, refer to: http://www.onlineconversion.com/

==== CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING ===

==APARTMENT RENTAL==

Coming soon…Parler Paris Apartments rental representation at adrianleeds.com/parlerparis/apartments. If you have a property in Paris you’d like to keep booked and represented properly, please email [email protected] for more information.

For all short term rental apartments in Paris, take a look at https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/parlerparis/apartments or
https://adrianleeds.com/wp-content/uploads/newsletters/frenchproperty/insider/longterm.html for long term apartments.

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SUBSCRIBE TO PARLER PARIS

If you’re not a regular reader of the Parler Paris daily e-letter, and would like to be, simply enter your e-mail address here (it’s free!): http://www.adrianleeds.com/parlerparis

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Copyright 2006, Adrian Leeds®
Adrian Leeds Group, LLC, http://www.adrianleeds.com