I woke up filled with anticipation…but first, breakfast!

Believe it or not, this has been an acquired taste. 😉

I remember my first time in Europe. My mother saved up child support for months and months and took my sister and me on a 17-day bus trip across 7 countries. It was a very eye-opening experience for two girls from Pittsburgh!

Our first stop was London, where we had a traditional English breakfast with grilled tomatoes, mushrooms and the like. I had no idea what to expect, and this was beyond my wildest imagination! Beans for breakfast?! And what the heck is in black pudding?

Once we made it to France, we had our first “Continental” breakfast, where the bacon looked nothing like American bacon, and there were so many types of breads, cheeses, and cold cuts. It was overwhelming and underwhelming at the same time if that makes sense! 

Twenty-five years later, I’ve had many more French breakfasts. Instead of being overcome by differences, I look forward to flaky croissants with jam, and baguettes still warm from the boulangerie. Plus nothing compares to that heavenly butter with the sea salt crystals – and that is just what our bed and breakfast delivered! It was the perfect start for what promised to be an eventful day. 

Bellies full, we set off for the house on foot. Apparently, now that we were in town, the realtor was willing to meet us there instead of in front of the bookstore. Sometimes people try to cut realtors out of the deal by going straight to the owners so it’s not uncommon for them to be protective about the location of a property. 

Finally, we’d get to this house in real life! After almost a month of studying photos and looking at Google Maps, it felt surreal stepping through the massive gate. To the left was the main property, and to the right, a sizeable carriage house. We decided to start our tour there, and Ralph poked around the dark areas with his trusty flashlight. It was a huge space, with multiple storage rooms on the main floor and another 100 m2 upstairs. It was the kind of old building you could make do with in its current state. Or I could see renovating it into an incredible space for leadership retreats with wide glass doors opening onto the courtyard, terra cotta pots filled with flowers and herbs, and space to sit outside. My wheels were already turning!

Beyond the gravel entry, the garden stretched out to the other side of the street – an impressive plot right in the middle of town. Not quite as big as our yard in Germany, but more than enough to keep Phoebe happy. I was already so delighted by the space that it didn’t even phase me when the realtor dropped a bit of a bomb on us. She shared that a Michelin-starred chef from Paris had come to see the house and put in an offer. But because we’d reached out first and were coming from Germany, she wanted to give us a chance to view it. Since the first offer wasn’t a full-price offer, we still had a chance to get it if we bid more. We’d have to make a decision about the house by the end of this visit…but if the photos of the interior didn’t lie, that wouldn’t be a hard decision to make!

Still, my brain went into overdrive. The implications were huge and there wasn’t much time to think and process. But I’d trained myself for this over months of viewing thousands of houses online. I was ready for the challenge!

The big question was “How does this house fit our needs, wants, and desires?” 

At the entry, there was a practical bench with coat storage elegantly built into the wall. It just got better and better from there! The kitchen was spacious enough for two people to work side-by-side. A cheery yellow office space. Formal and informal dining areas. And a gorgeous living room with a functioning fireplace. Plus the flooring was breathtaking throughout, like the tiles in the bright hallway – originals from the 1800s. And in the sitting room, there were eye-catching hardwood floors in a “Hungarian Point” design. No matter where you looked, the interior was impeccable. Every room seamlessly coordinated with the next, in a stunning blend of modern and antique.

Then we made our way to the second floor where there were more fantastic surprises. Every nook and cranny was well-utilized. For example, just off the staircase was a charming shower room, meaning that if I’d been counting correctly, there were 4 bathrooms – plenty for guests, and yet not too many for everyday life. One glance at Ralph and I could tell we were both falling in love!’

After looking at all three floors, we agreed it was the most perfect house we’d seen. The realtor could tell that we were on the verge of making an offer, so she invited us to take another look on our own. This would give us time to poke around a little more deeply while privately discussing what to do next.

Ultimately, there were two options. Should we bid more than what had already been offered, but under asking? Or commit to the asking price, which would effectively stop the bidding process? Because in France, you can’t offer more than asking…

Talking it through, we determined that a full-price offer would be our best bet. We’d already gotten the ball rolling with a mortgage broker, which felt timely. We also shared that we’d be flexible on closing since we’d be in Germany through August. Whatever we could do to make this sale process smooth, we wanted to do it! We even offered to rent the house back to the owner while she sorted out her affairs. The realtor was thrilled and pulled out the paperwork to make it official! 

It felt like a momentous occasion, but nothing was settled yet. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the region and its delicacies – Sancerre wine and Crottin de Chavignol. I swear, no matter where you are in France, you’ll find something that’s world-class! So we left Cosne-sur-Loire and drove through country roads to a goat farm. Here we learned about the process of making these small puck-shaped goat cheeses and even got to pet some goats! Conveniently, for about €15 you could get a flight of cheese at various ages, paired with a glass of Sancerre wine. It’s one of my favorites – a crisp, dry white produced with Sauvignon Blanc grapes. In the US, it’s always expensive. Not only is Sancerre the most famous Sauvignon Blanc region in Europe, it’s actually quite small. In fact, we’d just had a bottle at a bougie restaurant in Chicago with friends and the price tag was a hefty $100 with the markup. But in Sancerre, it was easy to find decent bottles at €14-€16. Needless to say, we took a couple of bottles home. 

The outing was a good distraction from the waiting game. Over the next two days, we went to our scheduled showings. Fortunately, nothing came close. One house was more isolated than we’d liked, and the other had too much DIY construction. Nein danke! To split up the drive, we stopped for the night in Beaune, a famous walled town in the Burgundy region. It was lunchtime when we arrived, and we were fortunate to snag a table at a small bistro where Ralph got to try Boeuf Bourguignon. It was as delicious as it is hard to pronounce!

With most of the house-hunting “work” out of the way, it was time to relax. We enjoyed an evening at the amazing 5-star Hostellerie Cèdre & Spa. After hours and hours of driving, I was so glad I had the forethought to book us massages before dinner at their Michelin-starred restaurant. The next day, we had one more home to see, just on the outskirts of Beaune. Even though the garden was lovely, the layout was less than ideal. Plus we learned that the nearest airport was a 3-hour drive away! That was a major deal-breaker.

The time had come to head home. Meanwhile, we’d been waiting on pins and needles for an answer. Literally crickets. I wanted to reach out but didn’t want to seem pushy or desperate. On Tuesday we got an email from the realtor asking if we could close in April and which furniture we’d like to buy. In our excitement, we got ahead of ourselves and shared the photos of the house with the kids and some family. But re-reading the email a couple of hours later, it didn’t feel as definite. Were we being paranoid? 

By Wednesday we freaked out a little more. Initially, we’d written a mortgage contingency into the offer, so we emailed to say we’d be willing to take that out. Still nothing. 

On Thursday, we got the email we’d been dreading. A neighbor had also made an offer, and the owners accepted it. I’d say we were shocked, but we’d seen the signs. Still, we were heartbroken. 

Even though I’m an optimist, it seemed unlikely that we’d find something better. I’d spent countless hours searching, and this was a rare gem. I tried to remind myself to be grateful that it taught us what one version of perfect could look like. It was a reminder that when you know it’s the right house, you know it – and to hold out until you find it again!