Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Living overseas

Whether you're considering emigrating or an expat abroad, you'll find likeminds on this forum.

Flip

Original poster

Talk to me about Cherbourg

14 replies

fraktious · 06/12/2011 18:30

Very positively please.

Or brutally honestly so I can have a hissy fit and absolutely refuse to go.

It's cold and dark and damp, isn't it? :(

OP posts:

bunnyfrance · 08/12/2011 09:52

Um, never been there, but aren't there direct ferries you can hop on to escape places in the UK? That would be a plus point....

sommewhereelse · 09/12/2011 13:02

Lots of French friends from the Nord Pas-de-Calais head off to that part of France for their holidays so it can't be that bad. I even know a couple who are going to retire there just as soon as they've sold their house.

IIRC you're on a hot island at the moment, so you probably would find it cold, dark and damp to start with.

Original poster

fraktious · 09/12/2011 15:32

Yeah....I'm a bit spoilt!

I'm just panicking about not being as to work, the local maternity doesn't get very good reviews and we lose a lot of money going back when you factor in my loss of income and DH's additional however much for being in a DOM, plus no more housing

It's just all looking rather unattractive on paper and I desperately need to be positive!

OP posts:

bunnyfrance · 09/12/2011 17:15

So is it a done deal, or can you still get out of it?

Original poster

fraktious · 09/12/2011 20:23

We can never get out of anything - what the Navy says goes - but DH can lobby very, very hard for somewhere else or he could theoretically go unaccompanied. But that would be an absolute last resort and I don't think Cherbourg is quite that bad.

We're looking at living a little way out of Cherbourg itself so it might be a bit nicer there

OP posts:

jamaisjedors · 11/12/2011 19:51

Cherbourg is not bad at all. You could go to Caen to give birth if you didn't fancy the hospital in Cherbourg.

My parents have a holiday house about 30 mins from Cherbourg and the whole peninsula is totally beautiful - all the people from my side of Normandy (Seine Maritime) think that side is proper postcard Normandy, and there are some quite chic places where the parisiens holiday - plus the Mont Saint Michel too!

The beaches are absolutely beautiful and the countryside inland is very pretty, very "typique". The roads are much better than they used to be so you can get to places fairly easily and there are trains to Paris.

Have I sold it to you?

flyingcloud · 12/12/2011 12:05

Not sure how far Cherbourg is from Caen, but I believe the maternity in Caen is very good, have had lots of friends give birth there.

Another plus?

Mont St Michel is beautiful too...

Original poster

fraktious · 12/12/2011 16:35

I think there are 2 maternities in Carn. Which one is good (bearing in mind that my definition of good is hands off!)? And do you reckon they'd accept someone from Manche?

It's about 90 mins drive. Saint Lo is 1hr and there's another private clinic an hour in the opposite direction.

I'm coming up with a Plan to get what I want out of the maternity in Cherbourg but backups would be useful.

DH is that this is going to be a major factor in the decision to TTC %232.

It's not sounding too bad now!

OP posts:

AuldAlliance · 12/12/2011 19:16

In winter, many if not all places in France will inevitably seem cold, damp and dark after where you are now. Even in this part of the country, we really felt the first autumn/winter were quite tough. Though we had been out there for almost a decade.
But in summer, the long, light evenings will seem like a revelation! And having actual seasons is quite nice, too.

There are far worse places than Cherbourg, I reckon Looks quite pretty. Better than Dunkerque, Le Havre, Dieppe or Brest, or indeed many a coastal town.

jamaisjedors · 14/12/2011 11:16

oi! some of us choose to live in (or near!) one of those places! But the advantage (possibly) of that area of Normandy is the strong expat british community so lots of things going on.

Although I have to say I like living near a bigger city

Original poster

fraktious · 14/12/2011 11:50

Expat community would be nice if there are families with children nearish DS's age. I've also worked out where my nearest Waitrose would be so planning ferry trips with several coolboxes in the back of the car

Indeed, better than Brest although that's not off the table.

OP posts:

AuldAlliance · 14/12/2011 12:23

I wasn't meaning to be rude about those places, jamais. Only I don't think any of them would be easy to move to after where frak is now, for various reasons.

jamaisjedors · 14/12/2011 14:59

Sorry, should have put a in there - I think when you live somewhere which is perceived to be hideous by the whole of France you get a bit defensive!

My sister-in-law (ex-Paris) said to me a while ago, I'd love to go to Normandy, it's so pretty.

I said you HAVE been to Normandy, we live there...

Mind you she confuses Lille with Le Havre so I guess there's no hope - it's all "ooop north"!

PetiteRaleuse · 14/12/2011 15:10

jamasjedors I live near Thionville and everyone in France thinks that is hideous so I see where the defensiveness is coming from.

fraktious I don't know Normany very well but have only heard good things about Cherbourg and about lots of the surrounding area, and the Channel Islands are not far away for weekends away and they are lovely.

Flip