American woman who moved to quaint French village details shocking downsides to living in the picturesque town
When you’re a California native Audrey Jacqulene Bruno When she left her city life behind and moved to a small village in France in 2021, she thought she was living a real-life fairy tale.
But he soon realized that living in this picturesque town was not for him.
While calling the French countryside home actually had some benefits, like having more space and being surrounded by beautiful nature, she discovered that it also had huge drawbacks that she hadn’t considered before the move.
Eventually he had ‘enough’ and moved out just two years later.
Now Bruno, 32, has blown the lid on the shocking realities of the outback living exclusively with the Daily Mail… warning others it’s not as dreamy as they think.
After living in New York and then Berlin for years, Bruno revealed that he felt ‘burned out’ by city life.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020 and almost everything started to ‘stop’, she and her husband thought it was the perfect time to move somewhere quieter.
‘Nightlife was dead, restaurants were closed and gatherings of friends were restricted by the government to no more than three people at a time; Therefore, the things that make city life worthwhile were not possible,’ he explained.
California native Audrey Jacqulene Bruno left city life behind to move to a small village in France with her husband in 2021.
At first glance it looked perfect. The rent for a house “ten times the size” of his previous apartment was extremely low (only 600 euros (about $700) per month)
They eventually decided to move to a small French village called Vernassal; Since it was close to where her husband’s family lived, its population as of 2020 was only 362.
At first glance it looked perfect. The rent for a house ‘ten times the size’ of his previous flat was extremely low – just 600 euros (about $700) per month.
Their ‘charming’ new home even had its own personal garden, barn and horse stables and was close to a number of walking trails.
Bruno said that at first he was impressed by having so much more space and living in such a beautiful environment.
However, as the lockdown slowly began to ease, Bruno soon began to ‘regret’ making this move.
‘As soon as things started opening up again, I became acutely aware of the difference in accessibility between village and city life and began to regret making such a hasty move,’ he shared.
The first thing he struggled with was the language barrier between himself and the locals, as his French wasn’t very good.
Adjusting to the ‘pace and attitude’ of the village was also a challenge, as he soon learned that life in the village was ‘much slower’ than in the city.
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They moved to the French village of Vernassal (in the image), where the population is only 362 as of 2020.
Their ‘charming’ new home even had its own personal garden, barn and horse stables and was close to a number of walking trails.
Bruno said that at first he was impressed by having so much more space and living in such a beautiful environment. But Bruno soon began to ‘regret’ making this move
In addition, he discovered that the town was populated mostly by elderly retirees – many of whom were ‘diametrically opposed to his political beliefs and general interests’ – which left him feeling like an outsider and longing to be around more people his own age.
Unless the locals were ‘lecturing’ her and her husband about something, they wouldn’t stop talking, which was another thing she had a hard time getting used to.
‘They seemed to have endless time to chat, which could be nice but was often annoying,’ he admitted.
‘There were times when I wanted to leave my house for fresh air but didn’t for fear of running into a neighbor and getting caught up in a long conversation that would derail the rest of my day and my priority deadlines.’
Shopping and dining options were extremely limited, and she missed the conveniences offered by companies like DoorDash or Uber.
“Shops were closed on Sundays and usually during normal business hours for lunch or just because the owner went out to buy cigarettes,” Bruno explained.
‘Coming from a country with 24-hour service, this was no small thing to get used to.’
But his biggest complaint? How difficult it was to get around.
Bruno (seen with her husband) did not have a driver’s license because she had been living in the city for years. And in the little French village you had to drive to go anywhere
By October 2023, having lived in Vernassal for just over two years, Bruno felt like she was “losing her mind”, so she and her husband moved to the nearby city of Lyon instead.
Bruno did not have a driver’s license because he had lived for years in the city where public transportation options were endless. And to go anywhere in the little French village you had to drive.
‘I had to rely solely on my husband for my transportation needs. Walking and cycling to the nearest shops was technically possible but impractical; “The time spent on this was not commensurate with the return,” he explained.
Additionally, although rent was cheaper, he said he ultimately wasn’t able to save much as living in the countryside brought many ‘additional expenses’ such as car payments and high utility bills.
By October 2023, having lived in Vernassal for just over two years, Bruno felt she was ‘losing her mind’, so she and her husband moved to the nearby city of Lyon instead.
He admitted he is ‘much happier’ now than he was in the countryside but is grateful for the time he spent there.
‘I feel so much more like myself now that I can leave my house and hop on the subway or bike,’ she said.
‘It’s also nice to have access to some conveniences that aren’t possible in remote towns, like being able to order delivery when I don’t have the energy to cook or going to the supermarket late at night to pick up a missing ingredient.’
