Season 2019 - What a Blast!

Sometimes, only one year can completely change your life. But people often forget that making these changes takes great courage, persistence, energy and patience. Not only did I need to take that first step, I had to continue walking, onward and upwards. Therefore, this year has also been an exhausting one for me. But it was a season filled with meeting wonderful people and visiting amazing places. Sometimes we went to places that I myself had never visited before. And whenever I took a photo on one of those special moments, I always said: "Smile, we're making memories!"

The year 2019 was also an expensive one, not only because we needed to invest in expanding our work; we also had to let go of something that was no longer working for us. In many ways, 2019 was for us the year of the Phoenix, and with positive hearts, Peter and I are looking forward to an even better 2020!

New book
This year I promised myself to continue writing my third and last book of my Time Travel Trilogy, which meant: research, research, research. Obviously it filled every free day I had, and will take the entire Winter to finish. I have found an amazing professional editor, and am hoping to launch the book on the Greek Island of Santorini on May 22nd, 2020. The story links southern France with ancient Greece and the ancient philosophers and alchemists. As its title is "The Ringing Rocks of Atlantis", it doesn't surprise that there is a link to the lost civilization, and in the story we will be exploring Plato's story to the detail.

Tours
One of the groups of this season that I have very good memories of, is a Yoga group called Stretch & Flow. All of the participants were amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed showing them around some of the main sites of Occitania.

Funny enough, this year I have taken very little photos during my tours. I already have thousands of beautiful pictures, shot during the past two decades, so I left my camera at home many times, leaving me more time to just be at a certain spot without feeling the urge to take a picture.

In the early Spring, my sister came over and we took advantage of the lovely weather by visiting many lovely sites here in Cathar Country. The most glorious day was our outing to Collioure, where we had the best weather we could ever wish for, and that so early in the year.

Expanding into Greece
I have also taken a group of long-time friends to Greece on an experimental group tour, called: "The Greece Experience Tour 2019" It was an amazing, but full 10 days, in which we traveled from Athens to the Argolis, Delphi, Meteora, Crete and Santorini. It was a fabulous journey through time, opening new possibilities for tours in Greece. You can find the memories of this tour on this page: Memories of The Greece Experience Group Tour 2019

One of the most rewarding things was to see the name 'Barinca' on our Greek tour bus. It really made me feel that I had accomplished something. France and Greece are linked in so many ways... Its past reveals an important interconnection and a marriage of cultures that explains a lot about the way we live, think and behave in our world today. And I repeat: To properly comprehend CE, we first need to rediscover BCE.

Strangely, it was the Greek island of Santorini that completely blew me away. Not only because of its surreal beauty and mysterious history, but also because it vibrated. Little did I know that only a few months later, I would start organizing a retreat to this island, a very special one, with my colleague and friend, Eve Marie Roy (below). The retreat will take place from 16th to 23rd May, 2020 and can already be booked. More information about this very unique retreat can be found on our tour page: SANTORINI RETREAT 2020

With Eve Marie Roy at a Celtic site near Rennes-les-Bains. She is such a soul-sister! ♥

Exciting times!
In September, Peter and I had to go to Montségur to get a film permit for a documentary series, in which I am one of the 'experts' in the episode on Otto Rahn and the Holy Grail. More details will be revealed as soon as am allowed to share it with you. :)

With Madame Couquet in Montségur. ♥ Love her so much. She is the last person alive in France who has known Otto Rahn personally.

With the two presenters at the Bethlehem Cave, a still from the documentary shoot, taken by the director.

Meeting soul-mates again and again
Life can bring such amazing gifts. Healers and soul-mates, who are also on a very special path. I have met many soul-sisters this year and I have a feeling that this will only increase as we move into 2020 and 2021.

With a beloved soul-sister, Mieke Vulink, a famous author from The Netherlands. Here we are posing at the view point above Lastours in the Montagne Noire. This was such a magical day with her and her partner, Vincent, and I will be forever grateful for their support and friendship.

Strange days with special clients...
Synchronicity is a weird phenomena. I was studying something different concerning the Knights Templar and within a week's time I would visit several Templar sites with clients who had this special request. I also learned a lot, and I cannot help thinking that this was never a coincidence.

The mysterious chapel of Archangel Michael near Sournia.

Belesta in the Fenouillet.

At Sournia, lucky to actually visit the old Templar Commandery building. ♥

While doing some research for my book, Peter and I visited the archaeological museum in Toulouse, a wonderful afternoon. Finally I came eye to eye with the local history I was writing about.

In Toulouse, at the archaeological museum; remains from the Greek era.

A Celtic Torque, in the archaeological museum in Toulouse.

I had several last-minute tours, and some tours which were already booked a long time in advance, so my September and October months were packed. But one thing stood out, as it was something from my bucket list that suddenly came true.

At Galamus I was able to cuddle a snake. What an amazing experience! It totally calmed me down. Now I know why the ancient Theraputae used snakes at the Dormitory in Epidaurus, Greece. What a gift this day was, and what an eye-opener.

A surprise visit in a normally closed bell-tower somewhere in the Fenouillet, a place that was linked to the Knights Templar. Again, this was such a lucky day.

The Notre Dame de Laval statue with Templar symbols behind her.

At the Pas de la Roque, always an amazing power spot to stop for a moment. Most people drive by, not knowing it is right there on the side of the road leading from Rennes-les-Bains to Rennes-le-Chateau.

But there is also some sad news to report.

On June 29th, our dear friend and colleague, Tim Wallace-Murphy, passed away at the age of 89. He was already very ill for a long time, and although he embraced his passing with absolute faith and curiosity, he is greatly missed by all who loved him and supported his important work.
I remember well how Peter and I were assisting at the Discovery Channel documentary shoot in Rennes-le-Château, back in 2012. I shot a little video myself, behind the scenes, and felt it would be a lovely memory to share with you. In the clip you can see his endless patience, grabbing every chance he could take to share his knowledge to a broader audience. This is the link to the YouTube clip:
https://youtu.be/Bp3yUGzDhLY
Tim has always inspired and supported me, and therefore, my new book, 'The Ringing Rocks of Atlantis', will be dedicated to his memory. May he rest in blissful peace. ♥

This Autumn, my brother and sister-in-law came over for nine days (photo above by Jaap Rameijer), making memories. ♥

Next week, my sister Lenie will be coming over for six weeks, so this Winter season I will withdraw into a private mode. The new season will be starting on 1st April 2020, and by then, my new book will hopefully be finished and Eve and I will be making the final preparations for the Santorini Retreat and the book launch.

I'm also very excited to be a guest speaker on a very special tour called "Women's Journey to Southern France", organized by Journeys with Soul, which will take place in June. More info: http://www.journeyswithsoul.com/sacred-tours.php?name=France%20Southern

Peter will be the tour manager for the Greece tour of Megalithomania, whom we have helped set up their incredible tour through some of the most amazing and mysterious sites in Greece. More info: http://www.megalithomania.co.uk/greece2020.html

There are several other amazing tours in the planning, so 2020 will be very special indeed. I am looking forward to all our new adventures, and to all the 2020 tours, both in Occitania and in Greece!

I would like to thank from the heart, all the hotels, restaurants and sites we have worked with this year, our clients for choosing us, and our colleagues, friends and family for supporting us. We love you! ♥

Have a fabulous Holiday Season and a beautiful, healthy and safe New Year 2020!
From Cathar Country, with love,

Anneke***

P.S. Note the Pythagorian Christmas Tree... ;-)

The Beginnings of a French Adventure

Everyone knows how life can bring many unexpected surprises and plot twists. Sometimes, one small decision made by someone behind a desk - a client you almost completely depend on, someone who doesn't care at all about any consequences for you - can change your entire life. In our case the loss of our biggest client in 2006 forced us to choose between the two countries we lived in; we had a rental home in The Netherlands and a house we had just bought in France in 2005. We obviously chose the one we had just bought, and this meant emigrating to France. Our French adventure started when Peter and I got married on my Birthday, 13th June, 2007. It was a perfect day; everyone was there, and we we very excited to begin the journey that would take us to where we are today. The wedding party was an emotional one, because it doubled as a farewell party. Only 2 weeks later, Peter and I would move from The Netherlands to our beloved Cathar Country in south-west France.

July 1st, 2007. While the truck took almost a week to arrive, Peter and I already traveled to France on July 1st, a non-stop journey that took over 15 hours. At 5.08 am sharp we left, beeping loudly. I'm sure it woke everyone up.

The journey went very well and it was an exciting, but also a bittersweet adventure; I knew I would miss my family and friends a lot. But when the truck arrived and our furniture and other belongings were unpacked, we really felt that we had come home. ♥

The Birth of a Gite
We didn't have much time to settle properly - several boxes wouldn't be unpacked until 8 years later - for the Summer of 2007 was not going to be a lazy one. The house we had already bought in 2005 came not only with a detached double garage in the shape of a little cottage, it also came with a heavy monthly mortgage. Having lost our biggest client in 2006, we had an urgent need to create a new income, so we decided to use our last savings account to transform the double garage into a lovely, charming holiday cottage. And so, after the design I created was approved by the architect de batiment de France, work started on the garage in the Summer of 2007.

Peter did a lot himself and I helped out with the wood staining and painting, the design and the interior decorating. Obviously, the fact that we are not far from a historical monument made it impossible for us to execute exactly what we had in mind. We also found out that the quality of the material here in France isn't by far as good as we were used to in Holland. But we did our very best and put our heart and soul into the cottage, which we baptized "Le Conte du Graal", named after Chretien de Troyes' famous story of Parcifal and the Grail.

Slowly but surely, the cottage was coming together.

The first couple who rented the gite were honeymooners, which was so very lovely! In 2008 we started renting out the cottage through a Dutch tour operator who worked with the heart, and we soon became one of the most popular rentals in this part of Cathar Country. Unfortunately, the tour operator was taken over by a heartless giant a few years ago, and we decided to rent out through another tour operator, and only in July and August. However, we can offer last minutes in this period, and great direct deals in the other months.

Last year - in 2018 - we celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the gite, with heartfelt gratitude to all who have spent their vacation in "Le Conte du Graal". ♥ We are very much looking forward to another 10 years, meeting people and sharing our little corner of paradise.

Below you can see our beloved cottage after 10 years:

Most people know Peter and myself from our tours and my guide work here in Cathar Country, but we are so very proud of the holiday cottage we have created, a home away from home that we love to share with as many people as possible to experience Cathar Country while staying in its very heart. ♥ We would love to have you stay in our holiday cottage "Le Conte du Graal" and offer to you not only weekly rentals, but also transfers and excursion packages - with me as your private guide - for special tariffs, with or without transport.

Our holiday cottage can be rented throughout the year.

You can rent our cottage directly: email to anneke@panoccitania.com to check availability and to make a reservation.

For more information, click here to go to our web page. We hope to see you soon!

From Cathar Country, with Love. ♥ xox

Anneke***