Is is possible that there are better ways to live than the way we know?

Many years ago when I was in the service I spent a vacation with some fellow soldiers on a small vacation. We were in France and we rented a van so we could travel some of the different tourist spots around the country.

France isn't like America. That may be stating the obvious but I don't mean culturally. Of course th language, culture, architecture and general sense of life is different. This is obvious. What I mean is that France isn't really that big.

Here in America when you think about renting a van or a camper to travel the country you think about spending endless hours on the highway between destinations. Pennslyvania alone is going to take five or six hours to traverse. And don't even think about the midwestern states.

But France isn't like that. Most of Europe for that matter isn't like that. Practically everything is within easy car or train reach. So when I talk about traveling around France in a rented van to see the sights you should think about France in terms of the size of a state.

Now back to my story. We spent a couple of days enjoying the French Riviera (Cannes, Monaco, Nice) and we were going to head north to Luxembourg.

I remember very distinctly that we had a discussion as to whether we should travel by main highway which would get us there faster or whether we should take a more scenic route that cut through the Alps.

We decided to take the more scenic route just so we could soak up the local feel and see what we discover.

I remember this journey well, There was a lot of winding mountain roads but the roads were modern and safe. But something happened.

We stumbled into this amazing little town called Castellane. It hit me like a thunderbolt. It was like a place frozen in time with cobblestone roads, little sidewalk cafes and buildings that were at least three hundred years old - all in perfect repair and still being lived in.

This was a special place. For the first time in my life I had the revelation that the way I had grown up wasn't the only way to grow up. The pace,.and feel, of life could be different.

We spent only a few hours there. We had something to eat in a small cafe then we were gone.

I left Castellane but it never left me. I remember very distinctly that as I looked around and I felt a love for this place on Earth that I promised myselfe that I would build a home here. It just felt right. Sometimes my mind goes back to those mental images of Castellane and the joy those few hours brought me.

Castellane is a place where life is lived in a special way. There's no quartlerly reports. Theres no leaving for work ten minutes early to gas up the car. There's no traffic jams or honking horns. Theres just people living a full life the way life was meant to be lived.

Someday I will build a second house in Castellane.

-Will

Some facts about Castellane:

Castellane, which dates back to the sixteenth century, is located at the cross-roads of the Route Napoléon and the Upper Verdon road.

Castellane is the opposite of a perched village. Tucked down in the throat of the steep Grand Canyon du Verdon, the town is invisible from a distance as you approach, except for a tall rock jutting straight up out of the valley, with a stone chapel (from 1703) perched on top.

If you want to help Will make this dream of Castellane come true you can donate