Life in a Postcard: Escape to the French Pyrenees
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Book Overview
'I wake to the sun striking gold on a stone wall. If I lean out of the window I can see Mount Canigou newly iced with snow. It is wonderful to live in a building with windows all around, to see both sunrise and sunset, to be constantly aware of the passage of the sun and moon.'
In 1988, Rosemary Bailey and her husband were travelling in the French Pyrenees when they fell in love with, and subsequently bought, a ruined medieval monastery, surrounded by peach orchards and snow-capped peaks. Traces of the monks were everywhere, in the frescoed 13th century chapel, the buried crypt, the stone arches of the cloister. For the next few years the couple visited Corbiac whenever they could, until in 1997, they took the plunge and moved from central London to rural France with their six-year-old son. Entirely reliant on their earnings as freelance writers, they put their Apple Macs in the room with the fewest leaks and sent Theo to the village school. With vision and determination they have restored the monastery to its former glory, testing their relationship and resolve to the limit, and finding unexpected inspiration in the place. Life in a Postcard is not just Rosemary Bailey's enthralling account of the challenges of life in a small mountain community, but also a celebration of the rugged beauty of French Catalonia, the pleasures of Catalan cooking, and an exploration of an alternative, often magical world.Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0553813412
ISBN13:9780553813418
Release Date:September 2002
Publisher:Transworld Publishers
Length:329 Pages
Weight:0.55 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 5.0" x 7.7"
Related Subjects
Biographies Contemporary Europe Fiction France General Literature & Fiction Memoirs Travel Travel Writing WritingCustomer Reviews
1 rating
Once upon a monastery: "Time traveling" in France
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
I was charmed by this book. Author Bailey has a gift for drawing the reader in, from the opening pages, as she shares her experience (along with that of her husband and young son)of moving into a medieval monastery--in need of vast repair--in the south of France. Whether one is looking to buy a home in Europe, an enthusiast for all things French, or an armchair traveler game for a good trip, LIFE IN A POSTCARD opens a rich and memorable excursion. It's an excursion described with zest, frankness,love of language,humility, and welcome humor.
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