Aubusson, Limousin, France

We stayed four months in Aubusson, Limousin, to finish our newest manuscript, a thriller. Aubusson was an ideal place for us. There is only some 5000 inhabitants and nothing to see.

The city is nice and quiet except on some Saturdays when wedding guests drive through the city honking car horns. We had absolutely everything we needed there: a nice apartment, more than one supermarket, and a library with a wonderful, friendly staff. Thank you, Sylvie!

The Capital Of Tapestry

Well, the nothing to see -part was not completely true. There is one thing that draws tourists to Aubusson: tapestry, that is handicrafts that are hanging from the walls and storing dust. They are made a bit in the same way as carpets used to be made in Finland with a thing called hand loom. Aubusson's tapestry is world-famous. Even Bret Easton Ellis's protagonist Patrick Bateman in American Psycho owns a piece of tapestry originating from the city.

The weather was superb, most of the time 20-35 degrees Celsius. People tried to scare us with continuous rain, but the reality turned out to be quite different. This summer was exceptionally dry. This part of the country gets usually a lot of showers and that is why it's called the Green Desert.

We cooked and baked a lot as we had a big oven in our apartment. It felt luxurious after Asia where we had to fry everything in a wok pan. Another blessing was heating. At some nights the temperature dropped down to 10 degrees Celsius, but we could just turn heating on unlike in Hong Kong. Thanks to the quietness of the city, we had the door unlocked all the time. There wasn't even any key.

Pluses And Minuses Of Europe

We have now stayed half a year in Europe. People have been asking us what does it feel like after a few years' break. Here are some of our pluses and minuses of Europe compared to Asia, where we spent the previous two years:

+	Tap water is potable and tastes good.
+	A wide selection of dairy products (milk, cream, whey, sour cream, yogurt, cheese)
+	Toilets have a seat and they don't get stuck.
+	We blend in (although people think we are Germans).
+	No visas needed.
+	Things go usually as expected = no hassle.

-	Cold and rainy weather except in the summer.
-	People are busy and don't have time for each other.
-	Public transportation is crazy expensive and bad in some areas (especially in Limousin, France).
-	In general higher prices with no added value.
-	Unhealthier diet with all cheese. Santeri has gained back the weight he lost in Asia.
-	Things go usually as expected which is boring.

Country: France