A French village at the Canal de Bourgogne
Introduction
We are a German-British couple splitting out time between Berlin and Bourgogne but will be moving to rural France permanently this autumn. My partner, who works in European politics and transport, and I, working in IT, have spent a considerable amount of our lives in foreign countries and love traveling and exploring new worlds and cultures and we love meeting new people of kindred spirit. In 2022 we bought an old stone house, built around 1830, in a small, French village, Ravières, in the lovely region of Bourgogne, which is reachable by train from Paris within 01:20 on the high-speed line or 02:20 on the regional network. Dijon is 40 minutes by train in the other direction. We are currently in the course of renovating the house, but it has been in a quite livable state from the beginning. We have two cats: Puppa, our little toothless monster, is a robust lady of proud 21 years. She was living with my mother in Jerusalem some years but was exhausted by the heat and the number of other pets she had to share her with. That said, she is now enjoying a senior life with us. She has been traveling with us for longer periods between Berlin and Ravières, but now we simply don't want to put her through the trouble of a long train ride anymore. Our second furry family member is called Josette. She is a French lady that was left to fend for herself more than ten years ago at the house we bought. The people in this village like cats and feed her. Once we had moved in, she kept showing up more and eventually decided to adopt us, as we were in HER house. She is now officially ours, chipped and vaccinated. She must be around 15 years old and doesn't see too well anymore. She is more independent and doesn't need as much human contact as Puppa but has become quite used to sleeping in our bed and receiving fair amounts of headbutts.
Show more...Home & location
Our old 1830 stone house is located at the heart of the village of Ravières. It is a three story building with an old but functioning kitchen and a guest room/desk space on the ground floor. The first floor is currently under construction. It will become the living area with a fire place and we just finished the new adjacent shower room with a sink and toilet. There is an additional toilet and a shower room on the ground floor. The attic was already converted and this is the bedroom and has another desk to work from, as well as an old stereo from the 80s and an eclectic record and CD collection that were left behind by the previous owners. There is a side building that houses the tools, bikes and heating and part of it was converted to house the shower and additional toilet. The windows are facing south and overlook our 60sqm terrace and some flower beds. And there is a lovely view onto the neighbour's garden, so no direct vis-à-vis. We also are allowed to use a small vegetable garden behind our neighbour's farm. So with some luck, you can harvest some fresh veg from there. The village has around 1000 inhabitants. There is a really good bakery, a small but well sorted supermarket, an art gallery, tobacco shop, hair dresser, bank, a creative coffee place and post office in 5 minutes walking distance. Almost every weekday there is some food truck selling cheese, meat, pizza, burgers or Italian specialties. There is also a restaurant down at the canal. A larger supermarket is reachable in Ancy-le-Franc by bike in 30 minutes and we can provide a bike-trailer to transport bigger loads. It's a really nice ride along the Canal de Bourgogne - where other people go for holiday. We live here without a car and so far made it work with bikes, the trailer and on foot. You can also reach the next larger towns by train in 10 minutes. But they only go every so often, so it requires more planning. If you come by car, there are parking spaces behind the house. The house is old and we in the middle of renovations on the first floor. It is not really usable at the moment, except for the bathroom. But the bedroom is in a very good state. Everything else is basic but functioning. The kitchen is fully equipped and has a new oven. The hob runs on gas. There is a fridge and a freezer. Hot water and heating are coming from a new and revised gas boiler and there is enough for two people to shower without issues. We love being here, even if it's the simpler life. People are kind and curious and the weather is usually nicer than in Berlin, because this is a micro climate where wine is produced (Chablis is only 30 km away). If you are looking for a calm place to unwind, where you can go for walks and bike rides or just to work remotely (we have fiber), this is the perfect place. If you speak some words of French it will be much easier to connect to people here. Most won't speak any other language.
Show more...Responsibilities
We would ask you to feed Puppa and Josette and clean the litter box when needed, though they go outside as well. They get dry food and some wet food as well. Puppa likes to sit on top of people. She is the more attached one. But Josette has now also discovered this for herself. Particularly when you sit outside she might jump on your lap and loves a chin rub. She sometimes gives love bites and at times gets scared and hisses. But she is not malicious in any way and never scratched us. At night they currently both like to sleep on our bed. Puppa either on a separate pillow next to me or in her basket. Josette at safe distance at our feet. She doesn't see well anymore and sometimes misses that Puppa is already there, then gets scared and hisses at her. They mostly ignore each other and stay at an arms length. As for the garden and terrace, we are installing an automatic irrigation system that should suffice. Should it be too hot and you see that the plants are suffering, we are happy if you give them an extra round of water. There will be a hose available on the terrace and in the garden as well. We expect that the house and the neighbours are handled respectfully, noise is kept to a sensible level and we get the place back in the state we left it in.
Show more...Meet the pets
Puppa
21 years
Josette
15 years
Sitter Reviews (8)
Homeowner Reviews (0)
None
Samsarah and Jon warmly welcomed us the evening prior to their departure with wine, homemade pizzas and lively conversation. Puppa is an absolute darling to care for. She accepted us very quickly coming for snuggles and especially loves being groomed. Lovely girl. There was an extensive and much appreciated list of recommended places to visit. The apartment is in a quiet street equally close to the wide-open space of Tempelhof Feld and the road to and from Kreuzberg where there are many diverse restaurants to enjoy. Thank you Samsarah and Jon for trusting us to care for Puppa and your home. We would love to return. John and Denise
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We had a wonderful experience looking after Puppa in Berlin. Samy and Jon welcomed us with open arms, inviting us to stay additional nights before and after the sit, which gave us the chance to get to know each other better and become acclimated with Puppa and the apartment. They are such warm and interesting people, and we enjoyed their company and good conversation over dinners and cups of coffee. They gave us lots of information on sights around the city and provided us with bicycles, which we used a lot. Their apartment is in a great location—next to a park and close to plenty of grocery stores and restaurants. Puppa is the sweetest and most affectionate cat we've ever met. She loves human contact and seems happiest when curled up on your lap. We will genuninely miss her! Samy and Jon were communicative during our sit, always checking in to make sure things were going alright. Would absolutely recommend!
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We loved looking after Puppa! She’s so affectionate and talkative, a great little friend to come home to! Perfect location and beautiful flat right next to a big park, lots of great eateries nearby! Thank you so much!
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Samsarah
