France: new home of bull-fighting?

France is on its way towards replacing Spain as the home of bull-fighting. While Catalonia recently voted to outlaw the sport in the region, the corrida is going from strength to strength on this side of the Pyrenees.

This is despite bull-fighting being illegal under article 521-1 of the penal code, which bans "cruel acts and serious ill-treatment towards animals". However, there is an exception for bullfights in areas of "uninterrupted local tradition", which largely means the south-west of the country, where it takes place in 11 departments. Only the Ariège is corrida-free.

The mayor of one bullfighting town, Béziers, and the director of its arena, even say they want to offer their venue to Barcelona’s bullfighters and bullfighting fans should a final ban be introduced in the Catalonian capital in 2012.

More French towns are opting to put on bullfights despite vigorous opposition from the likes of the Nîmes-based Alliance Anti-Corrida which has organised a protest march on September 11.

Founder Claire Starozinski says that an Ipsos survey found 71% of people in the Gard were against corrida. Perhaps, but Nîmes has gone from five corridas a year in 1980 to 20 now.
It is a completely different picture from Spain, where audiences for bullfights have been tumbling. Hard economics are to blame: many smaller rings can no longer make bullfights pay so they are held in big cities and people generally do not travel outside their local area for a fight.

In France, on the other hand, fans will travel to all the nearby events. André Viard, president of the Observatoire National des Cultures Taurines, said two million people attend corridas in France each year. These bullfights are where the bull is always the loser, where the fight is to the death: however, a more traditional French version leaves the bull to fight another day. This sees the bullfighter trying to grab ribbons off the horns.

A similar event is the Course Landaise where there are no weapons or red capes, just the skill of the man to provoke the animal into charging and then his agility in leaping out of the way at the last minute.

Daniel J. Valade, the adjoint to the mayor of Nîmes and spokesman on culture and bullfighting, said people were entitled to their opinions but regional politicians in Catalonia had taken bullfighting hostage in its quarrels with the Madrid government.

He said the support of politicians who respected the culture of bullfighting or tauromachie would "guarantee the freedom of expression in our country".

Politicians such as Prime Minister François Fillon, health minister Roselyne Bachelot, ex- presidential challenger Ségolène Royal and leading socialist Dominique Strauss-Kahn are corrida fans, as is President Sarkozy, but they are rarely seen at events.

Mr Sarkozy’s adviser, Pierre Giacometti, says pressure from the anti-bullfighting lobby meant he and other politicians are "limiting appearances at corridas in France and [Mr Sarkozy] is only doing so in Spain".

Alpes-Maritimes MP Muriel Marland-Militello has challenged her UMP leaders with a proposal to change the law to ban bullfighting and said the Catalan ban "should inspire the French Parliament and remind the UMP of its responsibilities".

She said that MPs should start debating the rights and wrongs of bullfighting as the Catalans had done and added: "This way the UMP can show it is a modern party, ready to lead the way with humane advances for civilisation."

Brigitte Bardot said the ban was a "victory for dignity over cruelty". She said she thought that it was unhealthy to encourage crowds of people towards blood and cruelty as it was "violence that is destroying our society. France must follow the example."

Britons' French dream is alive

WHILE the "French dream" of a relaxed lifestyle in rural France still appeals to some Britons, there are new tastes emerging, including a search for more modern properties and city living, property experts say. Home sales to Britons are picking up this year as we emerge from the financial crisis.


Last year, Britons bought a third as many homes in France as they did in 2007, according to notaires' figures, and, while Britons remained the biggest foreign buyers, notaires say they bought just 17% of non-new-build homes sold to foreigners, compared to 40% in 2004.

Though 2010 figures are not yet available, there are encouraging signs that the British are on the way back. However, they are not always looking for the same as before.

Notaire Patrick Lotthé, from Bailleul, Nord, who specialises in work in the British market, said: "Though the pick-up is still a bit timid, things are better than they were last year, as the exchange rate is now far better for the British than it was."

Traditional areas such as the south-west, Normandy and Brittany, the south-east and the Alps (for skiing holiday homes) remain popular. Britons usually look for detached homes, though flats are common in ski resorts.
As before, many buyers are hoping to retire to France or are buying holiday homes and are attracted by the climate and lifestyle. "They are still often interested in homes in the countryside and seaside; however, we have noticed, for instance, British people buying flats in Lille because it is no longer that far from London and the south-east of the UK, and it's an interesting cultural city with plenty of events and exhibitions. The same goes for Paris. Thanks to the TGV and Eurostar, it's very easy to get to these areas. As prices are starting to go up again, these cities also make interesting investments."

An adviser from Paris-based international property consultants Eden Way, Nicolas Verastegui, said sourcing apartments in Paris was their top request from British buyers, who are about 40% of their customers and are their biggest client group after Italians.

This was followed in rough order by requests for properties in the Luberon, the Riviera, the south-west and on the north-west coast.

"The culture, Eurostar and the lower euro, these are all an incentive in Paris," he said. Britons buying in Paris prefer apartments in typically Parisian old buildings in cut stone, he said, such as those from the period of Baron Haussmann. Areas such as the Marais or Saint-Germain-des-Près are much sought-after.

"There are two main things that interest them: a primary residence for those who will be working in the city, and a pied-à-terre to be occupied a few times during the year by the buyer and rented out temporarily the remaining of the time."

Estate agent Charles Gillooley of Immobilier Causses et Vézère in Montignac, Dordogne, said traditionally there have been certain French areas where Britons rushed to buy because of cheap prices, though this was now not the case.

The last hotspot was the Creuse, said Mr Gillooley, who is vice-president of the estate agents' federation FNAIM in Aquitaine.

"Everybody has less money and they are all trying to find something cheaper, but there are not that many new cheap areas. The Creuse was a disaster, though not for the locals, who managed to offload unwanted farmhouses and ruined barns and to fleece the British. It is a pleasant enough but nondescript rural area which was unheard of and therefore very cheap.

"People expected to buy properties for next to nothing, spend a fortune doing them up and then sell them for a fortune. But the reason the Creuse was unheard of was that no one else wanted to go there, and no one wanted to buy the expensive done-up properties.

"I am sure there still are some areas in rural France that are very cheap, but they will be so far off the radar no one knows where they are."

Mr Gillooley said that, on the whole, Britons still wanted the same kind of properties as before and were "back in the market now". However they are still hoping to pay less than before, especially as UK property prices have gone down and they have less to spend if they have sold up at home. Fortunately, French prices are mainly also lower than they were a few years ago, he said.

"Things are busier now than this time last year. It is looking up a little, but buyers are very realistic, and are pickier and choosier. There are still not enough buyers, so vendors must still make sure their properties are realistically priced to sell."

Mr Gillooley said that, in the popular areas of the Dordogne, the old trend of Britons buying to renovate no longer applied, because there were no old properties to renovate left. "Some fringe areas in the north have a few, but in the heart of the Dordogne Valley there has been nothing left for about 15 years," he said. "Also, the cost of renovation has gone up and up, while the value of properties has gone down, so it is no longer good value to do it. Renovating is an escalating cost: when you start you never know how much it will endup costing, so it is much better to buy one that is already done up.

"Once upon a time, when people said they wanted to renovate, we were talking about roofs, windows, floors, electricity, extensions. Now it means putting in a new sink unit, a new kitchen maybe a new bathroom. To some extent, that is a good thing."

Mr Gillooley said holiday home sales were slower than in the past in the south-west because people had less money and it was a luxury, but those who wanted to make a permanent move were still doing so. "Priorities include access to transport, such as low-cost airports and all the other things they wanted 30 years ago – old stone, independent but close to the shops etc. However, they have to put up with what they can get. "There are houses half an hour from an airport or in villages with shops, but most of our villages are an hour from an airport and haven't got shops. But it is still an area where many Britons buy."

International unit manager for mortgage brokers Cafpi, Kathleen MacKinnon, said those buying in France today were "quality buyers, people who know what they are doing rather than dreamers". In the past, she said, there were a lot of inquiries and few people completing. Now a higher percentage complete compared to last year. They are still buying in such areas as the Riviera and south-west, she said.

A manager for RHF International, which specialises in Riviera properties, Jeroen Zaat, said that they had seen a revival, especially for luxury properties. "On the whole, especially in the higher budgets, there are quite a few sales being done. In the lower budgets, there is more hesitancy," he said. "People in times of uncertainty flock back to well-known areas. The more obscure areas are now less interesting. "It's the well-known coastal towns, such as Antibes or Cannes, or some well-known villages such as Mougins and Valbonne that attract a lot of British buyers now."

In their business, about 70% of homes sold as holiday properties, he said, which was comparable to the past. However, he has noticed some change: "There has been a shift towards more modern properties. In the past, it was the old Provençal bastides with exposed beams. There are still some hardcore aficionados of that style, but now clients often either want ultra-modern design or new-build with a touch of the old.

"It should be light and airy with lots of space. Typical styles that sell are characterised by wooden floors and glass and chrome or stainless steel contrasts in combination with, for example, black slate or white stone."

He said clients wanted the perfect location: quiet, close to the sea and the airport, but it was not always easy to find all their requirements in one home and in budget. A director of currency transfer specialists HiFX, Mark Bodega, said their data showed interest remained high in established areas such as Normandy and Brittany.

"For many people, ease of getting to their property is an important consideration, especially if they want to let it as a holiday home or expect to use it regularly at weekends, not to mention the impact this has on its future sale value.
"Mid-French regions such as the Poitou-Charentes and Limousin remain popular. Located in easy reach of airports served by low-cost airlines, they are ideal for visitors or for seeing family and friends back home."
HiFX says the value of sterling hit a 19-month high after the British general election and appears to have stabilised: a plus for Britons buying in France compared to last year.

None the less, Mr Bodega said sudden changes remain possible (eg. the amount you can get for your pounds changed 13.5% between March and June this year).
This is one reason why some clients negotiating to buy French homes fix a rate for a future completion date.
"You would never agree to buy a property in the UK if you did not know what it would cost you," he said.
 
Property in Languedoc Roussillon

So glad to be living near Spain

Reserves opened to stop fuel panic

RESERVE fuel supplies have been opened up after strikes closed down all French oil refineries and fears of petrol shortages have sparked panic buying. Demand for fuel has risen 50 per cent in the past two days.


The strikes, against the planned changes to the retirement age, have been made worse by an 18-day dockers’ strike at the giant oil terminal at Fos-Lavéra (Bouches-du-Rhône).

At the moment there are more than 70 ships standing off Marseille loaded with crude oil destined for French refineries but all of the country’s 12 refineries have been hit by strikes.

Some petrol stations have put up notices warning of shortages but, so far, only about 50 have faced actual shortages. There have been reports of stations limiting purchases to €40 or €50.

The main areas affected by shortages are the south of France, Alsace and Brittany.

Transport secretary Dominique Bussereau ordered that reserve stocks of fuel held by oil firms be opened for use, which would give about 10 days’ supply. Police were then used to open the depot at Fos-sur-Mer in Bouches-du-Rhône.

However, so-called strategic supplies still remain off-limits. These are only intended to be used in the event of an international crisis and were last opened in 2005 after hurricane Katrina ravaged oil distilleries in the southern United States and cut off supplies.

The 17 million tonnes of refined and crude oil in the strategic supply represent 98 days’ consumption.

Fuel supplies have been ordered from elsewhere in Europe and Mr Bussereau has also lifted the ban on larger 44-tonne oil tankers being used to transport fuel. He has also lifted the restrictions on tankers running on Sundays.

Tomorrow is due to see the latest in the series of rolling protests over the retirement age which follow the strikes in the transport and energy sectors. Demonstrations are expected in major cities.

Another national strike is planned for October 19.

On a brighter note - Property Hot spot - Ceret

Ceret is the kind of town one falls in love with at first sight, and that was certainly the case for me when I was extensively touring the Pyrenees Orientales region to decide where to make my new French home. Approaching Ceret from the east towards the three parallel bridges crossing the pretty River Tech, you can really appreciate the stunning backdrop of the Pyreneen foothills and cherry orchards surrounding the town. The town’s attractive centre encapsulates what many foreign buyers think of as the French dream – cobbled streets lined by pastel coloured town houses, a pretty square with al fresco eating for much of the year and plane tree-lined shady streets with plenty of cafés and one off shops – a far cry from your average British high street with its ubiquitous chain stores.


The town’s beauty has been a magnet for artists in the past, the most famous being Picasso, who is reputed to have founded the Cubism movement when he lived here. This artistic heritage is celebrated in the Museum of Modern Art, situated next to the Mairie, which has some permanent works by the master himself and also exhibits other impressive names from the art world, especially considering the small size of the town.
 
The climate here is a major attraction too – the town sits in the southernmost valley in France, a stone’s throw from the Spanish border and enjoys long summers and short, relatively mild winters. It is rarely cold enough to snow and boasts 300 days of sunshine a year, which means lots of bright blue skies throughout the winter months, even when the temperatures do drop. With both the Mediterranean coast and ski resorts accessible, there is plenty to do all year round.


Officially, of course, Ceret is in France, however, the locals see themselves as Catalan and the Catalan influences in the town are strong. Most surprising to many visitors is the existence of a bullring, which plays host to a 3 day long bullfighting festival, the Ceret de Toros, during Bastille Day celebrations when the town also stages a mini running of the bulls (à la Pamplona) accompanied by live music and much merriment in the evenings.

If you’re visiting the town, there are some great places to stay.  Make sure you factor a Saturday into your visit so you can sample the weekly market which is a feast for all the senses combining stalls selling everything from clothes and handmade toys, to vats of steaming paella, roasted chickens and delicious local cheeses.

You will not be the first foreigner to be seduced by Ceret’s charms - there is a sizeable expatriate community not only in Ceret itself, but all along the Tech Valley, made up not just of Brits, but also Germans, Dutch and Scandinavians. Although many of our clients say they want to avoid this at all costs, not only is it increasingly hard to do so anywhere in France, but it is easy to underestimate the cultural impact of moving to a foreign country, and the benefits of having like-minded fellow countrymen to chat to.


If you do decide to buy a home here, whether as a permanent resident, or for holidays, be warned - prices are not cheap. This is one of the two property hotspots of the Pyrenees Orientales (the other being the seaside town of Collioure) and prices have rocketed over the last few years, fuelled largely by foreign buyers. That said, the market has levelled off in the last year or so after the folly of previous years. Many vendors are stuck in the past and have unrealistic expectations with regards to price, so there is often quite significant room for negotiation, especially at the higher end of the market. This is also a good location for the buy-to-let market, with good quality rental properties in high demand from locals who can’t afford to get on to the property ladder.

If you want to be in the very centre of town, your choice is largely limited to a typical French townhouse or apartment, with no outside space or, at best, a roof terrace or small courtyard. These are rare on to the market, and change hands quickly, often privately. Prices start at €150,000s. Further out from the centre, larger houses and villas with small gardens can be found from upwards of about €280,000 , and at the luxury end of the market you are looking at anything from €500,000 upwards for villas with a large garden and all mod cons. You need to go further out of town still to find the traditional stone properties which are so coveted by us Brits, and you will pay the price for these as there are relatively few of them.


If your budget doesn’t stretch to Ceret prices, it is worth considering neighbouring towns and villages, such as Maureillas, Amelie-les-Bains, Llauro, Arles sur Tech, St Jean pla des Corts or Vives where prices are lower but you still have Ceret’s delights on your doorstep.

© Louise Sayers, Medandmountain

With thanks to Frenchentree

Dr Foster, Gloucester and the rest

WORST RAIN STORM SINCE THE WAR (1940)

SCHOOL has been cancelled today for many pupils in the Pyrénées-Orientales, because of torrential rain and strong winds.


Météo France has issued an "orange" weather alert for six departments in the Languedoc-Roussillon and parts of the Midi-Pyrénées.

The Pyrénées-Orientales is the worst-hit, where 25cm of rain has fallen since Saturday afternoon, the equivalent of four months' rainfall.

As a precautionary measure, the department is not running any school transport, except in Perpignan.

Other affected departments are the Hérault, Tarn, Haute-Garonne, Ariège and Aude. The storm alert is in place until at least 16.00 today.

As well as heavy rain, there are waves of up to seven metres along the Mediterranean coast, fanned by winds of up to 100kph.

Météo France is calling for vigilance. Localised flooding is possible and several small roads are cut off. Power cuts are also likely.

The orange alert has been lifted for three other departments: the Gers, Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées.

Buying, Selling, Renting, Landlord, Property Services?

Looking for a long term rental or looking to rent your home out over the winter or longer - then look no further. With the widest selection of long term lets throughout the Roussillon area Ceret Property can look after all your needs throughout the region.

Maybe you just want to rent you property out for the summer or are looking for that place to relax in the sun. Here at Ceret Property we have a selection of cherry picked properties, where we know the owners and setails of the properties, so you can book and rent with confidence.

Do you have a house to sell or are you looking to buy. Then look no further Ceret Property have just linked up with new Estate agency Real Estates to offer a wide range of properties with Character and Charm throughout the Pyrenees Orientales. This is a really exciting new link up as we now have offices in the Market town of Ceret.

Property services as well. Whether you are looking for property management, maintenance, renovation or want to propemote your property with our web design service, then look no further. Once you are here, we can even help you with all your English tv needs and even find someone to get you hooked up onto the internet (even if it has to be by satellite)