From Avocado Toast to Baguettes: How a US Writer Found Bliss in a French Village

AN American said her life got ‘extremely’ better after moving to France four years ago.

Audrey Bruno, an American writer, said that four major things changed in her life after moving to the European country.

Writer Audrey Bruno moved from Berlin to France She moved with her husband to a small French village She now lives in Lyon, France

Bruno spent most of her adult life living in New York City and Berlin, she wrote in Business Insider .

The expat said she always thought she needed a “fast-paced” life that comes along with living in a major city.

However, after the COVID-19 pandemic, everything changed.

Bruno and her husband were hit hard by the pandemic and had to move out of their Berlin apartment.

After experiencing financial difficulties, Bruno relocated from Berlin to a small village in France, near her husband’s family.

“The adjustment was extreme,” Bruno wrote.

The couple moved from a booming metropolis with 3.5 million people to a town with 60 elderly citizens.

“The change was just what we needed, though,” she wrote.

“We spent a little over two years in that petite village before moving to a bigger city in France, but the brief stay taught me a lifetime’s worth of lessons.”

Bruno now lives in Lyon, France, but she said she’s still able to take the lessons she’s learned with her.

One of the first lessons she learned living in the tiny village was to explore seasonal recipes and meals.

Bruno said she’s used to having anything she wanted year-round, but moving to a tiny town forced her to be more resourceful.

Rather than going to a grocery store, she would visit local farmers’ markets and use local ingredients in her meals.

“Although I’ve had to say goodbye to my daily avocado toast, I’ve welcomed a whole host of new and traditional recipes into my roster, and I feel more tuned into the seasons because of it,” she wrote.

“Now, winter is all about rich pumpkin and onion soups, whereas buttered radishes and stuffed artichokes dominate spring — and all of it tastes that much better because of my patient anticipation.”

Living in France has made meals more about the experience rather than the food itself.

“In France, dinner is often a long, drawn-out affair with lively debates about politics and pop culture … and no phones,” she said.

“My first meal with our French neighbors felt a little uncomfortable, but now, I’m in love with the tradition.”

Of course, she and her husband still watch TV during dinner, but now she makes a greater effort to connect with others while eating out.

Bruno said that her overall life and schedule have improved, too.

She has learned how to live with limited access to appliances and has learned how to prioritize her time off.

“Work culture in France feels different from the rise-and-grind mindset in places like New York,” she wrote.

“It took a while to disentangle myself from the belief that I had to live to work, not the other way around.”

After four years of living in the country, she now knows how to choose her happiness over her productivity.