I was pleasantly surprised to see that Beyonce, Jay-Z, Blue and their extended family seemed to take a nice long vacation in France in the late summer. Bey and Jay’s marriage seemed to have hit a rough patch, and many assumed they wouldn’t last much longer than the end of their On the Run tour. But as soon as the VMAs were over, the family packed up and went yachting, stopping in some port towns in Italy and France, and then staying in France before and after their final Paris concerts. They seemed to enjoy being tourists, checking out museums and not going to fashion week events. Their marriage seemed stronger because of it, and word is that Bey and Jay actually did renew their vows.

So, was it because of France? Did the Parisian air just soothe their troubled marriage? Perhaps. And according to UK gossips, Bey and Jay want to relocate to Paris for at least a year now. We’ve already heard that they were real estate shopping in Paris, so maybe this is happening:

The world’s most powerful hip hop couple are reportedly moving to France. Taking a step back from world domination to expand their brood, Beyoncé and Jay Z are expected to spend a year at a French chateaux, where they ‘hope to conceive their second child.’

The couple, who started a family when they welcomed Blue Ivy in 2012, are said to have fallen deeply in love with the culture and now plan to take 12 months out ‘enjoying’ their little one and the laid-back lifestyle. Earning a cool $95 million in the last year, the power couple – who married in six years ago – are allegedly concentrating on family with the relaxed gap year.

A source told the Daily Star newspaper on Saturday: ‘Beyoncé is keen to put down roots there because her mum’s side of the family are part-French and they adore the laid back lifestyle and culture. So next year, they’ll put music on the back-burner and enjoy France.’

Beyoncé, 33, and 44-year-old Jay Z spent a family vacation in Paris last month, enjoying cultural hot spots like the Eiffel Tower and the Picasso National Museum. The US natives even named the European destination on their recent On The Run tour and now reportedly plan to settle at the Chigny-les-Roses chateau in France, where Jay Z’s Cartier brand Armand de Brignac is produced.

The source continued to the paper: ‘They want to have some time doing very little, enjoying Blue Ivy and chilling out. They are hoping she will pick up the lingo too. And of course, it will be great for their French. They’re hoping to conceive their second child out there and taking a year out will allow Beyoncé to have a quiet, stress-free pregnancy.’

Representatives for the couple have been contacted by MailOnline for comment.

[From The Daily Mail]

The sh-t stirring gossip in me wants to say that it would be easier to get away with a surrogate pregnancy if Beyonce and Jay “took a year off” in the French countryside somewhere. They could step out at this time next year with a surprise baby and be like “Oh, of course Beyonce was pregnant, don’t question it!” But hey, maybe she does want to get pregnant and she just wants to have some privacy. What would it be like to go a year without Beyonce gossip?

Photos courtesy of WENN, Beyonce’s Instagram, Tumblr.