On our road trip back to Kassel, we visited Sandra and Roman who live about 25 minutes from Cologne, Germany. I first met Roman several years ago when we participated in the Englischhausen program in Laubach, Germany. He was a participant and I was a volunteer. We’ve kept in touch via Facebook and Whatsapp.
I visited him and his family for the first time when I attended Carnival in the nearby city of Cologne. Roman, his wife Sandra, and their daughter live on a ‘Gentleman’s Farm’ where Roman raises sheep. They also have a horse, three dogs (one is a herding dog), a cat, a few parakeets, and two guinea pigs. During our visit, I found out that the word for guinea pig in German is Meerschweinchen, which translates to ‘little sea pig.’ Funny!
Sandra and Roman are terrific people and the space that they have created for themselves on their little farm is so inviting and charming. I feel such a sense of peace when I’m there. I was looking forward to them having the chance to meet Pierre, and for Pierre to meet them and to see their place.
We had a really good time together, and we bonded over the one really big thing that we have in common–we own homes in other countries that need to be renovated. As you know, ours in France, and their place is in Slovenia, the birthplace of Roman’s parents. Roman has a head start on their place (they’ve owned it longer than we’ve had ours), and Pierre was able to ask him lots of construction and pricing questions.
Roman and Sandra were amazing hosts. They took us sightseeing to a nearby church, and we visited a little farmer’s market near their home. For the most part, we just relaxed around the house, and of course, there was lots of laughing and talking. Below are a few pictures from their place…I told you it was peaceful (and perfect)!
They’re either talking about construction or sheep!
Their vegetable garden–
Roman showed us how his dog follows four commands to herd his sheep to any point on the property where he wants them to be—it was a pretty impressive thing to watch!Roman’s mother lives next door and she invited us for coffee and waffles one afternoon–everything was delicious (I’m bummed that she isn’t in the picture).
After spending several weeks in France in our new home, it was time to leave and head back up to Germany. My mother-in-law lives in Kassel, Germany, which door-to-door is about 1,450 kms from our place. We decided to throw a few detours in by doing a bit of sightseeing and visiting friends along the way.
This is a very “rough” depiction of our trip! Put it this way—it isn’t exact, but close enough for you to get an idea of our trip.
Our first stretch break was in Saint-Pierre-La-Mer, so I could see the coast. Pierre had been here before, and he wanted to show me this stretch of beach. I think it had more to do with the town being named after him, but I got to see and smell the Mediterranean Sea!
France is a pretty country to drive through, and after a few hours we drove over the Viaduc de Millau. After crossing the bridge, we stopped at the visitor center to look at the side view, and to learn a little bit more about it. Construction began in 2001 and it was opened to traffic in 2004. It’s the tallest bridge in the world, with it’s highest point towering 1,125 ft. above the ground. It’s considered by many to be one of the greatest engineering achievements of all time.
The Viaduc de Millau has an impressive profile!
Pierre knows that I have a “thing” for Gustave Eiffel, the engineer and designer of the world-famous Eiffel Tower and the inner framework of the Statue of Liberty, so he wanted to show me the Garabit Viaduct. This wrought iron railway arch bridge was also designed and constructed by Gustave. It was completed in 1884 and for many years, it was the tallest bridge in the world. Gustave was a busy, busy guy during this time—the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 in time for the World Fair in Paris.
If you want to read a good book about Gustave Eiffel & the Eiffel Tower click here…Eiffel’s Tower.
The Garabit Viaduct
On a whim, we decided to stop at the Puy de Dôme, because among other things, it’s a famous flying location and Pierre wanted to see it. We enjoyed watching the paragliders, but it was too late in the day to take the train to the top of the lava dome. We visited the Visitor Center and found out that the train runs year-round, so maybe next time we can go to the top.
The Puy de Dôme is part of a chain of 80 dormant volcanos known as the Chaîne des Puys. The entire region, stretching over a 45 kms, is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site. France is home to 45 UNESCO World Heritage sites.
We stayed on the outskirts of Dijon after our first day of traveling, and no, we didn’t buy any mustard, but we thought about it! In the morning, we traveled about an hour off-route, so I could see the town where Chocolat, one of my favorites movies was filmed.
The movie starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche was filmed in the village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in the Burgundy region of France. For those of you who saw the movie, I’m sure that you would immediately recognize the shop where Binoche‘s character, Vianne, sold chocolate to the villagers. Over the years, I’ve probably watched the movie 5 or 6 times. It’s dark, sensuous, and delicious, just like the chocolates in her shop!
The store front is empty now, and just like in the movie, it’s located across the courtyard from the church. I was hoping to peek inside the church, because several scenes from the movie were filmed there, but there was a funeral being held. Bummer—maybe next time!
It was a beautiful town and well worth the drive, because the scenery on the way there was magnificent as well.
The village of Flavigny-sur-Ozerain in the distance.The now-empty chocolate store front from the movie
I’ve heard of them. I’ve seen them, but I’ve never tasted one! Oh my…they’re so good! Fortunately, I discovered them toward the end of our stay. The first time I bought two and the second time I bought six! I can’t even imagine how many I’ll buy the next time.
You might be thinking—a macaroon? No! Read this little article, What are French Macarons? to learn the difference
Since the house is in such rough shape, we feel like we’re camping in it, rather than really living in it. We cleaned out two of the rooms and are using them as our bedrooms. We bought air mattresses, which are surprisingly comfortable, and Pierre also bought German blankets & pillows which are super soft and cozy.
The good news is that we have hot & cold running water and a functioning shower, toilet, and kitchen sink. These fixtures certainly won’t be featured in a Home & Garden Magazine highlighting their style and good taste, but at least we have them. We have two burners on the stove that work, so we can heat up a can of soup and the French version of ravioli. We also bought a little grill for the back yard, and Pierre has turned out to be quite the ‘Weenie Man.’ All-in-all, we’ve made it work!
The Grillmeister! Does it get any better than this?
We’ve started to meet people in the area and they’ve graciously invited us over to their homes for dinner. The first couple, named Wolfgang and Iris, are German and they’ve lived in the area for 18 years. They moved here to open a bed and breakfast, and they bought an old farm house. They can host up to 17 guests at one time! Pierre met them when he stayed with them in the spring when came over to meet with the lawyer (called a notary, in France), and to see our house and property for the first time. Wolfgang and Iris are fantastic hosts, and we’re looking forward to getting to know them better in the future.
Wolfgang and Iris had invited several other people to the dinner, and one of the guys asked us what brought us to France, and he also wanted to know about our house. We told him that France had essentially ‘found us’ and then we told him about how we were camping in the house.
He laughed and said, “First it’s camping…then in will turn into glamping, and before you know it, you’ll be living in France full time and hosting your own dinner parties!”
That sounds good to me!
A before dinner drink–We’re having fun!We couldn’t resist…we brought this bottle of Pierre over.Dinner was served in this lovely outdoor room in the backyard. Iris is an amazing cook and Wolfgang does equally as well on the grill.Will the ‘REAL’ Grillmeister please stand up!The cheese course…
Later in the week, we were invited to Ian and Sue’s house for dinner. They are British and have lived in France for slightly over a year, after living and working in the Middle East for fifteen years. They also run a Bed & Breakfast, and Pierre stayed with them in the spring as well. They invited another couple (a Brit & an American) over that night. We talked about the joys and pitfalls of living in France as newbies. They also told us about a group they belong to (I don’t remember the name of it), that’s like The Welcome Wagon. The group is great for meeting new people, learning French, learning about French customs, etc.
Unfortunately, I didn’t take any pictures, but we had a great evening. Lots of laughing, talking, and drinking! We also brought Ian & Sue a bottle of Pierre—we just couldn’t resist the humor of it!
If any of you want to visit us in France and we’re still in the ‘camping phase,’ we know two great places where you can stay!
Have you ever felt like your life was something straight out of a movie? That’s how Pierre and I have been feeling for the last couple of months. In March, we received notification that Pierre had inherited a house and property in southern France. To put it mildly…we were stunned! The property is located about an hour-and-a-half southeast of Toulouse, and about 1 1/2 miles away from a small village with less than one-hundred inhabitants.
The property is heavily wooded and is completely surrounded by farmland, giving the property a spectacular 360 degree view. I think the best way to describe the surrounding area is—-breathtaking!
The house, well, that’s another story. It’s in really (read that as REALLY) bad shape. Pierre estimates that it hasn’t been properly maintained for at least 10-15 years. It has structural problems and it was filthy and filled with junk. To horribly misquote Taylor Swift, “The house is a nightmare in the middle of a daydream.”
Initially, we kept the news to ourselves because the house needed to be transferred to Pierre’s name. However, the biggest reason that we kept quiet was because we were in shock, as you might imagine. We had already planned a big trip to Europe in August and September, so we decided to massively change our agenda to include southern France. Our temporary plan was to spend time at the house, so we could clean it and decide what to do. Our options, as we saw it, included keeping the house and renovating it, or selling it.
Pierre went over before I did, and he ended up spending four weeks there, and I was at the house for two weeks. We worked really hard to clean the house out, and basically disinfect it. Pierre also began to cut the trees down that were choking out the house. The trees were so numerous, that when driving down the road, you couldn’t even see that there was a house on the property. I love trees, but southern France is extremely windy and the tress were really big and old, so some of them had to be removed.
As we worked, and talked, and thought, and debated….a funny thing happened…we fell head-over-heels in love with the house and the surrounding countryside. We have decided to keep and renovate our little maison. Life is so interesting and it’s filled with so many unexpected twists turns. We’re excited!
Check out the views from our property—
Looking west…Looking north…Looking southeast (ish)—check out the Pyrenees in the distance!Looking south—The trees in the foreground are the back edge of the property.Looking northeast(ish)—-Don’t you LOVE this view? Can you see the heart?The front of the house (after some trees were taken down).The back of the house (after some trees were taken down).Emptying the attic…
On my last day in Lisbon, I only had the morning to explore so I arranged for a taxi to take me to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, known in English as the Monument to the Discoveries. The weather was beautiful and I wanted to spend my time near the water. The monument, situated on the northern bank of the Tagus River, pays tribute to the Age of Discovery in Portugal during the 15th and 16th centuries. I assumed (incorrectly) that the person at the front of the monument was Vasco de Gama. Yesterday, I had seen that he was buried in the church across the street. However, Henry the Navigator was the lead character (I’ve never heard of him), so apparently I need to brush up on my Portuguese history! The monument was impressive, especially against the beautiful blue sky.
Vasco de Gama has the third spot behind Henry the Navigator and King Afonso V.Scooter rentals can be found all over the city.The Belém Tower has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983 (the year that I graduated from high school!).
After looking at the monument, I walked along the river to the Belém Tower, which we had seen yesterday. It looked especially pretty in today’s lighting. The last thing I did was take a 40 minute water taxi ride back to the “Big Yellow Plaza.”
I almost had the boat to myself!
Henry the Navigator
Once there, I caught a regular taxi back to my hotel. The driver waited for me to get my luggage, and then he took me to the airport. I loved my time in Portugal and it was a new country to add to my travel list, but I was getting excited to meet Pierre in France. This has been (and will be) quite an amazing summer. Germany, Portugal, France…and then back to Germany!
After visiting the Tile Museum, Sussie, Christina, and I said our goodbyes at the Castelo de São Jorge. They flew home today, but they wanted to see the view from the castle before they left. Our time together flew by so quickly, and I had a lot of fun with them. Without much discussion, our travel vibe seemed to really mesh. Explore, relax, drink…repeat. I’m looking forward to the next Girl’s Vacation with them!
After they left for the airport, I strolled around the grounds of the castle for several hours. Built in the mid-11th, this hill top castle had a different role than other castles built at the time. Its purpose was to house military personal, rather than a residency for royalty. The views were magnificent and the castle itself was interesting.
Archeological ruins show evidence of three significant periods of human settlement in Lisbon.
Explore, relax, drink…repeat! Before leaving the castle, I had a beer at a restaurant that had a nice view. In addition to recharging my batteries, I was also able to charge my phone as well.After leaving the castle, I decided to walk “without a plan,” and I discovered a little shop that sold Portuguese Cod Cakes stuffed with cheese–delicious!
Does anyone need a rooster tchotchke? You may not need one, but they’re colorful!
I had a vague idea of where I was, and I knew that I was at a “high point,” so with that little bit of knowledge, I started walking “down.” I had read that if you don’t know where you are in Lisbon, follow the trolley lines downhill. Before long I started to recognize my surroundings from our jaunts on the previous days. After leaving the castle, I walked for about two more hours, just putting one foot in front of the other and having a great time!
Statue of Saint Vincent
Monastery of São Vicente de Fora
Top of the National Pantheon National Pantheon–Lisbon
The National Tile Museum had a really nice outdoor seating area where we had lunch. They offered green wine, which I’ve never heard of before, so we split a bottle–it was nice!
Green Wine? It sounds like something out of the world of Dr. Seuss for adults!
I found an interesting blog explaining the colors of wine, the one I tried is about 1/2 way down the page.
The National Tile Museum was one of my favorite things that we saw when we were in Lisbon. Housed in the former Madre de Deus Convent, the museum showcases tiles (azulejo) from the second half of the 15th century to the present day. The museum holds the biggest tile collection in the world.
I absolutely loved it and I’m going to let the pictures speak for themselves–
I thought I’d slip this one in–LOL!
Oh My!A panorama of Lisbon prior to the 1755 earthquakeThe Swedish Girls Having Fun!
Alex dropped us off at the Time Out Market which is an eatery near the Praça do Comércio. The Time Out Market is a huge food hall featuring 35 kiosks offering regional specialties for food and drink. It was really crowded while we were there, so we opted for ice cream, which we could eat as we strolled around, instead of trying to find a table.
After we finished our ice cream, we walked over to the Praça do Comércio, a gigantic plaza, which was once the royal palace of Lisbon. The plaza is a busy place, but it gets even busier when you pass through to the shopping streets located right behind it. We wandered around for the rest of the afternoon. We walked in and out of stores, looked for the Hard Rock Cafe so Sussie could buy her husband a gift, and we had another round of Ginja.
Praça do Comércio, which I called, “The Big Yellow Plaza.”
A beautiful fruit stand…
What do you need?
In the ‘touristy’ places a shot of Ginja is served in a little chocolate cup for 1 Euro. We found a little place off the beaten path that serves a ‘healthy’ serving of Ginja for 2 Euros (minus the chocolate cup). A mouthful verses what felt like a mug full! LOL!
We finished the day by dining alfresco. Perfect weather, good food and wine, and friends–who could ask for anything more?
