Having spent a year in the South of France, there’s certain things I’ve noticed…
There’s a lot of mosquitoes. And bugs and worms longer than a meter, and snakes, and frogs that insist on coming into the house. But there’s also beautiful families of deer that graze in the field across from the house, and even wild boar that sprint across the countryside.
Hardly anyone speaks English. I guess this is a France thing in general, so I was forced to pull out the dusty high school French, and learned to gesture almost as much as everyone here to get my point across (there’s google translate, for emergencies). However, everyone is patient with my painfully slow speaking, and most people here are friendly, anyway.
Almost every town is cute and will make you want to buy a house there. No joke, each town is cuter than the next, with views that make you want to give up everything and spend the rest of your life right there.
You need to carry a stick at all times. There are feral dogs in almost every town. I’m warning you.
You’ll get burnt/ leave several shades darker. It really is sunny and warm most of the year. There are some cold days and nights though, and when it rains, it pours, but mostly, it’s Summer time.
You’ll get to know people fast. Everyone knows me now, probably as the strange foreign person, but still. And even the cats are our friends (Spud and Celery, I’m talking to you).
You’ll need a car to explore. There’s not much connectivity here, but the surrounding towns and villages and countryside are full of beauty and just need to be explored. From the Mountain views in winter to the fields of sunflowers in summer, and the cute villages of cottages and crumbling churches.
You won’t want to leave. Hotel California has nothing on this place.
Thanks to Maya and Mum for the beautiful photos
