There comes a moment in one's life when a complete change is inevitable. The old ways, places, habits and people are no longer what you need. The soul becomes restless. There are also a number of outside events that spur you on to turn the page and start a new chapter: maybe your children are grown up and have their own intricate labyrinths to travel, maybe you have lost interest in your job, divorced, lost a dear friend. Or maybe living in a big city is suddenly overwhelming - the noise, the crowds, the public transportation, the hectic pace. In my case the change had been planned for a couple of years. I spent endless hours searching the web for information, browsing real estate pages, travel articles, online geographic magazines, blogs. Finally I narrowed down the area where my new home would be: Brittany, France. Beautiful natural scenery, fresh air, a calm pace of life, friendly people. A gentle climate, endless forests, a clear lake. A proud cathedral and granite buildings in the central square: two boulangeries, a pharmacy, a supermarket, the tourist office, the pub, the creperie, an elegant hotel, the local real estate agency and some other shops. Everything you need. As you drive out of the town you can either head north to the coast or south to the heart of Brittany. Welcome to Huelgoat, terre de legendes - reads a roadside board as you approach the town. The first time I visited it I made my mind: it is here that I want to buy a house. And here I am, one year later, happy I made this choice. Huelgoat has the perfect ingredients for a good life. For those who dream of a place even more sedate than Huelgoat there are several nearby villages that would quench anyone's thirst for peace: La Plouye, Locmaria Merrien, Berrien and La Feuille.
