Bonjour Reader,

This week: a medieval city most Americans have never heard of — €120K apartments, half-timbered streets, and a 90-minute train to Paris. And yes, it's surrounded by vineyards.

Oh, and an updated newsletter format... 👀

From My Corner of the World

I caught the moon mission launch on TV this week. Didn't even know it was happening — it just came on, and suddenly there was a rocket climbing into the sky.

I stopped what I was doing.

Because for a few minutes, it was hard not to feel like a kid again. A rocket. Heading toward the moon. And it barely made the news cycle.

We've gotten so used to the noise that we tune out the extraordinary.

I think about that when it comes to retiring in France. It's easy to get lost in the questions — the taxes, the visas, the "but what about..." spiral. That stuff is real. But it has a way of drowning out the thing you actually want.

A morning walk to the market. A terrace with a view. A Tuesday that doesn't feel rushed.

The dream is still there. Sometimes it just needs a little airtime.

📍 Hidden Gem

Troyes, Grand Est (Aube)

The old town of Troyes is shaped like a champagne cork.

That's not a tourism metaphor. It's the actual geography. Locals call it the bouchon de Champagne — and given that you're sitting in the heart of Champagne country, the universe clearly has a sense of humor.

Troyes sits about 150 kilometers southeast of Paris, in the Aube department. It's a prefecture city — which means real infrastructure: hospital, services, government offices. But the pace inside that champagne-cork old town feels nothing like a regional capital.

It feels like the 16th century decided to stick around.

Landmarks & local flavor:

More than 1,000 half-timbered buildings still stand in the historic center. They're not preserved behind velvet ropes — they're apartments, cafés, and boulangeries. You live among them.

The Cathedral of Saint-Peter and Saint-Paul is one of the great Gothic churches of France. The stained glass collection is extraordinary — one of the finest in the country, and for once, that's not an exaggeration.

The Ruelle des Chats — the Alley of Cats — is a medieval lane where the upper floors of buildings nearly touch overhead. Sculptures of cats perch on the rooftops. It's the kind of place that stops you mid-sentence.

Les Halles de l'Aube, the covered market, runs nearly every day of the week. Fresh cheeses, artisanal bread, local charcuterie. If Saturday morning at a French market is part of your retirement dream, Troyes delivers it several times over.

One more thing: Troyes is home to the McArthurGlen designer outlet — one of the largest in France, about ten minutes from the old town. Just in case retirement requires the occasional retail therapy. (No judgment.)

Get outside:

The Seine runs through Troyes. Yes, that Seine — it originates near here before making its way to Paris. From the city, 32 kilometers of flat nature trails follow the Seine valley, open to cyclists, walkers, and rollerbladers.

The Forêt d'Orient Regional Nature Park is 17 kilometers away by bike, following a flat greenway along the Haute-Seine canal. The full route to Port-Dienville stretches 42 kilometers — or you can stop at Lac d'Orient, swim in a lake, and be back in time for apéro.

Translation: you can pedal to a regional nature park, swim in a lake, and be back in time for a glass of champagne before dinner.

Accessibility + day-to-day vibe:

The train station is a 700-meter walk from the historic center. Daily errands happen on foot — the old town is compact in the best possible way.

Direct trains run to Paris Est about 16 times a day, with the journey taking roughly 1 hour 30 minutes. These are intercités trains — not TGV — but they're frequent, reliable, and direct. From Troyes, you can also reach Dijon and Mulhouse, which opens up a solid spread of regional connections.

Affordability:

Troyes is not yet on the international radar. That matters. Property prices here are some of the most affordable for a city of this character and connectivity in France. The €120,000 (~$138,500 USD) apartment in this week's real estate section makes the case better than I can.

📜 Taxes + Visa + Healthcare

Your Medications in France

One of the most common questions I get sounds something like: "But what about my medications?"

It usually comes with an edge of worry — as if moving to France means choosing between your prescriptions and your dream.

Here's the short answer: almost certainly, you don't have to choose.

Virtually every medication available in the U.S. has an EU equivalent in France. Same active ingredients. Different box, different brand name — but the medicine itself? Essentially the same.

Two practical steps to know:

First, bring enough to get started. Most people aim for three to six months' supply — enough time to establish residency, find a doctor, and get properly set up in the French healthcare system.

Second, find a médecin traitant — your registered GP in France. Once you're settled, you bring your existing prescriptions to an appointment, and they write the French equivalents. It's a conversation, not a crisis.

This is general information, not medical advice. Always talk to your doctor before making any changes to your medications.

📺 France Must-Watch

Explore the Mesmerizing Troyes Gothic Village

YouTube

If Troyes isn't on your radar yet, this video will put it there. It's a well-paced walking tour through the old town — half-timbered houses, the Cathedral, the Ruelle des Chats — with enough visual detail to make you feel like you're already wandering the cobblestones.

Perfect for sending to that skeptical family member who still thinks France is "too complicated."

→ Watch Now

🏡 Real Estate Spotlight

€120,000 (~$138,500 USD) — 2-Bed Apartment, Troyes City Center

Let's talk about €120,000 (~$138,500 USD).

For that, you get a furnished two-bedroom apartment — 53 square meters — on the first floor of a well-maintained building in the heart of Troyes. Interior courtyard. Walking distance to the Cathedral. Minutes from the train station.

Annual co-ownership charges: €682. That's about $57 a month.

The energy rating is a D — worth a conversation with your agent about heating costs. But at this price, in this location, there's not much to argue with.

This is what Troyes looks like before the world catches on: a real French city, full infrastructure, extraordinary medieval character — and property prices that still reflect "not yet famous." That window doesn't stay open forever.

→ View Property Details

That's it for this week. À bientôt, Tommy

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