Nestled among a maze of medieval streets in a small village in the south-west of France, an Australian couple are enjoying a gap year with a twist.
Maree and David Roberts aren't high school leavers living out of hostels.
The pair, 66, have just hit retirement and in return for helping renovate a cottage in Saint-Céré, they are living rent-free.
"It is very beautiful, it has the wisteria in the back and the geraniums in the front in summer," Ms Roberts said.
Saint-Céré, in the Lot Valley in the region of Occitanie, is full of quaint villages and stunning scenery along the Lot River.
"The idea of a gap year really came to us when we were talking about young people and their choices," Ms Roberts said.
"We decided we really needed a gap year between our busy frantic working lives and whatever the next part of our life holds."
Ms Roberts said she always longed to take a gap year, but work, kids and life got in the way.
"I love that we're having this adventure together and we've got time to enjoy it," she said.
"There is something new that happens to us every day … when I look out the window, I can see a world that is so different from everything I've known and loved.
"We wanted to immerse ourselves in village life and challenge our brains to do something different."
A French way of living
The French village is a far cry from the heat of home in north Queensland where Mr and Ms Roberts help look after eight grandchildren.
When they met in a mining town west of Mackay, Mr Roberts was a single dad playing football and Ms Roberts was a teacher.
"In our entire life together, we've never actually just had us," Ms Roberts said.
"Now neither of us are working … what do we really mean to each other and how does that work?
"We are learning that each other is enough and we're finding our groove with each other in the way that perhaps you don't have time to when you've got a busy life with so many other demands."
Every morning after a cacophony of bells from the local church awakes the couple, they begin repairs, but by lunchtime are off exploring nearby castles and caves.
Ms Roberts said they also tried to engage in village life, and after one month her husband had enough French to order a beer, loaf of bread and a baguette.
"I probably try to engage a little more in conversation … when I first did my teaching degree I trained as a French teacher," she said.
Although Ms Roberts admitted she'd landed herself in some hot water after a miscommunication with a local hairdresser.
"My communication about how I like my hair cut wasn't up to par … I don't think I'll get another one until I get back."
Switching homes
The experience is reminiscent of the movie The Holiday, in which two women living in different countries switch homes to shake up their lives.
Jessica Poilucci from the Home Exchange network said not many people knew that swapping homes was a real way to travel.
But in recent months, she said the company had seen a record number of members.
"We're really seeing it come in as one of the future ways of travel that hopefully becomes a bit more mainstream," she said.
"It's such a great way to go to some of the less touristy places … places that aren't necessarily big cities and more suburban or countryside."
And it's not just empty nesters switching homes.
"It used to be primarily the 55-plus demographic, but we are seeing that expand," Ms Poilucci said.
"We've seen it in a younger demographic who kind of found home swapping via TikTok trends a few years ago.
"It's cheaper than getting a hotel room and it lets you kind of swap lives with someone else in a sense."
For Maree and David Roberts, who just celebrated their 36-year wedding anniversary, it's about marking the period between work and retirement and learning how to just "be with each other", and learn a little French.
