*2024 update : we’ve now been here for 10 years!
This past autumn, we passed our anniversary of living seven years in Provence. Seven years ago, on a morning with a pastel pink sky, we boarded the ferry from Dover to Calais. It had to be by ferry. It felt more symbolic.
We drove to Burgundy where we stayed in a little Bnb that we found in a tiny village. The architecture was already so different. Dinner was fresh goat cheese that we bought directly from the farm next door and baguette.
The next morning we drove south, south south until we saw the sign on the motorway “Route de Soleil” (the sunshine route). We exited the motorway and followed the map to our destination, which had no address. Of course, we couldn’t find it. We were looking for a château in the middle of seemingly nowhere that would be our new home. The owners were the only people to have answered to our ad on Gumtree looking for work in Southern France. It was a job as guardians. Or, glorified house housesitters. We drove to the nearest winery, bought some rosé to calm our nerves and asked directions. “Ah” they said. “That place?”. The vineyard owner didn’t bother to hide his concerned face.
We found the appriopriate large rusty gates and were greeted by our new employers that looked like something out of a Charles Dickens novel. We had been sent photos of the property that were 30 years old. And, well, the place certainly didn’t look the same…
Our move was a leap of faith. A trust in the world that everything would be alright. With little money, little French, and no contacts we started to build a life here. To be honest, for the first couple years we didn’t know what we wanted. Dreams of running a BnB? Not anymore.
For some odd reason we like to do things the hard way; moving to Provence wasn’t easy. It wasn’t all sweet-smelling lavender. But now we have a home that we’re renovating, friends, our businesses and a sense of belonging. We live in a stunning part of the world. This is not the story of the last seven years. I might have to save that for a book. But, I thought I would use this opportunity to answer a few questions that I’m often asked via email or Instagram.
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