Louise Strachan

I have recently come to live in France, in a beautiful medieval village within reach of bohemian Aix-en-Provence, upmarket Cannes, Monaco, Monte Carlo, Nice and my favourite: the old town of Nice. My work is now often on the Riviera, in sight of the sparkling blue Mediterranean, although I still go to London every month or so, to work and to meet old friends.

I never was a Francophile.  The decision to come here was one taken last year when I realised that I’d had enough of unreliable English summers, and surprised myself when I also realised that I was ready for a change of culture as well.

The internet, fast trains, budget jets and free Skype calls make all this possible of course. The pay off is a renewal in the joy of living, with a different and stimulating cultures, French and Italian, wonderful scenery, Alps and the Mediterranean, wonderful weather and fresher food.  A society that is more polite, maintains values from an older age, is very egalitarian, is a nightmare of bureaucracy at times, and sometimes an affront to the British business sense! Shops are normally shut here… but recreational time is important, time to savour food and wine, time to drink strong coffee and watch the world go by. It’s just a different balance and that’s what makes cultural difference stimulating, interesting and insightful.

It will be an expansion of interests for me too.  A place where everyone has a few jobs, I will primarily continue to be a life coach and inspirationalist, but I’ll use my web site and business skills as well, and I don’t see that I’ll be here long before I have some involvement in the tourist industry.  After all, it’s all about people, understanding, helping, enabling, making the world seem a happier place and that’s what I’m about!

The world is again my oyster.  I’ll be here a while, I feel a huge affinity for the Savoie, this area of France that was once Italy.  Born in Yorkshire of Scottish and Italian ancestry, and having enjoyed living and working in Devon and Cornwall, it seems to be local societies that cling hard to their identity in the face of threat that I resonate with, and this area is no exception.  It’s like coming home.

Louise x