There are people living in the French chateaux we all dreamed about.
Photo by Bruna Noronha from Pexels
Ah, France; the home of thousands of chateaux scattered throughout the countryside. You may have seen them? Inspiration behind the castles of every fairytale we read growing up?
It’s been a fantasy of mine to someday live in France and for a millisecond I thought it might be nice to live in a chateau but even the small ones are big. And if you’re going to live in the French countryside you need to have a very good grasp of the language and be pretty comfortable being very far from the social scene that comes with city life. And you should probably have a lot of money.
Though I’ve made no secret of my obsession love of France, I’m not ready for that step just yet.
Recently I learned that Brits are the largest group of external buyers of property in France today. But I’m pretty sure that’s only because Americans don’t have easy access like the Brits do. Not to objectify France, but if Americans had easy access like the Brits we would be all over that. Are you kidding; pristine beaches, glorious countrysides and Paris, the City of Lights and grown-up playground? We would have put a ring on it already.
So, I totally get why the Brits are down for France.
Enter Brits Dick and Angel and the series Escape to the Chateau. The couple came from Great Britain to buy their very own chateau and turn it into a wedding venue. Not only is the basic architecture of the home stunning, watching them explore it and discover all the history of the place along the way is like watching a souped-up version of every home renovation show on cable TV, only better.
I’ll admit, I have issues with Angel’s design choices (if you’re going to decorate it like a British property, why buy a chateau in the first place?), but it’s highly entertaining. The couple is likable and the children are adorable. You can’t help but feel their excitement.
The series isn’t new and I may, possibly, be glossing over some of the negative aspects of renovating a house that old.
I’ve spoken to people from France who look upon chateaux with less stardust clouding their vision. They see the reality of trying to add things like electricity to a house made of stone that may have been around for hundreds of years. Homes with turrets and moats and all those old-timey things we’ve only read about in the U.S. Some people are not so fascinated with old beauty that they’re willing to sacrifice modern conveniences and city life.
And there’s the cost. The houses themselves seem affordable enough–let’s pretend I know what a reasonable price for a castle should be–but updating those homes might be a never-ending DIY project or worse, an endless money pit.
Yes, there are challenges. But, man, to live in a castle … the bragging rights alone might make it worth the cost!
But, for now, I’ll stay in my modern American home and live vicariously through this courageous British couple as they who follow their dream. I might not be ready now but I take comfort in knowing that when I am somewhere in France there’s a chateau with my name on it when I’m willing to put in the work to make it mine.
Interested in France? Let’s stay in touch.
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