French Dreams Come to Life
The church in the town square and its bell tower
The church bells chime six times. My body wakes to their beck and call. In my first dream-state moments, I remember that I’m in a loft apartment in Capestang, a small village in the south of France. That realization jolts me out of bed toward the espresso maker. With un petit café in hand, I stand in front of a window that overlooks an ancient alley to soak in the beginning of a new day in an adventure of a lifetime.
My Frenchie friend Mélina, who I met about 15 years ago while she lived in Fort Collins, Colorado, recently moved back to France and purchased a 400- to 600-year-old building that was a winery turned rustic home. While livable, her new home still needs much restoration, so she invited friends who wants to help to join the fun in return for a place to stay.
I studied the French language for many years throughout my schooling and have been studying it again intensely for several months, yet I had never been to France until now. When the opportunity was offered to live and work in a French community, I couldn’t pass it up, and thankfully, my husband is a master craftsman, so he is a welcome addition to the team of workers. I’m a grunt laborer who’s happy to do whatever I can.
After communicating with Mélina about our desire to help, we booked a flight to Barcelona, Spain, because it’s not far from southern France. After a couple days stay in that city to give our bodies a chance to adjust to the time change, we took a train to Narbonne, France, where Mélina picked us up.
Capestang is absolutely charming and its inhabitants are warm and welcoming. If you don’t speak French, you’ll get along just fine as about 500 of the village’s approximate 3,500 residents are English-speaking ex-pats from all over the world.
From a labyrinth of narrow streets lined with old stone buildings to a canal that provides moorage for boats along its banks to vineyards and olive groves on the outskirts, the scenery is a veritable smorgasbord of awe and inspiration.
If any or all of this sounds intriguing to you, I highly recommend that you pack your work clothes and spend a bit of time here helping with the huge restoration project. Or, if you prefer to work with your hands to create d’objets arts, register to attend the fiber arts retreat that Mélina has planned for May 10-16, 2027. It’s sure to be an experience you’ll not regret—a true French dream come true.
A view of the alley from the apartment
Narrow street that leads to La Vigneronne (on the distant left)
Le Canal du Midi
A view from the uppermost floor of La Vigneronne
A vineyard and the countryside outside of Capestang
