How many things did you dismiss as a child that you’ve now come to appreciate as an adult? Plenty, I’ll bet. When his parents bought a second home in L’Isle-Jourdain in Vienne when he was a teenager, Kristian Jennings was less than enthusiastic about spending his holidays there. In fact, in his mum Bev’s words, “he absolutely hated it and we had to drag him across the Channel to get him there!”
Kristian has traveled considerably further since then. He left home in Ipswich at the age of 19 and spent the next three years moving around Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, his exciting adventures funded by jobs in coffee shops and bars along the way. As a coffee lover, working as a barista at the Sydney Opera House wasn’t exactly a hardship.
And yet France is where he’s now speaking to me from as a 22-year-old, sitting in the garden enjoying the sunshine and referring to it as ‘home’ throughout our conversation. His parents Bev and Paul had made a permanent move in 2017 and Kristian arrived a couple of days before Christmas in 2018 for a surprise visit – and he’s still there. So what has made him want to put down roots, and here of all places?
TAKING STOCK
“Having traveled for so long I sort of fell out of love with it,” says Kristian. “I woke up one morning and realized I wasn’t enjoying it anymore, and the next day I started traveling home.” And of course, by the home, he doesn’t mean Ipswich.
His original plan was to spend some time with his parents and help them with the renovation project they’d recently taken on, having bought the old property opposite theirs, but somewhere along the way, he developed a new appreciation for life in France.
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Living France.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Living France.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Guide To: Working For A Foreign Company
If your current employer is happy to let you continue working for them after you move to France, there are a number of rules and regulations to be aware of to ensure you stay on the right side of the law, as Catharine Higginson explains
On vintage soil
Life in the vineyards of Aude is a dream come true for Leicestershire-born Katie Jones who now successfully exports her wines back to the UK, as Brigitte Nicolas learns
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
What happens if you are buying a French property but can’t attend the completion meeting at the notaire’s office in person? Matthew Cameron explains how a power of attorney can be used and how it works
In safe hands
There can be few more unusual homes than the 11th-century Château de Clérans, situated close to the Dordogne river in the Périgord Pourpre region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
THE CAPTAIN'S TABLE
Robin Ellis made his name as the original Captain Poldark but a diabetes diagnosis led the Tarn-based actor to add cookbook writing to his CV, as Richard Webber learns
My frugal France
Embracing modern technology could save you money and time on both the pleasures and essentials of life in France, says Laura Harley as she shares some of her favourite French apps
Hidden Talents
Moving to France enabled these three expats to switch off from busy careers and in turn discover new creative talents, says Gillian Harvey, who counts herself among them
Beauty to behold
With its legendary vineyards, charming old towns and rich gastronomy, Gironde is quintessential France at its best, as Alison Weeks discovers
AS SEEN ON SCREEN
A Dordogne town, a Charente city and a Pyrenean village all have a starring role in three new films hitting the big screen this year, joining a long list of French locations that have gone before them, as Vicky Leigh learns
A local's view
Trish and Mark Tyler run a beautifully restored chambres d’hôtes, set in six hectares of park and woodland near StÉmilion, which has a fascinating history
