Living for a Month in a 16th Century French Village
Here I am, sitting next to a roaring fire in a 16th century French farmhouse.
Part of my journey has included housesitting. I often get asked what that is and how it works.
Basically, people all over the world want to go on vacation too. Often they have pets or houseplants or other things that make travel difficult or expensive. Enter housesitting.
The basic version of the arrangement is: “You can stay at my place for free if you’ll take care of things while I’m away.”
For a traveler like me, getting to stay in incredible places for free is a blessing. It makes travel much more affordable. For a homeowner who doesn’t have to pay kennel fees or jump through other logistical hurdles just to go away on vacation, the deal is equally as good.
So I spent just about the entire month of April 2018 living in a gorgeous 16th century farmhouse deep in the heart of rural France. The very tiny, sleepy village where I stayed consisted of only about 15 buildings and half of those were vacant. While I have also done housesits in more bustling areas like the heart of Cairo, Egypt, the tranquility here appeals to me.
There are no shops or businesses of any kind in the village. The nearest town (Ruffec) is 4.5 miles away. A very pleasant bike ride through the French countryside. The town, while small, has grocers, banks, restaurants, a pharmacy, a post office, a movie theater… even a lingerie shop.
Life here is good.
