LIVING THE DREAM

“The move to Burgundy wasn’t a sure-fire thing,” says Huub, “we could have stayed in Belgium, returned to The Netherlands or moved to Portugal… we knew we wanted to move and therefore at the time the priority was to sell our 18th Century farmhouse home.”
Following that sale, the couple initially took up residence in their holiday home located to the South-east of Brussels, and from there started to plan their future.
“I wanted time to think about where to settle and Sonja needed space to concentrate on writing her book... Buying a house is a big thing and an important investment! In fairness, I think that my verbal deliberations were a distraction for Sonja as she was immersed in her writing… so I decided to take a walk!”
Now when Huub says ‘take a walk’, what he means is a trek that covered 600 miles in 40 days and takes him from the Ardèche in southeast France to the Belgian Ardennes.
With compass in hand, Huub’s adventure included skirting the edges of the Massif Central, passing through the rich landscape of Burgundy, with its panorama of hilltop fortified villages, vineyards, and spectacular scenery.
“It was while I was in the little-known area of Couchois in Burgundy that I made the phone call to Sonja to tell her that I thought I had found our new home location” adds Huub.
Upon his return to Belgium, the excitement built as the couple planned their house-hunting expedition.
In the end, they looked at houses across a good swathe of Burgundy between Langres and Mâcon, but it was in the village of Couches that they found their dream home, an old winery overlooking the village and its 11th Century fortified château and, most importantly, with lots of potential to run a gîte business on the side.
It’s now four years since they moved from Belgium. They are well settled into their new home, meeting new friends and neighbours. Huub has joined the local walking club (Ed: Well, there’s a surprise), he has become a volunteer helper at the annual jazz festival held in the village and takes part in quite a few local events throughout the year.
“Through our estate agent, France4U’s Benjamin Haas, we have also come into contact with the international community in and around the Couchois area of Burgundy. Dutch, Belgians, English, Swiss, and Americans… it is a motley crew of artists, business people, artisans and bon vivants,” says Huub.
Of course, the good life and especially the wine culture is very important in the region and with famous names like Beaune and Chassagne-Montrachet nearby there are lots of vineyards to visit (Ed: And enjoy, if you know what I mean!); but there is a lot more to do culturally. In the vicinity are no less than three theatres with entertainment to suit a variety of tastes that includes music, drama, and dance. There’s also museums, cinemas, and international shows to be found in Autun, Beaune and Chalon sur Saône… all within easy travel distance from Couches.
Huub, who previously worked as a hotelier in the Ardennes and manager of a holiday complex, now runs the couple’s gîte business. The gîte ‘La Creuse’ has been a great success; no surprises really as staying in the area and soaking up the wine, the sun, the history, and the culture of Burgundy is a good way to relax and have a great vacation.
Sonja, who founded and runs her own business ‘Flashography’, is a writer with over twenty-five years of experience in photography. A professional photographer since 1996, she now teaches the ‘Kodak art’ and gives private and group lessons in photography for beginners through to advanced students (of every age).
With an increasing number of people choosing Burgundy for their principal or secondary home location, the important question to ask is do they like living in Burgundy?
“We sure do…” adds the couple in unison ”… and cheers!”