Après-Midi in Nice!

It was amazing to discover while traveling in Maui how many people also manage to spend time in Europe, and particularly France, despite the distance between them. Regardless of how beautiful Maui is, and unspoiled in so many ways, it isn’t France, and never will be. Even when it comes to considering all of Europe, no other country (in my opinion) beats France for a great place to live.

Italy could be a close second, particularly for its cuisine and landscapes, but (in my opinion) Italy is not a place in which to securely buy real estate or do business, thanks to its anarchistic style. My first cousin, who lives much of the year in Perugia, a truly beautiful town in Umbria, tells me many tales of what it’s like to maneuver her life there. She loves it, but it can be challenging.

Sure, there are lots of countries in Europe to consider (27 in the E.U.), but when it comes to landscape, lifestyle, culture, infrastructure, etc., France is number one.

When I was in Maui with my daughter, she continually promoted my retiring to the island. It sounds great on paper, but then I reminded her that as one gets older, the likelihood of driving or wanting to drive diminishes. Living in a place that requires private transportation like that means you will be trapped, with nowhere to go and nothing to do, unless you have a full-time driver at your disposal. When my mother stopped driving at about 95 years old (!), she hated being dependent on other people to take her on errands or go to a movie. I always thought that she might have lived longer (she died at the age of 98) if she had not been so bored.

I don’t intend to be that person. When you live in an urban environment, with good public transportation, and an international airport, you can really make the most out of your life without depending on other people. This is one reason I am so determined to explain to our clients (and you readers) that when they choose to live in some remote village in La France Profonde, it sounds good on paper, but the reality is not what they have in their minds. If they were to choose a city like Nice, instead, which is not only drop-dead beautiful, but offers everything an Expatriate would want, it’s the perfect answer for the rest of their lives.

Our community in Nice has grown by leaps and bounds as a result of my constant harping on this opinion. I am stopped regularly by people who have moved to Nice, with or without our help, who took my advice and truly love it. In fact, the community is so large, that we are starting Après-Midi in Nice on Thursday, March 23rd.

“Après-Midi” is the name I gave our monthly community gatherings in Paris when we started them in 2003. They came about because our readers wanted to meet me, and each other. If I agreed to stop for a coffee with every one of them, I’d never get any work done (!). So we offered up this way of bringing people together, and giving something back to the community. Once I started bringing in speakers from the Expatriate community, who had interesting things to share with us, the event became even more important as a way of learning more about life in France and making friends.

In Paris, Après-Midi is held on the second Tuesday of every month (except August when we take a summer break) at a café in Le Marais. It’s taken place there since September of 2003 and in all these years, I’ve only missed one when I was too sick to attend. I’ve only spoken myself at a couple of them—as there are so many wonderful people in our community who have an abundance of things to share with us.

Now, finally in Nice, after searching for a venue for 10 years, Après-Midi will be launched! The gathering will be held on the fourth Thursday of every other month from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. beginning in March 2023. Then, in May, July, September, and November. January 2024 starts a new season! You’ll find us at La Brasserie Le Félix Faure at 12 avenue Félix Faure in Nice (on the corner of rue Alberti). You can easily get there by taking tram lines 1 and 2, and buses numbers 5, 8, 12, 38, and 57…or just walk, since the town is so walkable!

For this first gathering, I will be the opening speaker. You will hear the straight and skinny about how I first fell in love with Paris, then fell in love with Nice, and how bringing the North American community together in both special French cities is so important…not to just me, but to all of us!

After this first session, I will be inviting Expatriates from the local community to share their stories with us! I do hope you will recommend those you think we’d like to hear more from…journalists, authors, experts in their fields, etc.

Douglas Herbert, International Affairs Commentator of France 24 News Channel, at an Après-Midi in Paris

The event is free. You do not need to register in advance…just show up. Arrive on time or a tad early so you can get a good seat. We always allow about 15 to 30 minutes for everyone to chat and settle in…a perfect time to meet your “neighbors” if you didn’t already know them. I will take photos of everyone before the speaker begins. Sometimes our speaker has a slide presentation, sometimes not. Usually, the speaker spends about one hour talking and then opens up the discussion with a Q and A.

Author, Cara Black at an Après-Midi in Paris

It’s all very casual and easy—we can all just be ourselves. The idea is to have fun.

Invite your friends. Everyone is welcome. The program is in English, but we love to have our French and international friends with us. I am very open to your suggestions on who you’d like to see speak at a future Après-Midi.

Attorney, Amber Jones at an Après-Midi in Paris

Special Note: Anyone attending Après-Midi must be willing to have their photograph taken and order at least one drink to support our host café. Your presence indicates your willingness to participate.

For complete information, visit our Après-Midi page. To make suggestions for future speakers please email us.

See you there!

A la prochaine…