One of the biggest reasons for our move from suburban life in the UK was to find a slower pace of life. We had both worked in central London for years and never seemed to have a second to ourselves and to "smell the flowers" as Walter Hagen so aptly put it.
We found our dream in the Charente. Sure there are times (like at the moment) when I'm working hard and out viewing houses from dawn to dusk but it's a pleasure and there's always time to stop for a coffee along the way.
Don't just take my word for it though. This article in the Charente Libre explains that Segonzac is the first town in France to be awarded "Cittaslow" status. Wikipedia describes this as:
Cittaslow is part of a cultural trend known as the Slow movement.
The inspiration was the Slow Food organization. Cittaslow's goals include improving the quality of life in towns while resisting "the fast-lane, homogenized world so often seen in other cities throughout the world"
I, for one, don't miss grabbing a burger at Waterloo before catching the 11.58pm train back to Walton on Thames....fortunately, this particular hamster jumped off the wheel and left the cage a while ago!
www.cognacproperty.com
