Latest UpdatesCountries Why Join?IL MagazineFree Daily E-LetterVideoOur ExpertsTestimonialsFAQsTopics Mitchell is a freelance writer and photographer Mykle and Doug Flatley joke that they’re the "unofficial ambassadors" of their new hometown in southwestern France when they’ve stopped by a friend’s chateau for social events Home to about 11,000 people, OSM is nestled in the foothills of the Pyrenees, about 20 miles southwest of the city of Pau OSM’s centre-ville (town center) is dotted with townhouses adorned with slate rooftops a history museum housed in a chalet-like villa with such varied neighborhoods that I love to simply walk around Biarritz in 90 minutes—but I prefer to be here," says Mykle Learn more about France and other countries in our daily postcard e-letter Simply enter your email address below and we’ll send you a FREE REPORT: A Taste of France: All the Ingredients for the Good Life had been living in Phoenix for more than 25 years they became increasingly interested in moving to Europe but Mykle is also an Irish citizen by descent I could live and work in any European Union country," Mykle explains "Ireland seemed like the easiest option but the weather was a bit challenging for us because we usually took a vacation to Paris every year the couple found themselves drawn to OSM’s regional hub of Pau a city of about 80,000 people in France’s Pyrénées-Atlantiques region Pau was once one of Europe’s most prominent resort towns, and has many restaurants, an airport, and high-speed train service to Paris, Bordeaux, and Toulouse Our neighborhood is a picturesque slice of French life Mykle and Doug found Pau’s climate and affordability to be appealing, so they joined The Ex-Pats, Pau Pyrenees Facebook group to learn more they mingled with Pau residents who were smitten with the area including the nearby town of Oloron-Sainte-Marie and happy to answer the couple’s questions he stumbled upon the Oloron-Sainte-Marie apartment they eventually bought The couple’s original plan was to rent for the first year "We wanted to be sure that France was all we wanted it to be and be sure that this was the right area in France for us," Mykle explains "But when we saw our current home—which Doug had found online—it was a coup de coeur (love at first sight) so we decided we’d just buy it instead of renting." they paid €116,000 for the 1,000-square-foot apartment plus €9,600 for closing costs these fees are collected by the notary and are approximately 9% of the purchase price.) almost everything they need on a daily basis is found on their street "Our neighborhood is a picturesque slice of French life," he says a bank… and a farmers market by the cathedral on Sundays "One of my favorite things is to walk with a book stopping at the various benches placed about town where I’ll read a chapter before continuing my walk to the next bench We have two mountain rivers that meet at our library and become the Gave d’Oloron overlooking the confluence of the two rivers." "We love the small-town feel and friendliness of people but it’s big enough to have the conveniences of services you’ve come to expect without having to leave town," adds Doug Mykle and Doug have a busy social calendar and regularly meet with other expats "It’s rare for us to have a week go by without getting together for a meal with friends," Mykle says adding that their friends come from all over the region "Many are retired but some are working Recently, Mykle has started teaching English to adults. He also shares insight about life abroad on his Facebook page, in a series he’s dubbed Foreigner in France His posts have touched upon everything from navigating purchases at the crèmerie (creamery) to watching Tour de France cyclists roll through their town (Turn to the Globetrotter section for details on the next Tour.) Mykle and Doug welcome a steady stream of friends and family visiting from the United States One of their recent visitors described Oloron-Sainte-Marie as "magical," Mykle says "She also started calling it ‘The OSM,’ which has caught on with us too Now many of our friends call it ‘The OSM.’" the couple has found the area to be affordable when compared to Phoenix "Housing is obviously much less expensive You can rent a two-bedroom apartment in OSM for €650 a month," Mykle explains Prices may seem similar when you look at a menu but service is included so you don’t pay another 20% on top of the bill—"although we usually leave a few euros pourboire (tip)," says Mykle but imported products from the US are much higher Mykle’s found their new home more accepting than the United States I was always hesitant to refer to my husband when meeting someone," he explains "I was also hesitant about people being welcoming to foreigners They are really interested in getting to know us it’s tough at times for the pair to be far from family and friends Those are things that the best baguette or croissant can’t top," says Doug "We talk often via text or video chat but it’s not quite the same as sitting down at my sister’s table and having a cup of tea together authentic Mexican restaurants and ingredients can be hard to find in France it was a dream of mine to live abroad… and we’ve only got one life." I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather live," says Doug Mykle and Doug both emphasize the importance of learning French—not only to show respect to their new home country but also so they can converse with their neighbors Both say that learning the language has been significantly harder than they expected "You really need to have a better command of the language than being able to order in a restaurant or buy a ticket to a museum," says Doug "Life is so much easier when you can communicate An English speaker would understand when someone says ‘her likes it,’ instead of ‘she likes it,’ so you should know the French will understand you if you make a few mistakes Don’t worry about being perfect," he adds but you can display English subtitles if needed "It’s a lovely feeling when you can finally understand the French instructors without the subtitles," says Mykle Mykle recommends watching French television programs with French subtitles just Midsomer Murders and Masterpiece Mysteries I’ve found the French equivalent of that…it’s called Meurtres À (Murders At) and each episode is in a different town or region It’s a great way to learn about France as well as practice listening and reading subtitles in French There was an episode filmed in our area called "Meurtres à Béarn" in which OSM is prominently featured That was really neat to see the streets and buildings I know," he says The couple also suggests reading books in French aloud and listening to music in French while reading the lyrics Mykle says that newcomers to France might even be eligible for free basic lessons and to inquire at their local mairie (town hall) Mykle says that you should "speak to people in French The Pyrénées-Atlantiques is best known for the stretch of the Basque coast running from Anglet down to Hendaye on the Spanish border The maps will tell you that this stretch is made up of the towns of Anglet but when you get there you realise it is all one large coastal conurbation built along some of the most spectacular surf with the growth of more wealthy retirees in France has become a very popular and expensive place to live The latest figures from state statistics agency Insee put the population of the department at 693,027 people a 0.6% increase on the last figure from 2015 Housing pressure is a real issue: locals working in the coastal area complain of having to drive 45 minutes or more to get to work as they move inland for cheaper accommodation the mountains loom with their spas and winter ski resorts but the foothills offer spectacular green countryside Pau (pronounced to rhyme with l’eau and not ‘pow’) is 124km from Biarritz.  which spoke a version of French and not Basque Pau is linked to the coast by the A64 autoroute and with the Bordeaux region by the new A65 The coastal cities are linked to Bordeaux via the A63 which runs through the pine forests of the Landes the department has a wide selection of driving experiences narrow communal roads leading into the mountains which includes the longest straight line of track in France runs down the same transport corridor as the A63 Both mainline and TER regional trains use it From Pau it is also possible to take a TER to Oloron-Sainte-Marie a town where most French berets used to be made escape the ban on internal flights to Paris which applies if it is possible to get there in 2h30 by TGV There are also international services from low-cost carriers The following properties were available at the time of writing: Looking for properties under €50,000 in Pyrénées-Atlantiques is a pretty thankless task This sad-looking house in the pretty commune of Moumour with an asking price of €50,000 (plus €4,000 in fees) looks as though it could come to life with love and attention The 93m² property has some interesting brick detailing in the lounge/kitchen and four bedrooms There is a terrace with a view of a neighbouring workshop but on the other side is a 1,320m2 garden (jungle) which has what looks like a 20m-long swimming pool presently a bright green colour but which could be made to sparkle Roof and floors seem to be in good condition Situated in the foothills at an altitude of 350m this 122m² house in a small commune with the big name of Lacarry-Arhan-Charritte-de-Haut is on the market for €167,000 The village is roughly halfway between Oloron-Sainte-Marie and the pilgrim settlement of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port as the crow flies It comes with up to 80,000m² of farmland and a sheep shed with a note that the amount of land could be reduced if you do not wish to buy it all Views of green hills stretch into the distance two-storey house looks as though most of the original features from 1900 such as a wooden bench built into the wall near the fireplace The property comes with an F rating for energy performance which suggests that any renovation project will probably start with changing the boiler built in 1980 on a hill in the Biarritz suburb of Labordotte-La-Colline was designed for sea views from every window – including from a 959m² balcony The asking price of €3,490,000 includes four bedrooms but along one side of the house is a narrow pool equipped with counter -current training equipment the beach of Milady is around a kilometre away and the house is also close to the Ilbarritz international golf course The prefectural ban is set to remain in place until at least December 31 There are new boxes in the address and personal details page of the 2025 online declaration (for 2024 income) The geographical spread of Canadian nationals follows a similar pattern to Americans Check out this beautiful restoration project by Pascale Guédot and Michel Corajoud which transforms an industrial factory into a Multimedia Center the site is part of a larger urban renewal project intended to reconnect the abandoned site to the center of the city and infuse a new spirit into the building while reclaiming the site’s natural setting More images and more about the project after the break The new media center is built atop the factory’s original stone foundation, gracefully hovering over the original volume. This new volume contains reading rooms and administration offices while clad in a light transparent wooden lattice. The form’s dominant end glazing offers spectacular views of the river and the promenade while the light lattice work allows light to penetrate the interiors. Photo by Gaston BergeretIn addition to the carefully articulate volume, a new public promenade has been designed to follow the line of the river allowing pedestrians to Michel Corajoud’s green terraced landscape. Photo by Gaston Bergeret Photo by Balloidephoto.com Photo by Balloidephoto.comThe design is the perfect fusion between existing and contemporary The volume exploits the site’s natural setting allowing the users to Area : Multimedia : 2 700 m² total floor area As seen on The Contemporist You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Hundreds of homes have experienced power outages Several people were evacuated in areas of Toulouse Red alerts were issued for flooding and heavy rain in the southwest departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques Haute-Garonne and Ariège on 09 January 2022 In a 36 hours period to 14:00 on 10 January Aulus-les-Bains (Ariège) 138 mm and Arbeost (Hautes-Pyrénées) 129.1 mm Ariège jumped to levels not seen for 30 years the highest since October 1992 (3.02 metres) and the second highest on record after the June 1875 floods (6 metres) the Gave d’Oloron river reached its second highest ever level below the record high of 5.27 metres seen in June 2018 Communities along the Garonne river in the Haute-Garonne Department saw some of the worst flooding the Garonne river stood at 4.31 metres as of 11 January the highest level seen since the floods of June 2000 (4.38 metres) Over 700 university students were evacuated from a student residence in the Îles du Ramier neighbourhood in response to the rising river Many of the students were accommodated in a local gymnasium for the evening flood waters reached the stadium of Toulouse Football Club Local media reported an elderly woman went missing and was later found dead in a flooded area in Merville near Toulouse Heavy rain also affected areas of Landes Department where authorities reported around 15 roads were closed due to flooding River levels are slowly falling but orange flood alerts remain in place for the departments of Gironde Authorities also warn of an increased avalanche risk in mountainous areas 720 #étudiants sont évacués ce soir de la résidence universitaire Daniel Faucher Ils sont pris en charge par la ville de #Toulouse. 120 d’entre eux dormiront cette nuit dans un gymnase de la ville. Nous sommes à leurs côtés. #Garonne #Toulouse pic.twitter.com/lwK6wsjVCm — Jonnhy Dunal (@dunaljonnhy) January 10, 2022 La #Garonne s'est bel et bien invitée au Stadium… L'inondation est contenue au virage et n'a pas atteint la pelouse Saluons le travail des équipes techniques qui sont sur site et bien sûr, toutes nos pensées vont vers celles et ceux touchés par cette crue 😕#TFCASNL pic.twitter.com/bX68WeIzeT — Toulouse FC (@ToulouseFC) January 11, 2022 — Mairie de Toulouse (@Toulouse) January 11, 2022 La #Garonne en crue à #Toulouse pic.twitter.com/rhIqAgIInb — Mairie de Toulouse (@Toulouse) January 10, 2022 Retour à Saint Girons #inondation 📷ian ours ariegeois l’ensemble du Couserans et du Comminges sont les zones les plus touchées pic.twitter.com/iAUsKJToLx — Météo Pyrénées (@Meteo_Pyrenees) January 10, 2022 #inondations #Pyrenees #AlerteRougeA Navarrenx, le gave d'Oloron est en crue pic.twitter.com/cszyB37jbh — Bénédicte Mallet (@BenedicteMallet) January 10, 2022 Richard Davies is the founder of floodlist.com and reports on flooding news Cookies | Privacy | Contacts © Copyright 2025 FloodList This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page It was the strangest sight to ever grace the sky over Oloron high school superintendent Jean-Yves Prigent there appeared a "cottony cloud of strange shape was slowly moving in a straight line toward the southwest A sort of plume of white smoke was escaping from its upper end." A nearly identical series of events occurred in Gaillac, France, ten days later. Such "angel hair" is reported from time to time. Laboratory analysis of authentic material (airborne cobwebs are sometimes mistaken for angel hair) is impossible because the material always vanishes. In the summer of 1957, when Craig Phillips (director of the National Aquarium from 1976 to 1981) witnessed a fall off the Florida coast, he collected samples and placed them in sealed jars. But by the time he got to his laboratory, they were gone. Take a look at these ­articles to learn more about the older and more oddball UFO phenomena: Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: `;return t.byline_authors_html&&(e+=`By: ${t.byline_authors_html}`),t.byline_authors_html&&t.byline_date_html&&(e+=" | "),t.byline_date_html&&(e+=t.byline_date_html),e+=`\n\t\t\t\t Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Menu.page-68607992{--metaColor:#876821;--navColor:#876821}(Trends) it's a unifying piece harnessed by political revolutionaries and armed forces You'll be hard-pressed to think of any other hat that's as profoundly enmeshed in the complexities of history and life learn about a few key points on this hat's fascinating timeline while hearing about its longstanding importance from the last remaining beret maker in France and if by the end you're itching for your very own beret We only include products that have been independently selected by TZR's editorial team we may receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article Thebe MaguguSisterhood Beret$243Yves SalomonLeopard Print Beret$240 GucciWool Beret$450see on matchesfashionZaraWool Beret$26see on zara