Gail Costigan has had a zest for travel for as long as she can recall, with France her favourite destination, and now the office manager for a branch of the Education Department has taken a major step and purchased a home in Aigues–Vives, a village some hours from Paris and situated in a major wine growing area of the country.
She hopes the time will come in the not too far distant future when she can move permanently to her new home, but in the meantime Gail has opened it up for interested holidaymakers and is more than happy with the response she is getting from a promotional campaign orchestrated by herself and husband Kevin.
But more of Aigues–Vives later in this story.
Gail trained locally as a nurse and began work on the South Coast before taking time off to have a family. Eventually returning to work Gail undertook duties as teacher’s aide special at Para Meadows.
Then in 1991 she took up this work on a more permanent basis before spending three years from 1999 working for the North Sydney Waste Board. When the government abolished these organisations she took the opportunity to move into her present role.
Having studied French at school Gail always had at the back of her mind a visit to this country at some stage.
By now her children had grown up and after seeing some of them off on overseas jaunts and receiving a call from a friend about a stay in France she decided it was time for her to travel.
A tour of Europe really made her appreciate France and the joys of its capital Paris, but it was during a visit to the outer areas she discovered and fell in love with Aigues–Vives.
The purchase
 Gail admits it was something like love at first sight when she came to the village and it was only a matter of time before she bought the property there and arranged for some improvements to be made.
She first publicised it through an educational news sheet and this was followed by use of the internet, the production of a promotional leaflet and the like.
In the meantime Gail had organised with a young French girl living close to her new property to watch over it and to get it ready for customers.
She and Kevin are currently happy with the numbers of people they are getting to spend time at the property but a time slot can always be found for more.
Gail says that it has taken some time for locals at Aigues–Vives to get used to her. “Being the only foreigner there was hard at first, but when I visited in October last year it was a pleasant surprise to receive the traditional French welcome of a hello and a kiss on both cheeks,” she says.
There are 350 people living in the village, the bulk of whom are retired, and those who do work locally do so in the vineyards or at a seed factory close by which is a major exporter worldwide of its product.
Gail says her property there is an old villa style home which has been adapted to include comfortable living, including such mods cons as an electric stove, microwave, washing machine, bar fridge and CD player. The two-storey property also has electric heating in each room.
Aigues–Vives, she says, was originally a Roman village developed in 700 BC, gaining its current name in 1210 and later became a possession of the then King of France.
Plenty to see
Gail says the village is an ideal base for sightseeing, with many tourist attractions close by including old castles, churches and ruins.
Naturally, she adds, like most French country villages, it has a first class market which offers local farm produce and wines as well as clothing, hardware and books.
With her children grown up and a first grandson born recently Gail and Kevin find most of their spare time is already taken up, but she insists more time will be spent in the future travelling to and staying at her international paradise.
And will she eventually get Kevin into the same frame of mind? “Ill continue to work on it,” she says.
If you want to read more about the village and a chance to spend time there you can email Gail on enquiries@frenchvillageexperience.com.au or better still use her website: www.frenchvillageexperience.com.au | 
