Not French Yet, But C’est Ahn-See

FRENCH CITIZEN? NOT QUITE YET!

Friday was the big day for which I’d waited for years—the interview by the Directorate-general for Foreign Nationals in France (DGEF), responsible for immigration, asylum, integration, and access to French nationality, managing entry, residence, work, and visa regulation. I had jumped through every hoop and prepared every document for this moment—when the French government would decide if I was worthy or not of French citizenship.

The office was on one of the tiny cobblestoned streets of the Ile de la Cité behind Nôtre Dame. My assistant, Diane, came to hold my hand, but they turned her away. She went off to a café nearby while I waited to be called by the interviewer. The night before I crammed for the interview one more time with my friend, Janet Hulstrand, as she asked questions from the “Livret du Citoyen” and I answered in French. That morning, I dressed well, and with personality. I was ready both physically and mentally!

The interview went just as I had anticipated it. The interviewer was a middle-aged woman who was very smiley and pleasant. She called me by my maiden name—Beerman—which gave me the perfect opportunity to make a joke and establish a rapport…the joke being that in France, women who divorce traditionally reinstate their maiden names, so it’s unusual to maintain their ex-husband’s name, as I have. And furthermore, “Adrian” is the masculine spelling so I am forever confused with Anglo males. My goal was to create a friendly atmosphere and not just answer her questions as if taking a university exam.

Her job was to evaluate not only my paperwork (of which I had in a stuffed folder) but also my integration into French society, language skills, and understanding of French values and culture. She asked the questions to be expected, but not in the formal way these are listed here (and I’ll explain why after):

1. Pourquoi voulez-vous devenir Français(e)?
(Why do you want to become French?)

2. Depuis quand vivez-vous en France?
(How long have you been living in France?)

3. Comment s’est passée votre intégration en France?
(How did your integration into French society go?)

4. Que représente pour vous la République française?
(What does the French Republic mean to you?)

5. Connaissez-vous les symboles de la République?
(Are you familiar with the symbols of the Republic?)

6. Pouvez-vous citer quelques grands personnages de l’histoire de France?
(Can you name some important figures in French history?)

7. Pouvez-vous me parler d’un événement historique français important?
(Can you tell me about an important event in French history?)

8. Quels sont vos droits et devoirs en tant que citoyen(ne) français(e)?
(What are your rights and duties as a French citizen?)

9. Comment suivez-vous l’actualité en France?
(How do you keep up with current events in France?)

10. Avez-vous un projet pour l’avenir en France?
(Do you have any plans for the future in France?)

It had been my plan all along to answer each question in a very personal way. When she asked about who my favorite celebrities were, I told her a story about how Jean Dujardin has lunched next to me at Café Charlot a few times and and how he ate a hamburger with his hands like an American! When she asked if I was familiar with French history and particular important characters, I told her about how I had recently visited the birthplace and home of Jeanne d’Arc and the grave of Charles de Gaulle with a friend, naming the towns, and how much I admired them both for their important roles in France’s survival…adding the dates (I had done my homework!). When she asked if I knew about the recent event at Le Panthéon, I told her how I was in the “quartier” at my Osteopath at the time and how we had watched the procession on his computer of Robert Badinter’s honor there, and 1981 was the year the law banned corporal punishment thanks to him. She asked if I had visited other parts of France, to which I explained that I go back and forth between Paris and Nice like a yo-yo, but that I’d seen almost all of France, except for Annecy—where I was headed over the weekend and Cassis where I’ll be next weekend!

I teared up when I told her that my daughter would be moving back to France next year with her son because she wants him to be educated and raised in France. She asked questions about them and I explained that my daughter grew up in France and was perfectly bilingual. She asked about my work so I told her about my “Nouvellettres®” and how I had created and registered this French word; how we host a “salon” every month with a speaker, almost always a subject about life in France; that we help foreigners find places to live by rental or purchase. She immediately asked if it was “short-term” to which I emphatically said, “Non!” “Long-term of course, so they can live here full time!” (I hope that gained some Brownie points!)

I could go on and on…as the interview lasted about one hour. All of this was in French and I surprised myself with the level of French I’d acquired—even after 30+ years of not speaking it as often as one might. I asked about her family, too and at one point I asked her if she enjoyed the job of turning people like us into bona fide French citizens. She does, she said.

The bottom line is that it went exceedingly well. At least, I thought so. And before she escorted me out, she explained that it would be six months to one year before I’d have a definitive answer about my citizenship and that if they denied me, it could be contested. But, I left confident that wouldn’t happen, even though she couldn’t say so.

As a result of this entire exercise, I now know a lot about France I didn’t know before. And if that’s the only thing I get out of it, it will have been worth it.

(A special thank you goes to Daniel Tostado and his team of immigration professionals who made this happen for me!)

ANNECY (AHN-SEE, NOT “ANN-UH-SEE”)

The TGV from Gare de Lyon goes straight to Annecy traveling southeast through the Rhône-Alpes region with only a few stops along the way: Macon, Chambéry – Challes-les-Eaux, Aix-les-Bains – Le Revard and Annecy (end of the line). We only had two full days there, so we had to make the most every moment. In advance I booked dinner the first night and lunch the next day, leaving the rest open to chance.

They call it “The Venice of the Alps” for its web of canals that wind through a medieval old town, so picturesque it almost seems staged, or so I had heard and read. But Annecy is the real thing: authentic, vibrant, and refreshingly unpretentious, even if wall-to-wall with tourists, very much like Venice. That’s the one thing that disturbs its authenticity, but “c’est la vie” in a spot worth visiting.

Before coming, I didn’t know anything about the town, and didn’t have the time to plan the weekend trip, so I turned to Chat GPT to lay out an itinerary and recommend restaurants. That turned out to be more than perfect—everything it suggested was right on target and we managed to make the most of our 48 hours.

The hotel choice—the Splendid Hotel Lac d’Annecy—turned out to be in the perfect location, where Lake Annecy and its picturesque canal are just outside the front doors, mountains loom in the distance, and just to the west in Old Town. It was a short walk from the train station, easy to find, and we found ourselves easily going in and out at a whim. The rooms were simple, but well-appointed and comfortable. The breakfast buffet was everything you might want and the service very friendly. I’d give it a thumbs-up.

The “Vieille Ville” (Old Town) of Annecy is a maze of cobblestoned lanes lined with flower-draped balconies, cafés, and local shops selling cheeses, chocolates, and hand-carved wooden treasures. If you hate cheese and its smell like I do, then hold your nose as you pass the cheesemongers and outdoor cafés serving up the local specialties. As Annecy sits in the heart of Haute-Savoie, one of France’s richest cheese-making regions, it’s surrounded by some of the most famous mountain cheeses in the world. Reblochon, a soft, washed-rind cow’s milk cheese that is creamy, nutty, slightly earthy and used in a Tartiflette, when melted is impossible for me to tolerate! Then there is Tomme de Savoie, a semi-soft cheese with a rustic gray rind that is mild, slightly tangy, and buttery with hints of cellar and hay. It’s one of France’s oldest cheeses, made with skimmed milk left over after butter production, but not for me! I managed to find other things on the menus other than cheese, but this is clearly a cheese-lovers heaven.

Our favorite tax advisor, Jonathan Hadida, and his wife, Ariel, met us in Annecy for dinner Saturday night. They live just outside of Geneva, only a 30-minute drive away, but add to that 15 minutes of looking for parking! We had chosen to reserve at the Auberge du Lyonnais, a hotel-restaurant in the heart of the Old Town right on the Thiou River, with lovely views and gourmet cuisine. It was the perfect setting for our first dining experience in Annecy and lots of fun, as Jonathan is animated, humorous and full of great information. We had lots to talk about and compare notes as we share many of the same clients, not to mention my own tax questions!

The Château d’Annecy, once home to the Counts of Geneva, rises above the rooftops, its watchful towers now housing a small museum. We did not climb up to learn more, but down below, the Thiou River meanders through the heart of town, its clear and very shallow waters reflect the centuries of calm prosperity and now bustling tourism.

Sunday morning I headed over to the open-air market on the early side before the crowds became bumper-to-bumper. The market runs along rues Sainte-Claire and around rue de la République, spilling onto the canal quays like Quai de l’Évêché, and toward Pont de la Halle/Église Saint-François-de-Sales area. For a non-cheese-lover, the smells were a bit overwhelming, but the sights were abundant. I did not leave empty-handed, having found a few goodies and gifts along the way, while running past the cheesemongers as I held my nose!

Lunch Sunday was just at the edge of the market at Chez Frantz in a tiny spot up a steep flight of stairs that served Savoyard cuisine. There wasn’t much on the menu that would satisfy my diet, but that’s okay…we found a more than suitable dish—Boulettes de bœuf, gratin dauphinois et sauce for only 18.90€. The service was friendly and accommodating and again, I’d give this one an excellent rating.

A tour of the lake by boat was on the agenda. We had reserved a one-hour boat tour of the lake with Compagnie des Bateaux du lac d’Annecy for mid-day. Again, it couldn’t have been more exacting of what we had in mind for a relaxing and fun weekend in beautiful Annecy. The landscape is quite dramatic, and while Janet was enamored by the mountains and clear, clean water of the lake, I was fascinated by the large and luxurious homes along the water’s edge.

The moderator on the boat was boasting of properties in the 18,000€ per-square-meter range, but that’s a bit of an exaggeration. For luxury homes directly on the lake or with lake-views, prices do start from about two million euros upward, but it all depends on location (of course) and if the home has a large lot, a pool, etc. Houses right on the lake or in communes like Veyrier-du-Lac or Talloires-Montmin command huge premiums for view, access, prestige.

Annecy isn’t frozen in time. It’s a thriving hub for those who crave both culture and outdoor adventure. In summer, we’ve been told that the lake transforms into a stage for sailing, swimming, and cycling; and in winter, skiers arrive from nearby La Clusaz and Le Grand-Bornand. What we experienced were the signs of fall and the changing of the color of the leaves. No matter the season, Annecy’s markets are irresistible—farmers from the surrounding Savoy bring fresh mountain cheeses, hams, and crusty breads that remind you why life in France is so delectable.

Annecy may be Alpine, but it’s distinctly French—a place where elegance meets authenticity, where mountain air meets espresso, and where every view feels like a postcard you somehow get to live inside. Once you’ve strolled its quays at sunset or sipped wine at a terrace overlooking the lake, you’ll understand why so many visitors arrive for a weekend…and dream of staying forever. We’ve had many clients attest to their love of Annecy and desire to spend a lifetime there. And this is when I remind them that it’s just a very tiny spot (with a population of 135,000), with limited access to travel outside of the area without a car. Is that what they really want?

So, my advice to them is to live in a larger community (Paris, Nice, etc.), but visit Annecy like you would Venice, to make it special rather than every-day and ordinary! Would I come back? Maybe, but 48 hours was enough and now I can say I’ve “been there; done that.”

A la prochaine…