Hello all, bonjour !
So we are a young family, I speak both English and fluent French, while my wife speaks English only, just starting to learn French, and we got a 3-year-old kid who speaks some English and is just starting to learn French from me. We are ethnically from Asia but we are European citizens and have been calling Norway our home for many years now. Our life is comfortable here, the work-life balance is great (a lot on the side of life), but it lacks any drama, plus education is of a poor quality, both the education and health systems are broken, so we are looking to move to , a country where I have lived in the past (and whose social and political problems I don't mind). I have clients globally, so I can be based anywhere, but my wife works in the finance sector, and she may want to find at least a part time job so that she is not sitting at home all the time. (She doesn't want to work full time for a couple of years, unless the work-life balance is great.)
Now I would like some advice about where to move. Initially, I had thought of the Grenoble-Lyon region, but later on gravitated towards Strasbourg area or somewhere near Rennes. Geneva, though, in the Lyon region, is still in the mix, but I guess I will have to make a separate post about that in another forum appropriate to Switzerland, but I still mention it here in case any forum member reading this also knows that city well. I have been to Strasbourg, delightful city though I found it a bit windy, but have never been to Brittany, though I have good experience of the Bretons I have met.
These are our parameters, so to speak:
1. The first, of course, is safety overall and not that much violence and drug culture than what is usual in a normal city. This is one of the reasons I am not thinking of Grenoble anymore. This is one of the reasons I am not thinking of Marseille, though I love that city in many respects. I also like a lot of energy in a city, which is why I often like big, bustling cities in general.
2. Tolerant, open people. Usually, I have never had much of an issue in about racism or intolerance, except on one occasion in a rural area in Auvergne region, but still putting this here in case some place is notoriously bad about it. If people are open, too, that is a big plus. This is one issue we are facing in Norway, as most people here it only their kindergarten friends into their social circle.
3. Education quality. Since my child barely speaks any French right now, I would probably initially enroll him into an international school or a bilingual school, where both French and English are utilised. He is anyway at kindergarten age right now. Later, if he gets decent in French, he can the public school system or continue with an international school, whichever suits at that point of time. Education is one of the main reasons that we are moving from Norway, so this is a big point for us.
4. Good homes, good public transport infrastructure. We are not heavy s of the car, we like to use bicycle or public transport. My wife has motion sickness, too, so she doesn't like to sit even in public transport (esp. buses) for a long time. Which means that usually we would live in some nice city centre area or very well connected city area. We do travel internationally a lot, taking long-distance trains or flights, so a well-functioning airport or good connectivity to CdG is a plus.
5. Activities to do. This is also one of the reasons we are planning to leave Norway, as besides winter sports, there is little to do here. Not even many films to watch or any cinema clubs.
6. Language barrier. While my wife is starting to learn French, she may probably get enough just to get by in some day-to-day situations but not what is needed for a professional working environment. Which means that if a city is a bit more English friendly, that might be better.
7. Climate. I prefer a moderate climate, my wife dislikes too much rain.
Considering all the above, what would be your options in or near (e.g., Geneva or Milan)? Of course, one doesn't get everything everywhere. For example, Rennes has a moderate climate but maybe has more of a language barrier than Strasbourg, but Strasbourg is a bit too small maybe plus the climate.
Edit: I had not thought of Toulouse for some reason, how is that compared to the other options?
Thanks in advance!
So we are a young family, I speak both English and fluent French, while my wife speaks English only, just starting to learn French, and we got a 3-year-old kid who speaks some English and is just starting to learn French from me. We are ethnically from Asia but we are European citizens and have been calling Norway our home for many years now. Our life is comfortable here, the work-life balance is great (a lot on the side of life), but it lacks any drama, plus education is of a poor quality, both the education and health systems are broken, so we are looking to move to , a country where I have lived in the past (and whose social and political problems I don't mind). I have clients globally, so I can be based anywhere, but my wife works in the finance sector, and she may want to find at least a part time job so that she is not sitting at home all the time. (She doesn't want to work full time for a couple of years, unless the work-life balance is great.)
Now I would like some advice about where to move. Initially, I had thought of the Grenoble-Lyon region, but later on gravitated towards Strasbourg area or somewhere near Rennes. Geneva, though, in the Lyon region, is still in the mix, but I guess I will have to make a separate post about that in another forum appropriate to Switzerland, but I still mention it here in case any forum member reading this also knows that city well. I have been to Strasbourg, delightful city though I found it a bit windy, but have never been to Brittany, though I have good experience of the Bretons I have met.
These are our parameters, so to speak:
1. The first, of course, is safety overall and not that much violence and drug culture than what is usual in a normal city. This is one of the reasons I am not thinking of Grenoble anymore. This is one of the reasons I am not thinking of Marseille, though I love that city in many respects. I also like a lot of energy in a city, which is why I often like big, bustling cities in general.
2. Tolerant, open people. Usually, I have never had much of an issue in about racism or intolerance, except on one occasion in a rural area in Auvergne region, but still putting this here in case some place is notoriously bad about it. If people are open, too, that is a big plus. This is one issue we are facing in Norway, as most people here it only their kindergarten friends into their social circle.
3. Education quality. Since my child barely speaks any French right now, I would probably initially enroll him into an international school or a bilingual school, where both French and English are utilised. He is anyway at kindergarten age right now. Later, if he gets decent in French, he can the public school system or continue with an international school, whichever suits at that point of time. Education is one of the main reasons that we are moving from Norway, so this is a big point for us.
4. Good homes, good public transport infrastructure. We are not heavy s of the car, we like to use bicycle or public transport. My wife has motion sickness, too, so she doesn't like to sit even in public transport (esp. buses) for a long time. Which means that usually we would live in some nice city centre area or very well connected city area. We do travel internationally a lot, taking long-distance trains or flights, so a well-functioning airport or good connectivity to CdG is a plus.
5. Activities to do. This is also one of the reasons we are planning to leave Norway, as besides winter sports, there is little to do here. Not even many films to watch or any cinema clubs.
6. Language barrier. While my wife is starting to learn French, she may probably get enough just to get by in some day-to-day situations but not what is needed for a professional working environment. Which means that if a city is a bit more English friendly, that might be better.
7. Climate. I prefer a moderate climate, my wife dislikes too much rain.
Considering all the above, what would be your options in or near (e.g., Geneva or Milan)? Of course, one doesn't get everything everywhere. For example, Rennes has a moderate climate but maybe has more of a language barrier than Strasbourg, but Strasbourg is a bit too small maybe plus the climate.
Edit: I had not thought of Toulouse for some reason, how is that compared to the other options?
Thanks in advance!
but must correct you about the motorways. The autoroutes from Toulouse a toll roads in most directions: Montpellier, Spain (towards Barcelona), Spain (towards Irun), north as far as Brive then it's free as far as Vierzon, but there are tolls towards Clermont and Lyon. 
