Will it remain a dream?

Will it remain a dream?

Or will our dream become a reality?

The thought of our dream becoming a reality had crossed our minds for quite some time.

Like so many, we often spent our camping holidays in France. At first with a tent and then when we had our children, we went with a caravan. We explored many regions of France as a family, but the beautiful weather and the surrounding area of the Languedoc, proved to be our favourite region.

We could often be found near Anduze, a beautiful town on the edge of the Cevennes. The ruggedness of nature and the ease and the geographical location appealed to us enormously. An hour and a half drive from the south coast with it’s beautiful beaches, but also beautiful cities such as Nimes and Avignon are easily accessible.

Fortunately, I speak reasonable French and at home in the far north of the Netherlands, we started making business decisions.

Financially it had to be possible. We even secretly started looking in the shop windows of our local estate agents. But that was a step too far. We spoke with a lot with French people living in the region, asked about possibilities, toured a lot, looking for ‘à vendre’ signs. We basically rang doorbells and knocked on doors. Finally, we saw a house on Le Bon Coin which really appealed to us.

We are good at DIY andwe can spot an opportunity, as long as the foundation of a house is good. We rang the owner and we were able to view the property. A family member had a key, and basically the house sold itself as we became overjoyed and excited about the prospect of owning this ‘maison’. And so, we became the owners of a house with a lovely garden in a town near Alès in the Gard. It ticked all of our boxes. We knew the region well and all amenities were within a good travel distance, including supermarkets, several bakeries, Do It Yourself stores, nice markets and the local wine cave, very important.

LifestyleSIMPLY LIVING FRANCE

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So, in the summer of 2018, we bought our dream home. We decided to use a solicitor for all the paperwork as the purchase of a house works very differently than in the Netherlands, and we were able to exchange contracts in December 2018.

Our ‘maison secondaire’ is located 1350 km from our house in the Netherlands.A lot had to be renovated and with our caravan in a nearby garage, it was put in the garden and became our overnight stay. We managed to get a lot done in four days.

The exchange went well, we had water and electricity, a French bank account, so all the formalities were successful. And perhaps more importantly, we built a friendship with the former owner and dear neighbours that we became acquainted with. Having good neighbours is very important because we live so far away. A lot of the renovation work has been done, so it is now a matter of maintaining, decorating and enjoying all the beautiful things that come our way.

I am really passionate about cooking. In our French garden we now also do have a kamado. A kamado is a barbeque with a ceramic inner pot. You don’t see many of these yet in France but for me, it is the ultimate way to prepare delicious dishes. You can grill on it, but it is also ideal for simmering and slow dishes. Enjoying it in the open air, with a glass of wine, what more would you want? The stack of French

cooking magazines is steadily growing. I basically cook and bake with original French ingredients and produce. My other passion is ‘brocante’, so I am often found visiting flea markets, thrift stores and vintage shops. Sometimes I am lucky and I can strike a good deal with a vendor. I also enjoy the story behind my purchase.

La France...it is a way of life. Our dream has really become a reality!

Our hope is to be able to visit our little slice of France as often as we can!

I also look for French cookbooks on the vide-greniers and I often make a purchase.

And who knows, maybe in the now superbly restored classic 2CV AK 400 car?

Bisous Julia