Le rêve français

For as long as I can remember, having a house in France has been my dream. I love the weather, the slower pace of life, the language, the views, the food, the vineyards and the culture. I remember reading my first french book when I was about 7 or 8 years old, and I can still see the picture of the house in it, with the french words labelled next to it: des oiseaux next to the birds sitting on the roof, la fenêtre next to the window etc. The feeling I had when I read that book was of pure wonder that a whole other language existed. Perhaps it was that feeling of wonder that accompanied me into my adult life, or perhaps it was simply the wish to be in a warmer climate and near the sea, but something drew me to France more than anywhere else.

So in 2017 I decided to find a house in France, learn to speak french, follow my dream and start a new adventure. I wasn't sure at this point if I would turn the house into a business/air bnb or a home, or perhaps a bit of both but I did know I needed a wish list that would cover all possibilities.

First step: decide on the wish list:

• South coast for maximum sunshine (1 hour max from the beach)

• 1 hour max from Nice airport

• Rural views (ideally with vineyards)

• Near a small rustic village with restaurants

• Peaceful & natural

• 4 bedrooms

• Pool and garden

• Low maintenance

Simply drawing a circle on a map that extended an hour's drive from Nice airport gave me a focus for my search, and thanks to the wonders of Rightmove it’s easier than ever to find properties abroad online. After contacting un agent immobilier and viewing a number of properties in Nice, Valbonne, Moulin and Grasse in the Department of Alpes-Maritimes, it became clear that this area didn’t quite offer the rural, vineyard views and local rustic charm that felt aligned with the peaceful way of life I envisaged. I love those towns and enjoy spending time in them, but I wanted somewhere quieter and more rural within a small village.

So on a following visit I focused the search solely on Var (the department next to Alpes-Maritimes still within the circle drawn on my map), which has a completely different feel as soon as the car leaves the busyness of the popular towns above and winds through the hills and pine trees famous in this part of the country. It feels to me like breathing in the fresh air of Provence and leaving behind the noise. Var covers a large expanse of rolling hills, however knowing it was the east of Var (which is the part within an hours drive of Nice airport) that appealed the most made the search easier. Driving around the different towns became the best way to get a feel for which resonated most.

A different agent immobilier dedicated to the Department of Var, suggested viewing a house that wasn't on the itinerary for that day. It was a bit of a wild card but as it turned out, that house in Le Plan-de-la-tour became the chosen one. With wonderful views, peaceful surroundings and a local rustic town (where it’s still necessary to speak French to order dinner), everything on the wish list was ticked. Everything apart from one: low maintenance. The house was in need of a lot of love to say the least. It was functioning still as an Air bnb so it was liveable, but if you looked closer then it became obvious it wasn’t going to stay that way for long. There were multiple holes in the roof (which I found out only after purchasing it), mould, strong smells, faulty electrics, and generally a lot of tired looking rooms. The garden was wild and the pool broken. So the journey began…