‘It really fits us': They traded South Florida for the South of France

CNN

4 days ago

Geoff and Pennie Zuercher spent decades living in Florida, but the popular retirement spot wasn't what the American couple envisioned for themselves when they wrapped up their careers.
Nearly 20 years ago, the Zuerchers decided they would retire abroad, and the location they recently settled on — the sun-splashed city of Nice in the South of France — suits them better than the Sunshine State.
'Nice is what Florida wishes it was,' said Pennie, 63, listing some of the Mediterranean city's most attractive attributes: 'beautiful weather, low humidity … what they call hot here is not hot compared to Florida. And just a different cultural climate, more laid-back.'
Florida's 'fast-paced culture' was more stressful, said Pennie, who worked as a finance executive in the public and private sectors. The Zuerchers lived in Florida for decades, most recently in Wilton Manors, just north of downtown Fort Lauderdale.
In Nice, on France's famed Côte d'Azur, no one is rushing you out the door when you eat in a restaurant, and settling in at a sidewalk café to nurse a beverage and people-watch is one of French life's great pleasures.
'France allows you to live life at a slow pace which is healthier and more enjoyable,' said Pennie, who ended up retiring a little earlier than she had anticipated for medical reasons and said her health has 'improved tremendously' while living in Nice.
The way French people interact with strangers is a good fit for the couple, too. A reserve that some perceive as cold or rude is neither, they say.
'They have more formal social norms…,' said Geoff, 61, who retired from the insurance industry after first working as a police officer. 'While you're on the street, you know everybody's sort of minding their own business. And when you go somewhere and you meet somebody, you always have a 'bonjour.' You try to use some French. As long as they see that you're trying … they become very welcoming.'
The fact that no one is trying to chat with her in line at the supermarket as many Americans would is a relief to Pennie, who calls herself a 'moderate introvert with some extrovert.'
'The French, they don't just start talking to people unless they absolutely have a reason to talk to people, but then once you get to know them, and very much like us, once you get to know us, we'll talk your ear off, we'll be loyal friends,' she said.
The courtesy that's extended to everyone is another aspect of the culture they admire.
'It doesn't matter whether it's the guy sweeping the street out in front of the place or the bank president, everybody is assumed to have value and should be treated with … a certain amount of respect, and I really appreciate that,' said Geoff.
The Zuerchers love their new home, but it wasn't even on their radar until recently.
After they first started thinking about retiring abroad, Pennie and Geoff explored Mexico, the Caribbean and other spots closer to the United States to make visiting with their three grown sons and Geoff's parents easier.
But nothing clicked for them quite like France.
For Pennie, their first trip to the country in 2016 — to attend a bucket-list Jimmy Buffett concert in Paris — sparked an almost instant desire to live in France.
The Zuerchers stuck to Paris for the first couple of trips, then started venturing to different regions. Being able to travel easily was the key driver for moving abroad, Pennie said, but US politics have also figured into their desire to move in recent years, noting that they 'lean liberal.'
They took a series of trips in February — thinking that if a place appealed to them in cold, gray winter, they'd surely like it at its best. They eventually narrowed their search to a 90-kilometer circle around Paris. But during one of their trips, a relocation expert suggested they consider Nice.
'Our first reaction was — 'If I can't afford Paris, I can't afford Nice.' And that is not the case. Nice is half the price of living in Paris for buying property,' Pennie said.
'You know, we live on a much lower income than we did when we worked full-time, and we live very comfortably. We travel, we put money away every month. It's amazing how easy and affordable life is here in Nice,' she said.
Geoff also assumed Nice would be too expensive for them — and too hot, but 'found out that neither one of those was true. And we just fell in love with it,' he said.
That first visit was during Carnival in February of 2023, and by the end of November that same year, the Zuerchers were on a plane bound for their new home with just six suitcases, a hatbox and a dog. They had already made an offer on their one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in Nice, which they found with help from the Adrian Leeds Group and furnished with items purchased once they arrived in France.
The Zuerchers came to France on a long-stay visa, and they now have residence permits or titres de séjour, which they must reapply for annually for five years. After that, they said they'll be eligible to apply for a 10-year permit. There are minimum income requirements that they have shown they meet in order to live in France as retirees.
They're drawing on their US pensions, social security and other retirement savings.
'We're taking our American retirement and spending it in France … They benefit from that and we benefit from the French culture, and the benefits and things like that that go with it, and it seems to work out, you know, where it's a win-win,' Geoff said.
The Zuerchers' housing expenses are low. They used the proceeds from the sale of their townhouse in Wilton Manors to pay cash for their apartment in Nice. They pay about $200 quarterly in HOA fees, about $500 a year for homeowners insurance and about $1,200 in property taxes.
Several times a week Pennie and Geoff eat out, usually at lunchtime. On shopping days, they walk a few blocks with their hand cart to the supermarket, then go a couple more blocks to a local fruit and vegetable market, then stop at the boulangerie for a baguette on the way home. They're impressed by the very high quality of food in France.
The Zuerchers walk much more than they did back in the States, and their apartment is about 200 yards from a tram stop.
'Nice has an absolutely fantastic, first-rate, public transportation system … that all people are willing to use,' Geoff said. 'That's one of the things in the United States, I think, is that there's an unwillingness to use public transportation because it's not always the best.'
They don't need a car day-to-day, although they'll occasionally rent one for a road trip. And they can use the extensive train network to take day trips — to Ventimiglia in Italy, for example, with a stop-off in Monaco on the way back.
Their place is three tram stops away from the center of Nice, in a residential area removed from the hub of tourist activity. Their building was constructed in the 1990s. Some transplants want to live in Nice's Old Town in historic bourgeois buildings — a more expensive location for apartments that can be pricey to maintain. 'When you buy into a 200-300-year-old building, you also buy 200- and 300-year-old problems,' Geoff said.
Their space is definitely smaller than what they were used to, but the apartment has a sunroom and a large terrace.
There are downsides, of course. Pennie and Geoff both named the language barrier as perhaps the biggest challenge.
'The older you get, it's harder to learn a language,' Pennie said, although their French has vastly improved since they first arrived. Geoff said they've given themselves five years to get to where they can converse easily about straightforward topics, noting that they need to be ready to volunteer during the 2030 Winter Olympics.
And the frustrations of France's bureaucracy can 'make us throw things against the wall,' Pennie said. But overall, the pluses far outweigh the minuses.
Every country has its issues, Geoff said, 'so we're not walking around with rose-colored glasses like France is perfect, but it really fits us.'
Pennie said that some fundamentals — choice, equality, health care — feel more expansive in France than they do in the US.
'Right now, I feel like I have more rights as an immigrant in France than I would in my own country, if I went back. And so that value of the country and its government of taking care of its people is very important to us as well,' she said.
The Zuerchers have obtained national health insurance — l'Assurance Maladie. The carte Vitale ID card that's issued with it covers roughly 70% of medical costs, Pennie said, and even before reimbursement, health care is far less expensive than in the US.
Family and friends are what the Zuerchers miss most. Their family members are spread out across the US, so travel was always part of getting together. It'll just be a longer trip now.
In Nice, they've made a handful of French friends and there's a sizable expat community, which the Zuerchers initially viewed with mixed feelings. They had been advised to choose a place where there would be a group of other foreigners navigating similar situations.
'And at first our reaction was, 'Well, we're not wanting to be just a bunch of Americans in another country,'' Pennie said, but she came to see the benefits of being part of an expat community.
'We're all going through the same experiences. When it's time for the next process, 'OK, we're going to get our carte Vitale,' which is our health insurance, there's someone who's already been through the process who can help us and advise us,' she said.
Their social calendar is much busier than it was in the US, Pennie said, with something happening at least three evenings a week, including a Friday night expat apéro gathering.
The Zuerchers don't envision returning to live in the United States. And they have some advice for Americans who are considering a move to France.
'Come with an open mind,' Geoff advised. 'You cannot have a closed mind and live in France.' He also suggested dialing down your volume, as the French way of life is just quieter than it is in the States.
'Begin working on some French,' Pennie advised. 'Definitely learn the cultural courtesies, so that when you get here you have a good experience.'
And line up someone locally who can help you find a place, get your utilities set up and assist with other practicalities that can be difficult to navigate at first.
And jump in, try to speak the language and meet people, she said.
'Don't be afraid to get out and live the life.'