Getting Started in Serre Chevalier pt2

Continuing on from Getting Started in Serre Chevalier, here are some more things that Sarah asked:

Other tasks for the week will be got to set up bank account, then stuff like where to buy decent paint, duvets, finding an electrician etc.

This time we’ve booked car hire from Turin via one of these comparison sites but wondered if there is a cheaper/better way to do it next time?

We can sort of get by in French but would love to improve our language skills and that’s part of what we want to do too!

Any tips or advice so welcome.

Hi again Sarah, I covered the bank stuff the other day – but since then I thought that it would be good to make sure that the bank you choose has a good online banking service too. In my experience they are just not as good as the UK equivalents, but are getting better. The interface for Credit Agricole is awful and hard to use, Banque Populaire des Alpes has a better one, called Cyberplus. As with everything in France optional extras you would get for free in the UK, cost in France – it’s usually about 3€/month which I think is crap as it actually makes their life easier and cheaper, but France (being a bit backwards) does not reward punters for this.

Paint: don’t expect a vast range of Dulux colours, just get the colours they have most of and buy enough to finish the job – if you have to order more you could be waiting a while! DIY shops are Bricorama (formerly Mr Bricolage) and La Boîte à Outils – they both have their good points so use whichever suits you best.

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Duvets and stuff like that isn’t my expertise, so I might get Sue to comment on this. I believe they have all that sort of stuff in the Géant – but I know some get frustrated by the lack of range there so end up going to Ikea in Turin or Grenoble instead.

Electricians and handymen: The ‘one stop’ bloke for me is Aaron Creed of Serre Chevalier Services, he works on the premise that if you want something doing, he will find a solution for you. For example he will do minor electric stuff, like repairs – replacing water heaters etc. But if you need a chalet rewiring he will find the right people to do the job.  He’s a well nice bloke (an ex tree surgeon funnily enough) – call him on +33 (0) 6 89 76 07 59 . Aaron has done loads of work at my house including a brilliant block paving driveway.

Car Hire at Turin: I’ve never done this, but the only company I have heard bad things about is EuropCar, who treated some friends of mine very badly when their car broke down.  Maybe I should do a feature on car hire before the winter. If you don’t need a car when you are here, you could look at Serre Chevalier Transfers as an alternative way of getting from the airport to Serre Chevalier.

The best way to learn french is for you and your bloke to split up and get french boyfriends / girlfriends and move in with them! If this is a bit radical, you could enquire at the CRET in Briancon about their intensive French courses, but they are expensive and only run once or twice a year.  To be honest though, by the time you have a achieved all the stuff above and dealt with all the paperwork associated with owning a property in France, you will be amazed how quickly your French improves.

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