2023 Embrace happiness

The end of the pilgrim season is already 2 months behind us, but we have not been idle.

When we took over the gite in August I had an ambitious list of projects. Few of these are completely finished, but for many the groundwork has been laid. In addition to clearing out the garden, house and sheds, especially setting up a workshop.

The biggest project is adapting the wet area for the pilgrims. The aim is to make the toilets more spacious, to realize an extra shower and two extra sinks, all installed in a way that makes it easy to keep clean. This work will continue throughout 2023.

At the moment the gite is “cold”, i.e. no water in it and no heating. The frost protection is on in the house. Unfortunately, I have not yet been able to arrange the remote monitoring in time. I am very curious about the electricity bill because it could be quite high!

We are also very happy with the first two couples who want to take over the management of the gite. The first couple of hosts are Arno and Philippe, followed 6 weeks later by Cees and Ans. Cees and Ans arrived spontaneously last year and it clicked so well that they are going to host this year. I’m looking for two more couples to take over the management so if you feel like / time please contact me.

This week we received the first reservation for 2023. 4 pilgrims from Germany for the Easter weekend. From April 1 we will get back to work to get the gite operational. There is a lot to do because all water pipes have not only been drained but also completely removed. This is to be able to move the boiler. Hopefully 7 days will be enough to get everything done.

How is the gite developing? Pilgrimage and the associated peace, reflection and attention are the core values of Le Chemin du Coeur. From that perspective, a room is turned it into a meditation and yoga space. The new floor is already in place and now the further furnishing need to be done. We want to bring that same peace to the spacious garden. As natural as possible with space for everyone and beautiful views.

Many pilgrims will look back fondly on their stay at Le Coeur de Chemin. Next year I would like to award this to more pilgrims. That is why Le Coeur du Chemin will be mentioned on more sites and in more guides next year. We are also now listed on Google maps and Facebook.

More promotional activities are in the works for 2023, but more on that later. I now want to wish you a very happy holiday season on behalf of the entire team of Le Coeur du Chemin and a wish for 2023 “embrace happiness”.