LIVING LIKE A LOCAL: Stories of Our Life in France
Welcome to our journey. Since you will be traveling with us, we would like to tell you a little about what we did, and why. Our dream was to live in southern France and be immersed in their lifestyle. We didn't appreciate how long we would hold our dream or through what obstacles we would persevere. Mike overcame cancer, and we lost part of our savings in the stock market. Through five years, we held our belief that eventually the pieces would fall into place - with focused planning. Ultimately, we settled in the village of Cotignac in Provence. From our house overlooking the valley, we walked to town for Mike's daily baguette, the weekly market, or coffee at the Café de Cours. We met shop owners like Frank at the hardware store, Marie at the Brasserie Quatre Saison, and Thomas at the Modern Bar. We attended local functions like the Coyote Dancers' performance, the mussels and fries dinners for thebouleassociation, and the Quince Festival. I harvested grapes and olives. We shopped at the Aups truffle market. We did laundry, searched for plastic wrap, paid bills, and experienced the little things of ordinary life. We just did them from our home in France. In the course of ten months, we learned what a different life felt like. We learned about ourselves and our relationship. Reflecting back, we can say without reservation - it was worth every minute of preparation. We our hope you will find enjoyment and maybe some inspiration from our stories of living like a local in Cotignac. These stories are our best souvenirs. How fitting that the French word,souvenir,means "remember."