自我介绍

I am a New Zealand born Australian citizen, ex antique dealer, ex lots of other things, and a committed francophile which is why I purchased this old hotel at the end of 2009. Since then I've been involved on a massive renovation programme (although it didn't start out that way!) with the accommodation part of the old Hotel de la Paix now finished. Its been fraught with difficulties, especially as I came to France BEFORE being able to speak French ( I don't know why but I thought by being here (through some sort of osmosis I guess) I would become fluent - I'd often heard the process referred to as "immersion". ……….well it didn't work for me and despite having had hundreds of lessons over the past number of years, I 'm still pretty hopeless. But I absolutely love being here in France, particularly in this region of west/central France - the scenery, the changing seasons, that special light ever present in autumn, the animals (I just love the black faced sheep, the goats and the Poitevine donkeys "les Baudet du Poitou" with their full length shaggy hair) - even the clouds look different. Then of course there are the weekly fresh food markets - really, what a marvellous way to buy one's food, while from spring through autumn we have this mad frenzy of Sunday brocantes (giant flea markets and car boot sales held in villages and fields throughout France) where the brocanteurs seem to have as much fun socialising with their fellow vendors as we, the devotees have in our endless quest for that serendipitous find. Above all I love the sense of history that pervades throughout the countryside - particularly in this region where every village has a 10th or 12th century church, where the most fantastic frescos hide within crypts in tiny little unmarked chapels, where you chance upon the most amazing sights - a romanesque abbey in second position to a working farmyard, a merovingian graveyard nestled below the funnels of a nuclear power station, the remains of a fortified medieval city perched precariously on a rocky outcrop, those Gothic and Roman bridges you come across as you meander through the countryside with your GPS switched to "shortest" routes. In fact I turn on my GPS as soon as I get in the car as, in its perversity, I am often taken a totally different route to the same destination and get to chance upon yet another chateau, abbey, hamlet or village that I never knew existed. I find every day just plain exciting! The other thing is that here (this village, this region, this area) one feels totally safe - in the nearly four years I have lived here I have never ever felt unsafe, insecure or concerned for my personal safety or concerned about security in any way whatsoever. This is "la France profonde" where life goes on the way it used to - except of course the people are missing - such a high percentage having made their move to the big cities over the past 30 years! Though we're half way between Paris and Toulouse or Paris and Bordeaux you don't see streams of tourists blocking your vistas; you can drive down the country roads and not see another soul for miles and miles; there are no traffic jams and there is no litter. No graffiti, no ugliness ….in fact no nasties whatsoever and the "ados" (the teenagers) are courteous and well mannered - Quelle surprise! Walking is a pleasure, cycling a delight and boating of any sort a great way to spend a weekend. Here we are surrounded by walking paths - some through woods, some across pastures, some along the riversides and many along the old disused railway lines (all clearly marked); our little commune has itself, more than 100 km of riverbank to explore. This is a fantastic place to visit if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life (and yes, we do have broadband internet in the village) and even if you are not a culture vulture or a diehard rambler you will find stacks of things to do here - we are surrounded by animal reserves, have a famous thermal spa just up the road and for science enthusiasts Futuroscope is less than an hour away. Plus we have white river rafting, kayaking, tree climbing via wires, horse riding, mountain bike and car racing circuits - you can even take flying lessons (from an English instructor) just 15 minutes drive southbound. Or you can have painting lessons, cooking lessons and dare I say it, French lessons here. Please refer to the links showing areas of interest at Le Logis B and B France - you'll be amazed at what you can do here! I hope you will be able to come and visit this region one day and see for yourself how magical it it! My very best, Alexandra