Sunrises & House Sale Pics From SW France
I’ve got a rare day of rest before the storm of Christmas events here in the UK, so I figured I would take this opportunity to check in and bring y’all up to date on what I’ve been up to.
I started my European excursion ~10 days ago with an epic 3-stop, 28-hour travel-plan from sunny San Diego to Toulouse, France. As usual the traveling bit was not nearly as interesting as the arriving bit. Over half of my hours were spent strapped into a sardine-size seat and consuming barely edible food, with the delightful addition of a passenger that projectile-vomited from his seat into the aisle (literally right next to me) only 2 hours into our 10 hour cross-Atlantic flight. All I can say is that anyone who thinks flying is glamorous is either stuck in a 50’s daydream or rich enough to afford First Class. Personally I’m not either and can’t wait for teleporters to become reality…”Beam me home, Scotty”.
Thankfully I arrived intact, mostly conscious and ready to attack 3 days of solid work.
You see since my mother’s passing earlier this year my dad has been working diligently towards the next-stage plan of his life. Part of that change involves selling his gorgeous, but far-too-large-for-one-person house in the Southwest of France (by the town of Canens = HERE), downsizing and moving northwards closer to my sister in the UK.
My job in all this (or rather the job I took upon myself) was to professionally photograph the house so that he’s got the best possible chance of success. Having never done such an endeavor I rented a special wide-angle lens in the UK, stopped to pick it up on the way over and planned 3 full days of 8-hour photography in France, hopefully leaving myself enough time to both get the right light and get it right.
So, bright and early the morning after my arrival, PRE-sunrise I might add, I dragged my butt out of bed and got to work. Over the next 3 days I got up for 3 sunrises (!!), took around 2,000 interior & exterior shots and achieved, I think, some quite decent results. I’ve still got to finish sorting, putting together panoramas and (hopefully) creating a website, but I wanted to give y’all a peek.
For the curious the main house is 415 sq.m and has 3 full bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms, 2 living rooms, 2 offices, walk-in larder, laundry room, formal dining room, main kitchen and guest kitchen. Outside there is an additional 180 sq.m of external buildings including a large outhouse & garage, green-house & sun-room plus 3 ha of land with a lovely vegetable garden and established orchard (apple, plum and cherry trees).
And of course the kicker, the thing that sets this house apart from all others in the area -> totally open 360-degree views of rolling hills and the stunning Pyrenees Mountains. It’s a view that you simply never tire of!
If any of you blog readers are dreaming of French country living OR you happen to know any foreign real-estate agents that specialize in SW France please contact me!
My goal is to help my dad get this done and move this coming year, giving him a fresh foundation for this most important next phase of his life.
With house photography out of the way, my dad and I left the fine winter weather of SW France and jetted our way to the big town of Bristol, UK. My sister and fiancee live here, so we’re spending the rest of the holidays under British skies (i.e. mostly rain), but amongst the brightness of family and warm hearts. We’ll be having a joint Brit-Dane Christmas including traditional rice pudding for dinner tonight (gotta keep those nisser happy), a fine English roast on Christmas Day and a full 10-course Danish lunch (with snaps, naturally) on Boxing Day. In between we’re squeezing in several interesting outings around town and…of course…beer. But, that’s a topic for another blog post.
That’s about the lot for now. I leave you with a deep parting thought and the best of Christmas wishes from this side of the pond. I hope you all have a wonderful week!
Thank you so much for the beautiful pictures of your Dad’s home….I only wish I could purchase it and move there…..have a wonderful holiday and enjoy your time with your family….thank you again for the pictures…
If we weren’t mobile addicts we’d move there ourselves! Thanks for the lovely wishes.
Nina
Beautiful post nina.
really nice. thanks for sharing the house pics and such a nice travel blog.
happy holidays,
tina
Beautiful house and property. Have a verry Merry Christmas with your family.
I’m assuming you know that you can correct the wide angle distortion in photoshop? Skewing back the forced perspective might make your pretty pics even more attractive.
Otherwise very nice!
Good luck!
Bill
Yeah I do. Most of the pics do have the skew adjusted, but I decided to keep it (partially) on some of the internal pics. I actually like the effect. I’m working on interactive pano shots where folks can see the normalized perspective if they wish.
Nina
Thank you for sharing your dad’s beautiful home and your life with all of us. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and so many new adventures in the coming new year. Blessings.
Thank you. To you too!!
Nina
Which lens did you rent?
I may have a European cousin interested. Is there a website I can point him to that has all the particulars, including pricing and agent contact?
I rented a Sigma 10-20mm. Very happy with the lens!
And yes he has an agents website although the pics in there are currently fairly poor. I’ll send ya the link.
Nina
I’ve owned a Sigma 10-20 mounted on a Nikon D-50 for several years. Definitely worth owning, IMHO.
It’s a great lens for any DX format camera. I was very impressed.
Nina
I have so enjoyed all your posts this year! Please, please hold fast to your cultures. Britain and Denmark represent hundred of years of cultural contributions to the world worthy of pride and protection. Best wishes to you and everyone you love!
Oh fear not…we LOVE our cultural traditions. I always keep my special Danish traditions each year, and we’ve introduced Cuban traditions (from Paul’s side) over the years. Here in UK will be the first time we’re introducing Brit into the mix. Lots of fun!
Nina
Beautiful home! I wish your father luck in selling and in his next phase of life
Your photos are very good. I’m presuming you took even more that you did not show us. The photos will sell the house, or at least draw interest. You should market this with a real estate firm that specializes in unique if not higher end properties. And if it were me, I would also insist on marketing outside the listing myself online using Ebay (yes EBay) or other resources.
And since I’m on my soapbox, unless he really needs to sell, I wouldn’t. Not everyone is able to say “I have a little place in the south of France”. 🙂
And, oh what a place.
I’ve definitely got many more shots and will definitely be marketing outside the listing too. I’m hoping to contact a few more agents as well, especially those specializing in foreigners looking to buy in France (which I think is the most likely fit for this house), but I just need to find them.
I do think my father is making the right move in selling. It’s a lot of house (and land) for one person to handle, especially an aging one and he really wants to downsize and be closer to family. It’ll be bittersweet to see the place go, but also great for my dad to move onto the next phase of his life.
Nina
You’ve done a very nice job on the photos. That’s a lovely house and I’m sure your father is sad to be leaving it and so many memories behind. But, that’s part of life as we age, wife and I just did the same thing but now staying put, here in beautiful Oregon. Have a very nice Christmas and hope the house sells quickly.
Yeah I sometimes wish life were stationary, but age and time moved us on. If things were different I’m sued my dad would stay, but it really makes sense to move on and I’m quite proud of how he’s handling it. It’s never easy to make big life changes, especially as you age. I hope I can help him with this one small part of it.
Nina
What a special place Nina, did you grow up there? If so, there must be lots of memories associated. Can’t imagine he’ll have a hard time selling it, but maybe a hard time leaving. I know I would. I hope the holiday season is full of joy for you and your whole family, even though it will be without your Mom. Merry Christmas.
Michael
PS – I use to love flying, before we got the RV. Safe travels
I didn’t grow up here, but my parents spent the last 10 years living here and I’ve visited for many vacations. It was my moms dream retirement home, and I’ve always loved the region. We’ve had lots of amazing memories here. The views and weather are going to be the toughest to leave (especially those views {{sigh}}), but my dad knows he needs to move on. I’m hoping we find a buyer who loves it just as much as we do. It truly is a gem of a home in a wonderful region of France.
Nina
As always your photography is astounding. Love that you shared your home with your blog following. To you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year. Karen, living the good life, Full time Rving, base Sandpiper’s Resort Edinburg TX.
A wonderful Christmas and New Year to you too!
Nina
Looks like a dream house and dream property…your photos are sure to sell it well!
Merry Christmas to you and Paul (whom we had the pleasure of hanging out with this past weekend!)
It was definitely my parents dream home. Took my mom many years to find the perfect property (with the perfect views), and then she spent even more years renovating it. I think whoever buys it is going to be very pleased.
Nina
Gorgeous!! I can’t imagine your father should have trouble selling that view.
Beautiful home and property in France! Can’t imagine having any problem selling such a gorgeous property. Good luck to your father, and happy holidays to all of you! -Mike and Linda
Hope you have a wonderful holiday too! I’m sure you’ll be enjoying many cozy nights in your new CO home.
Nina
Gawd, what an awesome place. Sure wish we had deep pockets. Or any pockets for that matter.
Sorry to read about the projectile vomiting. My wife and I have flown a few miles (she more than I), and we’ve never, ever had such an experience.
You’re just *all about the new experiences*, aren’t you!?
This trip was probably one of the worst I’ve been on, and I’ve done a lot of flying in my day! I guess I can be thankful for my (generally) poor sense of smell, but it still didn’t make it much better. I also felt deeply sorry for the stewardesses who had to clean the mess up. What an awful day in the job!
Nina
What a beautiful home and property—your photos are terrific. And that view! Wishing you and your family a lovely and cozy holiday. It sounds like you have some fun plans. I want to know more about your holiday feasting, with photos, please. 🙂
Thank you. Wish you both a lovely holiday too!
Nina
Wow, what a great place to park an RV. And, yes… a few skewed pictures are cool. Must be the Dane effect. Good luck… pictures sell houses. Done a few real estate photo shoots, and a good wide angle is still in my box for travels.
jc
I was soooo happy I rented that wide angle lens. Don’t think I could have gotten the shots I wanted without it. I’m. a total newbie at estate photography, but I must say it was challenging…and fun. I hope I’ve done the house justice.
Nina
What wonderful photos of the home. The one of the view to the Pyrenees is astounding! Great work on the photography.
I can relate to the story of your father moving on to the next stage of his life, as my very elderly Grandmother had to be moved on to her next stage of her life earlier this year. The family then had to get her home prepared and put on market for it’s next stage of it’s life too. Sad and hard things to do, but life presents us with many necessary changes.
I am going out of my home state to visit my family next month, and will keep you in my thoughts and best wishes as you work through this phase with your family too.
Enjoy your time with family and stay strong. I wish you and Paul a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year! 🙂
Yeah, those next stages of life are never easy, even tho’ they’re necessary. My dad is handling it all wonderfully and is actually looking forward to living closer to my sister. I think it’s going to work out great for all of them.
Merry Christmas to you too!
Nina
Quite an impressive house. What views!
Wishing you a wonderful holiday with your family!
We feel sorry for poor Paul, stuck in San Diego alone with all those breweries 😉
I know…the poor boy has been suffering. He’s been teasing me with endless pictures of brews since I’ve been gone. I’ve managed to send a few back though, so I’m keeping pace 🙂 I think you should get your butts over to San Diego and join us.
Nina
I hope you have a Merry British Christmas. No matter the weather it is one of my favorite places to be at this time of year. Wear a paper hat and pull a cracker for me. Xx
Paper hats, eh? I’m going to have to ask the Brit side of the family about that. We definitely have crackers prepared and have been enjoying LOTS of good pubs since we’ve been here. I do love English pub culture.
Nina
Wow, what a beautiful house with a view. Im optimistic it will be grabbed pretty soon after the holidays especially with those great photos.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas with your Dad and Sis
I sure hope so. It really is a wonderful property. If any of the kids were even remotely in a position to live in France we’d grab it up. Don’t think we’ve ever had a house with better views.
Nina
The view is simply amazing! Love the pic’s you took. You are very talented. Now about that projectile vomiting….I know all about those international flights. I’ve been back and forth to China a half dozen times. But the projectile vomiting was coming from my infant daughter, not a grown up, lol! Glad you made it safe and sound. Enjoy your time with family and have a safe flight back to us :-).
Oh that’s awful! Nothing harder than your child being sick on a long international flight. There’s so little you can do to make it better. Poor thing!
Nina
Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year to you, too.
I enjoy your blog and the information that you share. Intend to get a fifth wheeler when we return to New Zealand in a year-or-so.
Regards
Graeme Ward
Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates
PS Just a few large fifth wheelers and motor homes on the road here (imported from the USA, no doubt).
Those Pyrenees mountains match our San Juan’s almost identically!… right down to Mount Sneffles on the far left. Are you sure you’re not in Ridgway, Colorado and just keeping it a secret? 🙂
Thanks for whisking us away on a European Vacation, without the Griswalds 🙂
Have a wonderful holiday and may all your miles be pleasant and inspiring in 2016,
Box Canyon Mark
Merry Christmas, Nina or as they say in the UK: Happy Christmas!
Best of wishes for your dad selling the gorgeous chateau!
Tell Paul we wish him Feliz Navidad!
Kathy and Grant
Great Post Nina, wonderful pictures of a beautiful well loved home, I am sure it will sell fast…enjoy your family time.
What a beautiful spot. Merry Christmas and safe travels!
What a gorgeous property and house! I can’t imagine your dad will have any trouble selling this viewpoint homestead. Your photos are beautiful. It is amazing what a wide angle lens does to show the details. Now if I could only move it to high country here in the west:) Good job, Nina:)
Enjoy your holiday with family making lasting memories:)
Merry Christmas!
Yeah I think this house in the CO mountains would be pretty darn sweet. If I had any inkling of moving to France I’d be here in a heartbeat, but I think we’re all about smaller sizes and RV travel, at least for several years more (plus once we come off the road I’m pretty sure we’ll be going tiny house).
Nina
The home is stunning, and I can see how your dad wouldn’t need all that space. Wonderful to be the one taking the pics while enjoying and saving sweet memories. Those views – wow! Enjoy your international holiday – Merry Christmas to you and Paul and the rest of your family. And Polly too!!
I feel pretty lucky to have been able to spend vacations at this place. The views are photo-drool-worthy stuff. Hope you have a wonderful end of year!
Nina
Beautiful home! I wish you and yours a merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you for sharing with us.
Thank you very much. Happy New Year to you too!
Nina
Wishing you a holiday season full of family love and warmth, and remembrance.
This year, I am fondly remember being introduced to your traditions last year in a certain gorgeous dessert (I can at least understand the significance of snaps!). 🙂
Merry Christmas to you and Paul! I enjoy your blog and wish you all the very best in the new year!
– dan
Awesome job with the photography. Wonderful home that I’m sure will sell quickly with your photos. Merry Christmas
Dianne
Thank you and Merry Christmas to you too!
Nina
Such a wonderful property and fantastic house! I can’t imagine it won’t sell in a heart beat especially with your wonderful pictures of it. Your father is brave to uproot his life from such a perfect spot and move at this stage of his life. I hope it all turns out perfectly for him. I can say for sure that I am not looking forward to the way life seems to wind down. Merry Christmas to you and yours on both sides of the pond!
Life transitions are never easy, but I’m so proud of the way my dad is handling all this. He’s actually moving much faster than any of us expected (all his own doing) and is excited about the next stage, despite the many changes and unknowns. He’s quite the man.
Nina
Beautiful photos Nina! I pray that you can help get your father into the next phase in his life. From chilly but sunny So. Cal we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with love, laughter, and lots of grand adventures.
Wishing you the same LuAnn. Hope we get to cross paths again this coming year.
Nina
Beautiful pictures! We are currently parked in San Diego, and I believe we are only a few spaces away from your rig. We are knly a couple months into our full time experience. Safe travels back home!
Sweet. I’ll be back in the area end of year, so do come by and say hi. Keep it sunny for me, will you?
Nina
Just ran into Paul and introduced ourselves. Unfortunately we are leaving on Friday but hope to meet you before we leave. I know you will be in need of some rest. We are in space 134. Have a good flight, the weather is still fabulous!
Glad you’ve met! I’m on my way home today, but will probably need a few days to properly recover. I hope to meet you too.
Nina
Beautiful home and area……and Santa actually brought me a Sigma 10-20 and a 120-600 for Christmas this year 🙂 . Safe travels and happy holidays!
Sweeeeet! Nice combo! Nina
Beautiful, beautiful home and grounds. I’m sorry your Dad is wanting to sell it, but someone will buy it and enjoy it just a much. Sometimes we need to make changes as we get older, and I’ll bet he’ll be very happy in his new circumstances.
I clicked on your Realtor link and I agree – you need to replace their photos with your gorgeous shots. One hundred percent better – lighting and set up both. The inside and outside of the house and the grounds just don’t look the same. You’re a good daughter – your photos will bring lots more people out to look, and probably a bunch more $$$ too. Good luck for a quick sale.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family and will have a safe and happy New Year. Best wishes to Paul and the furry kids, too. 🙂
Thank you for the lovely thoughts. Hope you have a wonderful New Year!
Nina
Hello Nina.
I must say you brought tears in my eyes!! Your mother story is so beautiful with so much passion and love. I think your sister should move in with your dad there’s enough space for a separate suite plus weather wise you can’t be wrong .
Good luck with the sale it should go over the asking price.
Happy New Year to all of you.
Unfortunately my sister and fiancee have jobs that keep them in the UK, otherwise it would honestly be the perfect arrangement. Thanks for all the positive thoughts.
Nina
Wow, that’s a beautiful home, Nina. I can understand your dad not wanting to bounce around in it alone, though.
“All I can say is that anyone who thinks flying is glamorous is either stuck in a 50’s daydream or rich enough to afford First Class.”
Ha, ha! I was an Airline Dispatcher and could sit in a jump-seat in the cockpit. The only times I rode in back was when my wife was with me…she wouldn’t let me leave her alone with the self-loading baggage. (Yes, that’s what we called you folks. ;)) I haven’t flown commercially since I retired and can no longer (legally) ride up front. (Thanks, terrorists!)
Hope you guys have a Happy New Year!
LS
Self-loading luggage LOL. I like that one. Every time I go on a plane these days the seats seem to get smaller and the service/food worse. I’m really, really wanting that teleporting machine.
Nina
I did work for these guys for a couple of years, though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhP6TAW5WbQ It’s the best restaurant that I’ve ever flown in. (Nothing like foie gras on toast points for breakfast in the cockpit ;)) I did ride in the back when there was room.
LS
Wow…super snazzy! That’s definitely not the style of flying I’m used to LOL.
Nina
My heart still aches for you over the loss of your mom this past summer, so I imagine that returning home must have been bittersweet for you, sweet Nina. There is no expiration date on grief. Just when you think you’re going to be okay again, that raw, aching pain will reach out from the shadows and squeeze your heart so tightly you can barely breath.
I lost my own mother when I was only 17. Too young to really appreciate her, but never too young to grieve over her passing. If I have learned anything in the 45 years since my mother’s death, it is that you never get over losing a loved one. You simply get used to your new reality.
Okay, enough of the throat-tightening talk for now. I really just wanted to tell you that my hubby and I made a donation to your beer fund on December 8th. When I submitted the request through PayPal, I didn’t see any option to include comments, so I imagine that all you received on your end was that some guy named Harry Lancaster tipped your beer fund, not even an honorable mention for yours truly. So your friendly tippers are Harry and Jan Lancaster, aka Chief Officier Captain Nemo of the USS Moho (his middle name is Nemo) second mate Moho Mama, and third mate Hemingway, our beloved orange cat, who favors your Taggart, except Mr. Hemingway is a polidactyl cat with 26 toes. His front paws look like mittens, albeit funky looking mittens, and we named him after Ernest Hemingway. Mr Hemingway who was renowned cat lover, who was given a white six-toed cat named Snowball, sea captain who visited Hemingway in Key West. Thus began Hemingway’s love affair with polydactyl cats. It seemed only fitting we name our sweet Puddy Cat our old Ernest himself.
Enough of my rambling. Just wanted to know how much we love your website and tipping the beer fund seemed like a good way to say thanks.
Warmest regards,
Moho Mama
P.s. I’m the one who nicknamed you Asphalt Trail Travel Goddess! There’s a story behind the name I’ll tell you if we ever cross paths on the Asphalt Trail.
THANK YOU very much indeed for the lovely thoughts, and the donation! I usually see and respond personally to each donation made (using the e-mail on the Paypal notice) so I’m terribly, terribly sorry if I missed yours!! It is MUCH appreciated!
What an interesting kitty you have with 26 toes! That reminds me of the kitties I saw on Hemingway’s old estate in Florida, which of course ties into how you named him.
Thanks again for everything. I wish you a wonderful New Year!
Nina
Nina,
I am just now getting caught up on your adventures – The photos of your dad’s house are fantastic. If I were looking to buy a home in France – I would, just based on your photos – offer top dollar. Good luck in your travels and I will keep reading –
Michael