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Castle Diaries ⚑
Life in France, Unfiltered
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August Almost Cost Us Our Château
France spends August at the beach. I spent it refreshing my email.
Sep 8
•
Kamille Longstreet
119
35
8
We Traded 500 Square Feet for a Château. Now I Can't Find My Husband.
Seven bedrooms, eleven acres, seven buffets, and everything nobody warns you about finally getting all the space you ever wanted.
Sep 5
•
Kamille Longstreet
105
25
6
August 2026
The Summer of Five Heatwaves, From Inside a Stone Château
France had its hottest day on record, then four more heatwaves, a national water ban, and a swimming pool that missed the entire season.
Aug 22
•
Kamille Longstreet
37
1
I Left Los Angeles for Rural France. Now a Twenty-Minute Drive Feels Far.
I used to have about eight commutes a week and called it a life. My neighbor assumed a trip to Ikea meant staying the night.
Aug 18
•
Kamille Longstreet
101
24
7
We Own a Château. We're Also the Entire Staff.
A day in the life of a family living in a 300-year-old French castle, with no Carson, no lady's maid, and a to-do list that regenerates overnight.
Aug 8
•
Kamille Longstreet
89
15
6
In August, France Simply Closes
The banks empty out, the pool guy vanishes, and an entire country walks into the sea. Notes from an American's third real summer of les vacances.
Aug 4
•
Kamille Longstreet
89
26
5
July 2026
The Coach House Is Done (And France Ran Out of Air Conditioners While We Did It)
The full before-and-after reveal, the piano that arrived at 104 degrees, and the appliance store that had given up on summer entirely.
Jul 25
•
Kamille Longstreet
30
3
2
In America, Everything Was Easier. We Left Anyway.
We traded fast shipping, cheap convenience, and phone calls that actually work for a harder, better life in rural France.
Jul 21
•
Kamille Longstreet
68
7
1
Less Bud Light, More Moonlight
What a Bastille Day in France undid in me, after years of chaotic Fourths in California.
Jul 14
•
Kamille Longstreet
74
30
4
Nobody at School Spoke English, So My Kids Learned to Watch
They arrived at 2 and 4 with no French. They came out reading people.
Jul 7
•
Kamille Longstreet
108
24
8
June 2026
Is France Actually Cheaper Than America?
We moved expecting to save money. The truth is stranger, and depends entirely on what you buy.
Jun 27
•
Kamille Longstreet
68
2
4
This Substack Writer Traded a 500-Square-Foot LA Apartment For a French Castle
And she'd tell you it was the most sensible decision she's ever made.
Published on Petal + Hearth
•
Jun 23
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