Hendrik(75)

I was a gardener for fifty years — first as an apprentice, later as owner of a landscaping business in Apeldoorn. After my wife Truus passed away and I sold my business, I was done with Gelderland. The Loire Valley had always fascinated me: the gardens of Villandry, Chenonceau, Chaumont — these were the places I'd pilgrimaged to as a young gardener for inspiration. At 73 I bought a maison bourgeoise in Amboise.

The house — 150m² with a 2,000m² garden — cost €210,000. The notaire in Amboise guided the purchase. As a retiree a mortgage was difficult: French banks don't like lending to 73-year-olds. I bought cash with the proceeds from my Apeldoorn house. The taxe foncière is €1,400 per year, the assurance habitation (building insurance) €650. Utilities — EDF for electricity, Veolia for water — are comparable to the Netherlands.

My garden has become my life's work. I've transformed the overgrown garden into a jardin à la française: geometric beds with boxwood, a rosarium with 40 varieties, a potager (vegetable garden) with heirloom vegetable varieties and a verger (orchard) with pear trees. The soil along the Loire is chalky and fertile — ideal for roses. I buy my plants at the pépinière (nursery) in Amboise and at the Journées des Plantes in Chaumont.

Healthcare was essential at my age. Through the S1 form from the CAK I registered with CPAM in Tours. The carte vitale arrived after six weeks. My médecin traitant is in Amboise — a young GP who also does house calls. The pharmacie delivers my medication at home when I'm not mobile. My mutuelle costs €85 per month — more expensive due to my age — but covers everything including dentist and eye doctor.

Socially I've joined the Société d'Horticulture de Touraine — a gardening association with monthly lectures, garden visits and plant fairs. I also volunteer advisory work for the municipality of Amboise on the maintenance of city plantings. Through the Association des Résidents Néerlandais en France I meet other retired Dutch people. We organize monthly get-togethers — I always bring home-grown vegetables.

My advice to retirees: the Loire Valley is ideal for those who love culture, nature and tranquility. The climate is milder than the Netherlands, costs are lower and life is slower. But arrange everything before you're 75 — the bureaucracy takes energy. The préfecture, CPAM, impôts, banque — everything requires personal presence and patience. My life in Amboise is my finest season. Every morning I walk through my garden, prune my roses and look out over the Loire. Truus would have loved it here.