Château de la Carrière... the perfect escape.

Suzie Jackson has always had an affinity to France.  She deliberately didn't make her first trip to Paris until her 30s as she was concerned she would be let down by the reality not living up to the dream. But there was nothing to fear, as Suzie's first French experience had her feeling like she had come home. For years then she dreamed of owning a property in France and spent hours Googling châteaux for sale.  In 2014 she decided with her then husband, that it was time to get serious and booked a trip to France to view a number of different châteaux of various sizes and condition in the Loire Valley to get a better sense of what they could or should buy. The first couple of days were a huge learning curve with crumbling ruins, discovering the frightening cost of slate roof repairs, replacement electrics and regulations for historical monuments. Finding that quintessentially dream French property was not going to be easy. Then Château de la Carrière popped up and from the moment she drove up the driveway, Suzie knew they had found their French country home. Château de la Carrière sounds like the kind of place that would be a wonderful stop in the middle of a European holiday. After travelling on a 6-7 week trip with my family and kids when they were quite young, a few days or a week to recharge is an important tip to consider. I love a break in the middle of a vacation when I can slow down, play cards or croquet, dip in the pool, potter in a potager or sit in a beautiful salon and read a book. Connecting to the building and the place at a leisurely pace sounds perfect to me.Suzie loves to experiment with the produce from her garden. Nothing makes her happier than making dinner from the potager and bringing big buckets of flowers from the garden into the château.  She also makes aperitifs when she has a houseful of people. I'd love to try her cocktails with her home-made tulip syrup, dandelion honey, rhubarb syrup or elderflower cordial... whatever is thriving in the garden when eventually I visit! I also now have a hankering to visit the local broccante markets that she described to me.Suzie says that a château project is not for the fainthearted, but she also feels that the life she is living is her dream life. I think she's living my dream as well!**Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.**Other Loulabelle's links:FrancoFile Fix on YouTubeLoulabelle's FrancoFiles Spotify Playlist Loulabelle's FrancoFiles InstagramLoulabelle's FrancoFiles website