An English woman resident in the UK, plans to marry a French man living in France. The religious aspect of their ceremony is to take place in the UK whilst the civil part, is to be held in the French town where the man currently lives and where they plan to live, as a couple, after their marriage. This would mean that their marriage was subject to French law. Marriage under English law does not require a separate civil ceremony but under French law, as in this case, it does.

How then, does French law treat this marriage? This question has to be considered together with the options open to both spouses with regard the regulation of their matrimonial property. This is because in France, unlike in the UK, there are several options open to a married couple and to protect the interests of both parties, these options need to be looked at carefully. Whichever option the couple choose, it will be known as their “régime matrimonial”. It will be their regime, because it relates specifically to them. Specific details of any regime will vary from couple to couple and it is these details which will need to be agreed and signed off with a special deed known as a “contrat de marriage” or marriage contract. This must be signed before the marriage and in front of a French notaire. If a marriage contract is not signed in this way, it is deemed that a marriage contract does not exist and the default position of “communauté de biens réduites aux acquêts” will automatically be assumed. Communauté de biens réduites aux acquêts

Under this regime, all the assets owned by each partner before the marriage will remain his or her own property and any assets bought after the marriage will be treated as joint assets. Any income received by one spouse, after the marriage, is treated as joint income and any debts incurred are treated as joint debts. If a property is purchased after the marriage, it is also treated as a joint asset unless the spouse purchasing it can prove that he or she bought it using funds belonging to them personally, prior to the marriage, or unless the purchase is funded by the sale of a personal asset. Any immoveable property given to one of the spouses, or received through inheritance, after the marriage, remains the personal property of that spouse. To deal with any joint assets, property in particular, both spouses must be in agreement.

Minorca or Menorca is the second largest of the Balearics islands and yet even today remains the least developed, this in the sense that you will not find the place booming out lound music day and night, even today there is only one true discotheque on the island yes they still refer to it as a discotheque not night club, you will find more bars and restaurants serving authentic Spanish meals as opposed to burger and chips, although as they cater to the English tourist then English meals are readily available. The main diet of Menorcan’s themselves unsurprisingly is fish, one dish they are famous for is their lobster casserole (recommended). Minorca is also famed for it’s special blend of gin’s the best known of these is Xoriguer , and has been distilled on the island since the 18th century, the gin is made from grape and not grain as traditional London gins are.
Pay a visit to the distillery near the port of Mahon and get to try all the locally-produced liquors , of which at the last count there was about 12 .

Who ever the custodians of Minorca were when General Franco died in 1974 , i believe a decision was made by them to keep Minorca as close to it’s roots as possible, and who ever has been in charge since has carried this on. You will not find the 18 to 30 hordes partying all day and night here. That’s left for it’s cousins Majorca and Ibiza, what you will find is the more mature tourist and young families who enjoy the many beautiful and safe beaches. Please do not get me wrong there is night life here, in many of the bars and hotels you will find the normal mixture of music, karaoke and live entertainment including flaminco dancing, most of this entertainment finishes at 11pm but if you fancy dancing till the early hours then the place to go is Cova d’en Xoroi ,The Cova d’en Xoroi is a large complex of caves which has been converted to a discotheque, you will find this halfway down the cliffs, about 3/4 of the way along the south coast, (going from west to east) the Cova d’en Xoroi is open seven day’s a week in full season (check times out of season) from 10am till the early hours, this is well worth the visit for the spectacular views and especially the sunsets

The island is 50km long (north-west to south-east) and 20 km wide. The capital Mahon (which is also the name of the airport) boast the second largest natural harbour in the world (Pearl Harbour being the largest).When i first started visiting Minorca in the late 70′s the airport was no more than a shack, today to cope with over 1million visitor’s, Mahon airport is one of the most modern in the Balearics.

Cornwall is the furthest south and the furthest west of the English counties and is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic Ocean and to the east by Devon. The topography of Cornwall varies from the dramatic, rugged cliffs of the north, sculpted by the constant pounding of the sea, to the sheltered coves and bays of the south, together with moorland and lowland stretches. Property in Cornwall is nearly as diversified as the landscape itself, with town houses, country houses, including farmhouses and barn conversions, and smaller properties available for sale throughout the county.

Starting on the north Cornish coast, Bude has been welcoming visitors since Victorian times. The clean, sandy beaches in the area offer safe bathing and some of the best surfing in the country. Befitting a family-focused seaside resort, property in the Bude area is mainly in the form of detached houses, which make up nearly 50% of the housing stock. The price of the average detached house works out at just over £200,000, but semi-detached and terraced houses are available for around £140,000 on average. For single people and couples, flats and maisonettes are in short supply compared with some of the other types of property in the area, but where they are available prices work out at a little over £100,000 on average.

Moving south along the Atlantic north coast, the village of Boscastle grew up as a busy port around a tiny natural harbour. The village attracted nationwide attention in 2004 when a flash flood, exacerbated by its position in the Valency valley, caused widespread devastation. The small community in Boscastle has since recovered, with flood defence work and regeneration projects being completed in the autumn of 2008, at a cost of £10 million. Property in Boscastle does not come onto the market all that often compared with some other areas of Cornwall. When it does, however, two, three and four bedroom houses can be bought for an average of £225,000, £250,000 and £375,000 respectively.