Creating a Quirky French Bucket List | My Life in Languedoc

The Reality: Less "Dappled Light," More Sweat and Suncream

The reality of living and working in France? We work incredibly hard for a living!

When July and August roll around, the heat rises, the region fills up, and we can have so much work on our plates that proper lunch breaks become an absolute luxury. By the time I get home, I often feel far too tired to even look at a book.

But then, I tell myself that’s daft. I force myself to go and sit outside anyway, watching the sun drop below the horizon.

Unsurprisingly, there is very little "dappled anything" during peak season. Instead, it’s a glamorous combination of sweat, soil, and endless layers of suncream. It’s not like that every single day, of course, but the truth is that you have to work hard to keep the dream alive here.

Because we know how much effort goes into this life, Jenna and I are utterly adamant about getting as much joy out of France as humanly possible. We often sit down and chat about the adventures we still want to have.

Which is exactly how I ended up crossing off a major, lifelong bucket list item.

Harvesting the Dream: Grapes, Olives, and Backaches

Deep inside my original French dream, there was one specific thing I desperately wanted to do: I wanted to hand-pick grapes.

Properly. I wanted the full, authentic experience, from the painfully early morning starts to whatever else the vineyard had in store for us.

And oh boy, did that vineyard have a lot in store.

But we did it. And against all physical logic, we clearly loved it because we kept going back! We’ve participated in the vendange (grape harvest) four times in total now, at a wonderful Domaine near Mèze. It is utterly glorious, completely backbreaking, and entirely magical all at once.

That taste of authentic French country life made us think even bigger. Since then, we’ve also picked and pressed our own olives. We delivered them to a local moulin (mill) and watched them turn into bright green, fresh, grassy-smelling olive oil. That one wasn't even on my original list—but it absolutely should have been.

What’s on Your Oddly Specific French Bucket List?

Experiencing the harvests made me realise that everyone moving abroad needs a bucket list. But I’m not talking about the massive, standard goals like "buy a house in the sun" or "become fluent in French."

I’m talking about the oddly specific, wonderfully quirky, distinctly local bucket list items.

If you are living in France, or planning your dream move, do you have any of these on your list?

• Milk a local goat to make your own Rocamadour or Pélardon cheese.

• Design a "Priorité à droite" sign that actually makes sense to human drivers.

• Join a traditional village choir and belt out French classics.

• Swim in the Mediterranean Sea on New Year’s Day (brrr!).

• Anonymously donate goldfish to your village fountain.

Life here is shaped by the hard work we put in, but it’s defined by these brilliant, chaotic little adventures.

Over to You...

We want to expand our horizons! What is the most specific, unusual, or quirky thing on your French bucket list?

Let us know in the comments below. Who knows—we might just add your suggestion to our own list of adventures, or we might even come along and join you!

Bisous, Jen x