Holiday house France, Burgundy, Saint-André-en-Morvan, Les grandes chaussees

Our house is in the hill, like a Dutch dike house. From the way you enter through a small enclosed front garden of the house through the kitchen door.
Ground is the home of a living room of about 36 square meters, a small hallway, a bedroom with a bathroom and a modern kitchen.
In the basement, which is accessible from the outside, there is a large garden room, about 30 square meters, one bedroom, one bathroom, a cubicle and a cellar.
Across the house is a large double attic, half of which is still uninhabited, and the other half is furnished as a bedroom.
There are 2 double beds and 1 cot.
In the basement is a washing machine. Furniture, pots and pans, crockery and cutlery are available in sufficient quantities. The garden is terraced and covers approximately 900 square meters, lying behind the house and extending north along the road. Across the road is still about 450 square meter.In the garden are several places where one can sit and where children can play. For, next to the kitchen on the ground floor terraces where you choose in the sun or shade at all. There is plenty of garden furniture.

The house is situated in a village in the Morvan, in Burgundy, about 15 km from Vezelay and Avallon about as far from the locally known under number D141 road. St.André is a village with a church, a school, a community center and about fifteen houses or farms. The number of permanent residents is over twenty. In summer, a few houses inhabited mainly by Parisians. St.André is the capital of the municipality with the same name, a total of eleven villages and employs about 320 permanent residents. It is in a very quiet area with many forests and pastures on the slopes of low hills. There is no industry in the municipality. The active population lives or works in the livestock industry in Avallon or elsewhere. St.André is built on a hill. Our house is situated on the southwestern slope, on a narrow road, halfway between the square and the farm / cafe next door. It is the only inhabited house on this road. The nearest neighbors live a hundred meters away. The road is part of the GR 13 footpath and part of the pilgrimage route Vezelay - Santiago de Compostela.

The first 'ontmoeting'Door a faltering car stranded in the town of St. Andre-en-Morvan we stood with our caravan 14 days in the parking lot at the home of friends in Le Montat.We were not really looking for a house in France, but it was, for some people more than the other, quite a quiet wens.Daarover talking to a delicious meal and a glass of wine, the conversation turned to Grandma's house. Why no one really knew that name, but it was genoemd.De next day we are out of curiosity once gereden.We found along an overgrown house, which later turned out that the last had been inhabited in the fifties (we there were in 1986). Through the chinks of the shutters and between the ivy we saw dimly through a large living room with scarce meubilair.Wie would be the owner? We contacted the mayor Monsieur Magdelenat the details of the owner achterhalen.Dat was not a problem that we could get, but ...... we could go to forget. The owner, a retired hotelier from Vichy, it would never verkopen.Hij had the house for many years in the family was early fifties to allow them to refurbish it with his beloved wife, holidays and weekends to brengen.Kort was then they are deceased. He was still rare, but get rid of? Never in his leven.Toch we wrote a touching letter to Mr. Casanova (yes, that was his name really) but we did not even answer, despite the most hours of a reponse payee.We were already on the lookout for an alternative months when we later received a letter from Vichy, of Monsieur Casanova.Neen ..... not the old man but of his son, who reported that his father was deceased; our letter that he had found among the papers of the estate and that he us wanted it known that he wanted to sell.
On to Vichy!
An appointment was made quickly and in the summer of 1987 we went to Vichy, after we have a local contractor who worked regularly for our friends the house once had well-explored and found that it had polluted and shelter, but still that the architectural was.We were in fair condition at about half past twelve by Casanova junior and within an hour we agreed on the price, we went with the vendor for lunch at a restaurant along the river Allier, and that afternoon we sat by the notary to to sign for the koop.In October of that year the transfer takes place and we had our own place in the Morvan.
From one surprise after another.
The keys to our house were kept by the downstairs neighbors, relatives Daviot, farmer and owner of a cafe-tabac.Behalve the keys we also got some chairs with which she had brought from the house to prevent its theft.
First surprise: Dede (Andre officially) Daviot was a cousin of Casanova's. His grandmother, a Douhet, was married to an ancestor of Casanova.Dit know about the family and some other relationship, we could find in the cemetery of St.André, where a family tomb of Casanova's location (see photo).
Second surprise: different sides we were told that there was a painting of the French Romantic painter Corot, which the village was pictured with church and include us .... we huis.Inmiddels the painting, which hangs in the Louvre, regularly admired . There is also a reproduction of our house.
Third surprise: after some time we got to realize that there are many walkers and hikers on the road climbed upwards or panting. Our house is at the Grande Randonnee 13, one of the long trails that France still doorkruisen.Sterker our road is part of one of the pilgrim routes to Santiago de Compostella.Voorwaar a historical plek.Als we were looking we had been gevonden.Opknappen genieten.We and probably never have the roof and some major repairs carried out by 'our' contractor, but many improvements we have literally aangebracht.We handedly keeping the house and this place of silence, the view over the valley, the contacts with local residents, of the distant surroundings and themselves are spread over the whole year average of about eight to ten weken.We let it go especially since an occupied house in better condition than the house remains that a large part of the year wordt.Ook used for the villagers it is better, because a house with closed shutters, which are already so many in France, is not happy gezicht.Tenslotte we can from income home and garden maintenance and ultimately improve further. We invite you to come and enjoy this

On one of the pictures above our house zien.Sommige guests have asked us what that is.Daarom we tell here the story around this upper house.
For years, the strip of land across from our house and rising to the top covered with trees and shrubs, especially with lots of blackberry and ivy.
All this time we thought there was some shed that lay hidden under vegetation.
Until our neighbor once told that there's a cottage stond.Hij had the keys, as he has all the keys of empty houses in the village. And the key to our house.
We were curious and would like to see how it looked.
It was a (tiny) little house to be about six by six meters, completely polluted, without windows, holes in the roof, a rickety attic stairs and attic floor, covered with a layer of clay, straw, dust and remnants of clothes and furniture . It was last used during WWII as shelter for Polish refugees, and since that time nobody had any interest shown.
Our interest was piqued.
We saw something in there and inquired at the town hall to the name and address of the owner.
We came to know that - how is it possible - was recently made an offer on the house and the ground. We knew the size of the bid (a pittance). There we could easily over it and so we spent a slightly higher offer from the owners (three children who claimed his house and property as undivided estate and which were represented by their mother). We participated.
We had hardly any bid, when two things occurred around the same time: first, we learned that the "Communauté des Communes', which is part St.André also had an interest in the property and then told the vendors that our bid was noted, but that first the previous bidder was further onderhandeld.Hoe wonderful it is sometimes.
It was autumn 1999, the house had been empty since about 55 years, nobody had looked back to, and now as if by magic, there were three candidates for.

The house revealed.

When we were again in October for a week in all opschot St.André arrived was removed and the layers were peeled off from the house ivy. Sun, wind and rain had free rein through the holes in the roof. Miraculously, the trusses were still in good condition. Only the chimney did not look bright either. What had happened?
The mayor, of this building would make a Corot museum had commissioned the cleaning. Perhaps he assumed that the communauté sure the sale was.Wij could also very well with the mayor, yes .. but business is business and we wanted our own or make this meager possessions.

Who will win the struggle?

A few days after returning to the Netherlands we received notice from the seller that the first bidder had made a firm offer. If we were to do an unconditional offer of xxx franc should we noemen.Wij the owner may have done that bid immediately, after delivery to a notary in Orleans was prepared.
Then there was still just an interlude: the mayor came along with the request to waive the purchase in the interest of the communauté.
We were not planning on that and have made him very friendly diets. Moreover, it appeared that the council of the Communauté not wanted the money to purchase them four and therefore the new owners were definitely known.
On the last day of the twentieth century, the transfer takes place at the notary in Orleans.
Meanwhile, a terrible storm raged over France. The already rickety chimney will not survive this storm.

Why ruin such a purchase?

The main reason is that the upper house as an annex can be used by children and grandchildren, then close, but the necessary privacy hebben.Daarvoor it had to be refurbished and that gives the householder the option during his stay in St.André one of his hobbies, the builder games, exercise.
So since the time of purchase, the roof repaired, a new chimney brick, a septic tank buried, the house is connected to mains water, electricity is made and is a planning permission and approval for installing a bathroom (which is now ready is) and a storage space (which is soon to start).
In short: a strategic plan for inside the house must also necessary gebeuren.Of the house ever really put into we know not, but we do not so important.

Vézelay and the Basilica, called the Madeleine.Op 14 km away and very worthwhile. We always go there himself in our house when we zijn.De basilica is located on a hill on the slope the car stadje.Parkeer preferably down the hill and walk / climb through the long rue St. Etienne to boven.Je can try the beauty and purity of the basilica to describe, but you just ondergaan.Achter the basilica is a sort of park, surrounded on three sides by a stone parapet, from which a wonderful view over that part of the Morvan. The walk back down the outside is recommended.

At fifteen minutes drive from our house. At the time occupied by Marshal Vauban, who was born in the region. The name you enter the Vauban from Morvan much. His pedigree can be seen in the castle of Bazoches. The central square in place called Avallon Vauban. There is also a statue of him. In the maison du parc (Morvan) at Saint-Leger Vauban, where he was born on May 1, 1633, is also devoted to this remarkable figuur.Hij is best known for its many castles and fortifications which he built and the many sieges in which he participated. He was also involved in the attack on Maastricht in 1673, where he told Menno van Coehoorn came to be.

Even more than an hour away, but vaut un detour (worth a detour). The abbey was founded by Bernard of Clairvaux in 1118, has flourished known until the sixteenth century, then came into disrepair and was verkocht.In 1906 the restoration, so that the whole is again restored to its original staat.Fontenay is cisterciënzerabdij.De prime example of the medieval abbey is a UNESCO world list.

Not far from St.Leger this abbey is surrounded by forest. Live, work and still pray monks. You can buy a delicious cheese and the abbey is a printing / publishing where the Zodiac series is manufactured. In our book you will find some of aan.De name (virer means turn) comes from some stacked boulders, which seem to be in unstable equilibrium. The rumor goes that the stone may rotate, when the bells of a church in the area just three at the same time save.

A great project over an hour drive from our village. But well worth waard.Het is a project that a total of 25 years to complete neemt.Het involves the construction of a castle, as happened in the Middle Ages. The stones are hewn from the rocky bottom spot beams come from the oak trees surrounding the site, tools, metal parts, nails are forged in a forge spot, ropes are made in the rope, tiles, roofing, fabrics, everything is the site and made without modern hulpmiddelen.Ook children a great uitje.Natuurlijk find leaflets and other material in huis.Kijk us for more information on pre www.guedelon.fr