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Hi Ameerah-here you go :

When I moved from Australia to France, I was honestly a bit nervous—mostly about the weather. I’d heard so much about how cold and grey it could get in Europe, and I wasn’t sure how I’d handle it. But Marseille was such a pleasant surprise. The weather here is sunny, mild, and just right. It’s been such an easy transition from Australia’s climate.

What really won me over, though, is the people. Marseillais are warm, open, and genuinely friendly. That kind of welcome makes such a difference when you’re starting over in a new place. The city’s multicultural vibe adds to that feeling—there’s a beautiful mix of cultures, languages, and food that makes it feel both exciting and comforting.

One of my favorite things is how walkable the city is. The Old Port is only about 20 minutes from my place, and I walk there all the time. Public transport is easy, but honestly, I often don’t need it—everything I love is right nearby. From fresh fruit and veggie markets to cozy cafés and art spots, it’s all within reach.

Marseille has a laid-back, authentic charm. It doesn’t try to impress—it just is. And for me, that’s exactly what makes it feel like home.

Reena Augustine

I lived in Paris for a year in 1995-1996 drove a BMW 730i and lived on rue Pergolese in the 16th arrondissement. I had a huge warehouse at La Pleine Saint Denis by Port de la Chappelle in the north and use to drive on the peripherique to work everyday where I imported products from around asia, then wholesaled and retailed them, often doing the MIC (Maison et Objets) exhibition. My kids went to school on rue de Passy which was full of snobs.

What made me happy in Paris? I suppose being able to visit all the beautiful places in the city and shopping was good too. The people were not the best part, even so-called friends were superficial snobs. The best part though was leaving Paris to go on buying trips in China, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Then we moved down to Biarritz and lived there for 6 years. Great thing about living in Biarritz was that I could surf every other day. And in the winter time I would go skiing in the Pyrenees in France, Andorra or in the Alpes. Then it was a short drive to Spain where we'd be able to buy lots of nice food from Spanish supermarkets that was really cheap. One of the guys that worked at the BMW service centre was from Wales, so I could chat with him quite often. I had quite a lot of french friends here, some were really really nice and some were two-faced back stabbers. One guy who was a soldier and the hubby of one of my ex's friends wrote a false witness letter against me during my divorce. He later got shot in the legs overseas and ended up severely depressed and in a wheelchair and then his wife left him. I supposed karma does exist. Funnily enough, some of my ex's best friends since her childhood refused to write false witness letters against me. That's because they knew me well and knew I was a wonderful person. Same goes for her sister and her radiologist husband who supported me all the way.

Well I would surf waves in Biarritz as I lived almost on the beach beside the casino, also at Anglet too. Then occasionally I'd drive up to Les Landes and surf at Hossegor which is a world class wave. Galeries Lafayette was next door so we had a nice food from the supermarket. Our place was basically between Place Clemenceau and La Grande Plage, so convenient. I ate lots of foie gras, assorted pâté, rillettes, confit de canard, milk from the farm with thick cream on top.

Food in the Pays Basques is wonderful, so much nicer than when I lived in Paris. We'd sometimes drive down to St Jean de Luz or Hendaye or into San Sebastian to have dinner, so amazing.

Best part of living in Biarritz was the food, becoming fairly fluent in the language,  and flying off to Asia on buying trips and skiing in the Pyrenees and Alpes and surfing. In the end I was very happy to leave France.