EXTRA - cat sanctuary Cinque Terre

Whilst walking a section of the world famous foot path of the Cinque Terre in Italy this past September - on the stretch between picturesque village of Vernazza and the beach resort of Monterosso al Mare - we came across a cat sanctuary in the middle of a forest! 
We were exploring this area known for its perched villages which are connected by a foot path high above the sea, with splendid views onto the Mediterranean and the entire coast line. "Cinque Terre"or Five Lands are 5 ancient fishing villages which have turned into a very popular and very frequently photographed tourist destination all year round. Supposedly it is accessible to anyone and any ability but we found some parts to be rather "sportif" and slightly demanding, especially for the ladies in flip-flops and heels and even more people in sandals...

So we were walking along this path when, on the ascent from Vernazza, we discovered this picnic area with a fence in front, with kibble and soft food and some notes to the passer-bys so as to not feed the cats too much as volunteers descend two times per day to take care of this feline population.

 

the "guardian cat"?

friendly reminders for passerbyes who want to help

No need to feel sorry for these fluffies as they are living in the good life! Although quite shy they don't seem to mind people passing as that usually means attention and food...

a snooze in the morning sun

complete with a perched cat house

There was also a small money box where we deposited some coins, to help pay for the food and upkeep. 

So if you happen to be walking between Vernazza and Monterosso maybe you can spare a few coins to keep these cats happy and fed.

 To Good Karma!

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - thank you

Claudia & Jim with Mia

October has arrived, the season of contemplation is starting, the sun shines less strong and the evenings get colder... This is also the time to reflect. And to pick up projects left aside during the busy season, like this blog which we stopped in early summer but gathered new ideas, recipes and other news which we will share throughout the winter. 

To reflect is to look back at our activities the past few months which started in March. We hosted many people in our organic vegetarian B&B, all lovely guests from allover the world who stayed with us, not only from all over Europe but also from South Korea, Australia, the US and Canada, Puerto Rico and India and many more places - we would like to thank each one of these persons for having spent some time at La Vudèle, for having brought this energy here.

We also again held yoga workshops which we as hosts enjoyed very much, and judging by the feedback and emails we still receive our participants enjoyed their time here as well. This also gave rise and inspiration for a cook book which turned into the idea of offering yoga & organic vegan cooking weekends for 2016!

Claudia & Jim with Mimie
Mia somewhere else ;-)

We would like to thank all of our guests for making this place so special, and we are very much looking forward to welcoming back some of them next year who already booked for June and July, for the famous lavender season! 

A bientôt!

Jim & Claudia

Mimie & Mia

LIFE AT LA VUDELE - after the summer

La Bella Mia aka Mia

This season we hosted many fantastic people in our guest room "La Suite" at our organic vegetarian B&B, from all over the globe! And in the true sense of the saying "the world comes to us" we had visitors from

Canada... Singapore... England... Italy... Croatia... Brazil... Bermudas... France... Scotland... Austria... Norway... Germany... Poland... Switzerland... U.S.A... Netherlands... China... Belgium... Sweden... and some more...

We would like to thank each individual personally for having chosen to come to La Vudèle on their vacation, be it for a couple of nights, a week or longer. It was always a great experience, be it the conversations, the discovery of places far away, fresh ideas, interests, hobbies, and sometimes even gifts!

We are especially happy about all the positive feedback and reviews we receive to our offering:

number 1: vegetarian. Our first and foremost concern, the well-being of all animals. As we discover every day what possibilities exist including raw food we are moving more and more towards veganism. One of our guests wrote a beautiful blog entry including fantastic (and appetizing) photos about our vegetarian dinner or table d'hôtes in French. She also wrote about our sumptuous breakfast, with our own freshly baked sourdough bread 

number 2: organic. Living in the countryside of Provence we have discovered producers of fantastic organic fruit and vegetables at the market in Riez, be it Francis from nearby Allemagne-en-Provence who always greets Jim with a typical French "'ello"; or Isabelle, with her delicious tomatoes which we turned into jars and jars of sauce for the winter, and our trusted farmer Gerard with a large range of produce from his organic in Mane! We strive to find the best organic products since we not only serve the food but also partake in the meals ourselves. So "organic" is something we take very seriously, personally.

number 3: authenticity. Both Jim and I chose Provence as our home and found a very special place here at La Vudèle. One of the biggest compliments we received from one of our last guests, in September, when he said he could feel the passion and love we have for this place. 

And we are very happy that Mia has joined us, a very cuddly cat we adopted in July. She had been found in a nearby village with a massive hernia which needed treatment. We took her to the vet right away to get her operated. All went well and now she is already a permanent and important part of our life here at La Vudèle. She knows how to charm not only us but also our guests, with her beautiful green eyes and long fluffy coat. Initially whilst looking for a name we had called her Fluffy which then turned into Bella but somehow didn't sounds right; so now she is called "La Bella Mia", or Mia for short, with a nod to our Italian guests this summer who were some of the first people to meet her here.  Our other kitty cat Mimie has still not really adopted Mia as a friend but they are learning to tolerate each other. A pecking order during feeding time has definitely been established... Mimie won.

Bienvenue at La Vudèle

and may you enjoy your life with us