French Adventure
So what actually is the French adventure and why does Peaceful Fight have links in that country ? Well, it all started with a pipedream some time in 2001 / 2002 when the idea of setting up a woodland spiritual retreat for the students came to me. Not quite sure why this seemed like a good idea but it just did. Having looked around various parts of the UK it became apparent that yes, I could buy piece of woodland (eg from woodlandsforsale.co.uk) but there was no chance of building in it (and if it was possible to build then the woodland costs went skyhigh). Not much point owning a piece of woodland just to visit and sit in for a day as I can do that in someone else's wood for free ! Because of not being able to find anything suitable, France was my next port of call. France is now much easier to get to nowadays and, although prices are increasing rapidly, properties are very much better value than in the UK. It takes a lot of time and effort to find somewhere and the Laws on buying places is different over there but I toddled off to see what was available. To cut the story short, I finally bought just under 2 acres of woodland with a derelict cabin on it to do up and make habitable. Although a comparatively young wood (probably 60 - 100 years old), it's a lovely place with a white water river at the bottom of the "garden" and the cabin is just about large enough for between 2 and 4 people to visit (depending on how friendly they are with each other !). It'll probably take a couple of years to get it all finished (not least because of my limited grasp of the French language !) but I've changed a lot since being there in the isolation (see the History page update for details) My life is so much better after being and working there for a week earlier in 2003 and hopefully the cabin will become a good amenity for the students to help them along their own paths.
These pages detail some of the process, give useful addresses / contacts and also gives details of some of the people I've met on my travels. Feel free to mention my name if you do make contact with any of them as I'm hoping to stengthen the links with most of them over time. One of the best parts of the experience is that very few people in the Limousin region where the cabin is situated speak English. At last I get to babble on about Taoism in a foreign language (however badly !).
Photos of the Retreat (With Visit Updates)
Photos of the Cafe (With Visit Updates)
Friends Met on this Journey (Link Still to be Completed)
Flights / Hotels / Cars / Misc
Limousin (Link Still to Be Completed)
Estate Agents for French Property and Services Associated with the Buying Process