August, 2021. We decide to give two of the houses a second look: the 400-square-meter cruise ship (Titanic?) of a house and the fixer-upper farmhouse near Cluny. To have someone more experienced in our corner, we bring along a friend of l’époux this time when we revisit the cruise ship house. He cautions us that there may be more than meets the eye in terms of work (read: euros) to sink into this one. I’m a little resistant – who doesn’t want to live in a cruise ship? This house even features two campers that are indoors and serve as bedrooms in one of the guest suites! I manage to turn off my inner twelve-year-old and admit that this might be too much to take on.
So, back to the “diamond in the rough” we go. Somehow, on this second date with the farm, there are sparks. L’époux and I can see ourselves there, with la petite, enjoying the views of the countryside. For this visit, we’ve brought a local builder along and he signs off that the foundation is firm and the barn is solid. In fact, he tells us that, judging by the thickness of the walls, this barn dates back to the 17th Century. I don’t know how impressive this is to a European, but that’s older than my home country! Soon we are imagining creating music space for l’époux, guest space for friends, family, and guests, and which stone walls to reveal and feature.
We explore the 881-person village a bit and – most importantly – visit the bakery. The boulangerie passes the test. The whole project seems like it could actually become a reality.
AWay in France 