We landed in France during their worst Heat wave, so that’s the title of the 2nd chapter of French License. Adjusting as an expat is never easy, but at least we found a place in a nice town.
Here’s an extract, about Le Vésinet:
“The lot with the two homes was formerly attached to an even larger mansion on a bigger plot next-door. Sometime ago the person who inherited the huge mansion sold off a section of his lot, the part with the house his groundskeeper lived in. The new plot was so big there was still room to build another huge house in front. This became 14 bis.
Bis means ‘also.’ That’s because there was already a number 14 for that street- the 19th century mansion. The original city planners assigned lots next to each other a two digit difference in address no matter how big the lots were. This left no room for new numbers when the lots were split up. This is very common in suburban areas in the countryside in France. Yet another subdivision was called 14 ‘ter,’ which is kind of like third. This makes it very fun on a hot day in the middle of August, when you arrive relieved at the number you were seeking, only to learn the house is still two doors down.”
You can read the full chapter for free in the online sample.
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