May we tell you about our adventure? The campsite is fully open, we got to know the local spring storms, organized a real wedding and the firepit has been put into use. Did we mention that the campsite is now BEAUTIFULLY green? We’ll tell you all about it in our third newsletter, which took a little longer than planned…
Bar & épicerie, continuously developing !
Although we have been open for a while, we are always looking to improve. We continue to expand our range. In the bar, Picon bière, Kir Royal, Port, Amaretto, Jack Daniels, Tomato juice and various Monin syrups are now on the menu. Behind the scenes we are busy testing the Mojitos for this summer with our new ice cubes machine – so stay tuned!
In addition to the product range, we are working on the calendar, to which we recently added a real expat night. It takes place every third Monday of the month and the first edition was a great success. A dozen expats eagerly took advantage of our brand new terrace, which can accommodate 40 guests in total at the front and back. Dennis turns out to be a quick learner behind the bar and is now drafting perfect Licorne beers!
In addition to daily fresh bread and the newspaper, the épicerie now also has fresh fruit and vegetables (yummy!) from Philippe & Henriette from the village every week.
There is also a range of non-food items available to serve our camping guests well. We are eagerly waiting for the electric bicycles that we have ordered for rental. In addition to local cheeses and meat, we also have delicious ice cream from local supplier la Ferme de Lune in the freezer.
With the summer approaching, it’s so nice for children, adults and ourselves… In addition, we are still negotiating with various local suppliers for frequent deliveries of (fresh) products, in order to be able to offer an even more attractive range during the high season. Finally, we regularly meet new faces from St. Bonnet de Condat and surrounding villages, who are all equally friendly – we still feel very welcome.
The campsite is open!
On April 29 we not only received a nice club of friends and family for Dennis’ birthday, but the village also showed up in large numbers for the official opening of the campsite. None other than Deputy Mayor Sarah Chabrier cut the ribbon. Afterwards we proudly guided all the guests around the site, through the Mobil Homes and the Chalets. The positive reactions were a crown on our work and gave new energy to continue building on our dream.
The evening ended in a wonderful party, with the Dutch and French dancing together on the tables to the music of Les lacs du Connemara. We hope to be able to throw parties like these often, because it got really late – but it was oh so much fun! We are not the only ones to open their doors, as we also congratulate two new restaurants in the nearby villages of Marcenat and Saint Saturnin. From now on we can heartily recommend L’hôtel de la poste and Le Moulin de la Santoire to our guests for both lunch and dinner.
The long-awaited safety inspection also passed and approved us in one go! So we were happy to use our firepit, where the first marshmallows have already been roasted. We have also registered ourselves with Relais Motards, to let the many motorcyclists know that they are very welcome with us. In addition to motorcyclists, we already had the pleasure to welcome cyclists, hikers, fishing teenagers and tourists seeking tranquility. From solo travelers to entire families, guests have stayed in tents, caravans, motorhomes, chalets and Mobil Homes. The majority were French, but we can also cross off England, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Corsica and Belgium. Some just passing through, others staying for 3 or even 8 nights.
We are especially pleased to note that we have received very positive feedback from all guests so far. More than once our guests have booked an extra night, because they liked it so much here, in the beautiful Cantal and on our campsite.
That is of course the biggest compliment we can get. Not entirely unimportant, we have now finally received the playground and assembled the entire kit ourselves. At 11PM, the entire construction was anchored last minute with quick concrete, so that the children who came for the wedding had a nice and safe place to play.
Wedding
When we hadn’t even expressed our plan to start a campsite abroad yet, Romenique and Roy asked us to be masters of ceremonies for their wedding. Corona postponed those plans for a few years, after which the new date was set at 28-05-2022. With a new date and our departure, a new location followed.
So we had the honor to receive the bride-to-be with their guests in France for a true camping wedding. We temporarily closed the doors to offer the group an exclusive experience.
With this, a long period of preparation came to a head, because we wanted everything ready for the wedding of Dennis’ niece It was hard work, but we look back with satisfaction on a weekend in which we provided almost 40 people with various meals, a beautiful ceremony and a great party evening! The atmosphere was fantastic and judging by the reactions, everyone had a great time.
Also featured on TV in ‘Ik Vertrek’ (a new life under the sun)
The film crew comes back one more time to see how we’re doing so far. In the meantime, of course, we are also filming the necessary home video images for ‘our’ episode, which is expected to be broadcast in November. It shows, among other things, how Jelle left for the Netherlands for a 72-hour flash visit.
We filmed how we tackled the terrain to get everything nice, green, even and planted again. And yes, we also do that with a glass of wine on the ride-on mower. We receive reservations for the coming months through all kinds of channels and occasionally passers-by stop for one or more nights. We experience every now and then what a spring storm can do in the mountains of France.
Most thunderstorm warnings seem unjustified in our microclimate. If, however, there is a storm, it will come pouring down from the sky, making our plants happy. Fortunately, the weather is generally lovely, with lots of sun and pleasant temperatures, with it always cooling off nicely at night.
You won’t hear us complaining, we have found our rhythm here and plan to stay for a long time!
À bientôt, lots of love.
Dennis & Jelle
