After a deliciously slow journey that allowed me to enjoy all the carefully selected stops along the way without any stress, I arrived at my first official house-sit—caring for two whiskered companions—on December 1st at exactly 5 PM. My host Liz attributed this to German punctuality (ha!), though honestly, I had simply planned an extra-generous time buffer.

The welcome was warm and overwhelming, and the three days until Liz and her husband Henk’s departure continued in much the same way—from morning till night, there were fascinating briefings, many new faces, and an endless stream of new impressions.

Liz and her husband Henk have created a wonderful little “village within a village” in the picturesque Dordogne, complete with professionally equipped houses—it’s called VIN-T-AGE and is designed for people 55 and over who enjoy independent living while also appreciating a relaxed community. The tastefully designed and modernly renovated houses are home to interesting people from all over the world.

This circumstance, along with Henk’s many outdoor sculptures throughout the expansive garden, makes this place truly special—harmoniously integrated into Montcaret, a village of 1,200 souls.

Henk constantly works expertly on the newly added houses, maintains the garden and pool, and at his absolutely incredible 75 years, moves so quickly that I could barely keep up when he took me to the town hall once. Even during garden work, when I offered to help, he set such a pace that I almost felt old. 🙂

Liz is the masterful organizer where all threads come together, and she seems to know everyone in the county. Without much fuss, she actively takes care of other people, brings them together, runs the entire project, and manages the household on the side. As if that weren’t enough, she goes to the gym and dance classes several times a week—and cares for ever more cats who seek refuge with her.

Now the two are away on a longer trip, so Ushi and Muphasa, along with house and garden, need someone to care for them for 5 weeks. Thankfully, this task—arranged through an online platform—fell to me!

At first, there was a bit of drama, as Muphasa, the wild tom, mostly fled from me and then made himself quite scarce, which made me rather sad. But Liz explained that he wasn’t used to the bustle in the house with so many people at once and would relax once they had left.

Still, the doubt lingered that there might be something about me that he simply couldn’t stand. In contrast, sweet little cross-eyed Ushi was open and cuddly from the start, tucking her little head into the crook of my arm.

Thank goodness, Liz’s prediction came true—as soon as I was alone with the two of them, Muphasa also visibly thawed, and now I’m allowed to give him thorough scratches too. His relaxation when he lies on the carpet like a plush toy, dreaming with twitching paws, speaks volumes.

After an intense settling-in phase, I too have found my rhythm. Just last weekend, I was relaxed enough to visit the local museum… Yes, it’s hard to believe, but within a 5-minute walk, there’s a Gallo-Roman church and remains of a cemetery, which in turn were built on an expansive Roman villa with thermal baths and cold plunge pools. Today, the site offers a fascinating mix of excavations from widely separated eras—this definitely won’t be my last visit!

This little place is full of surprises, and I’m tremendously looking forward to my first excursions to Bordeaux, which is only 50 minutes away by train!

So far, my daily life consists of garden and pool maintenance, my online sessions, extended walks, and initial contacts with the lovely people here—but the highlight remains feeding and petting these two four-legged friends.

I’m curious what else my time here will bring!