(NEW) Activities

Our list of activities in the area, which we offer twice a week for free, seems to grow longer every year. We have dedicated an extensive page to it on our website. This year, two spontaneous new activities emerged.

Hemko was photographing on the Passage du Gois when the water started flowing over the road from both sides, making it impassable for cars. He found it a magical moment – the sound of the rippling water, mixed with the cries of seagulls and the rustling of the wind. It always starts to get windy when the tide is rising. “More people should experience this,” he thought, and so we have done it several times already. We received very positive feedback, so we will certainly do it again this upcoming summer.
Last summer, we had French guests who wanted to harvest oysters from the rocks, but they didn’t have the necessary equipment. We gathered it for them in our shed. That’s when we thought other oyster enthusiasts might also enjoy doing this. So, this summer, we will suggest it as an “oyster safari.”

For our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, we received, among other things, a palette game. The scoring is similar to pétanque, but the game itself is quite different as it involves playing with lead disks and a wooden board instead of balls. We hope to play it often this summer because it’s a lot of fun. We would like to say, come on vacation with us, join in the fun, and we’ll explain the game to you.

Hemko private life

We joyfully carry out our work, keeping ourselves busy, but there have also been moments to do something for ourselves or engage in our hobbies. Throughout the year, Hemko occasionally ventured out to capture photos of birds in our surroundings. This year, we plan again to print a few of them. He is particularly pleased with the photos he took of Northern gannet, Black-winged kite and Short-eared owl.

This past summer, Hemko assumed a board position in a newly established association in our village. It is an association that operates a volunteer pool with individuals who can assist with events organized by local associations. They have been active since October, and to Hemko’s delight, they already have more than forty members. Hemko manages the website and Facebook page in collaboration with another board member, who helps with the texts and Hemko creates membership cards.

In the past year, Hemko also worked on various websites for friends and colleagues, as well as his three travel blogs. Two years ago, https://welkecampinginfrankrijk.nl went live, and hopefully, another one will follow soon.
One of Hemko’s music highlights was attending Bruce Springsteen’s concert in Amsterdam in May. He also enjoyed very diverse music at events in our area and performances in local pubs.

Hemko started his travel blogs during the pandemic for a reason. He is an enthusiastic traveller himself. With great pleasure, he organized a trip to South Africa for us in 2023 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. It became an unforgettable experience due to the abundance of wildlife we encountered, as well as the sounds and the array of new experiences. Activities like unguided safaris in Kruger National Park, lighting a fire in the evening with zebras curiously watching, and savouring the delicious South African cuisine made it truly special.

The trip was funded by the proceeds from Hemko’s camping blog, which is doing so well Hemko is now the proud owner of a business registration number as he has registered his company with the Chamber of Commerce. He is full of plans for 2024, with two more travel blogs expected to go live this year, provided all goes well.

The Passage du Gois and Our Surroundings

Relatively speaking, there seemed to be fewer accidents on the Passage du Gois in the past year, at least that’s how it appeared to us. We closely monitor what happens on the Passage for our Facebook page Passage DU GOIS www.facebook.com, which saw a significant increase in followers, partly thanks to some beautiful photos from our guests and friends.

As you can read in this newsletter, we are involved in many different activities, but in everything we do, the motto is always “AU PASSAGE DU GOIS first,” because that is ultimately our job, and we need to make a living from it. We are fortunate that our work feels like a hobby. One of the things we enjoyed doing this past year, for example, was searching for a good snorkeling spot. We found it, and Hemko spent hours there. We’d love to show you on the map where thousands of fish swim in crystal-clear seawater. Fortunately, the beach is also beautiful for those who aren’t so fond of water.

We enjoy attending visits organized by our Tourist Information Office, as it allows us to see and discover new things, just like with organized hiking tours. You end up in very nice, unknown places. We hope for new discoveries this year that we can then recommend to our guests.

Plans for 2024

It’s probably clear after reading the above; we’re looking forward to 2024! We’re in the process of compiling our to-do list for this spring. Martine has some new plans for the garden. Soon, photos will follow on our social media. We hope for a mild spring, so the BBQ can be fired up again soon.

Composting has been mandatory in France since January 1st, so we now have two compost bins in our orchard for peels and such. We’re also arranging for the garbage bins from our parking lot to move to our orchard. It looks a bit more charming that way. Signs will also be added to the driveway, indicating that the parking lot is only for our guests, as we’ve unfortunately had a bit too many public urinators who park with us. Hopefully, this will help.

Every Sunday, Martine writes on a small sheet our moments of happiness, fun things we’ve done, or things from the past week that we want to reflect on at the end of the year. We read them together every year between Christmas and New Year’s. The sheets also serve as ideas for the next year, such as fun festivals and activities in our area. We’ve already made a decent list for 2024. In the coming weeks, we’ll also explore a walking circuit in our eleven surrounding municipalities with the brochures issued last year by our tourist office. The goal is to select the best ones for our guests. And if you prefer to relax during your vacation, we can tell you that, to our delight, we’ve received a large number of new Dutch and French books. Hopefully, there’s something for you to read.

From our neighbours Joel and Claire, we received a mast with a corresponding sail. These will be placed in the garden of La Plage for a nautical ambiance, and the sail will also provide shade in the garden.

As mentioned, we are looking forward to the new year and, as you’ve read, have plenty of plans. We hope you also have nice things to look forward to. Wishing you a very happy 2024 filled with joy, prosperity, and good health!

Warm regards from France,

Hemko and Martine

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