.......How does it go?........ the future’s not ours to see?    …..  the purchase of  our new property in Sablet, certainly falls into that category....................

2004 -  in Sablet  village, we were staying in rented  a vacation house.

We had noticed on a real estate website,  an apartment in a very old building that was being renovated, was available for sale.  We contacted the realtor and he showed it to us.  It was still in a state of rough construction, the living/dining/kitchen and bedrooms with bare concrete floors, rough plumbing connections where the kitchen and bathrooms could be placed,  walls were not painted, there was also a garage and a “cave” (wine cellar).   We liked the location and the village – the apartment had possibilities. 

It was on the lower two levels, of a very old four storey building – all of which was undergoing renovation by an Italian Contractor/Developer who had come to Sablet many, many years before,  and made the village his home. Interestingly, the property above the one we were looking at, was accessed from a street three levels up, on the opposite side of the building. This one was accessed from a different street  at a  level three stories lower.  The effect was that they were two independent houses.  We looked and looked again, before telling the realtor that we would like to make an offer to purchase it. 

He said, “OK, I’ll call the seller and let you know his response tomorrow.”   When tomorrow came, we saw our realtor approaching our rented house with his head hanging.  He explained that we had been beaten to the purchase by another buyer who had also been looking at it. I can’t believe that my response at the time was, “… never mind, it means that there’s something better waiting for us.”  Our realtor couldn’t believe that we weren't upset with him - we said …. “OK we’ll be in touch”. 

Oh yes, during one of our walks around the village we had noticed the house above, and remarked  how much we liked that one too.

Fast forward ….. about nine months …… I was looking at the realtor’s website again and noticed a picture which I was sure was the house above!  I contacted him right away and asked about it.  He said , “yes” indeed it was the same one we were talking about.  Great!  ………. Let’s buy it!  The rest is history, and that house is  Maison des Pèlerins. 

During the purchase and remodeling of Maison des Pèlerins, we met our new neighbor who had beaten us to the purchase a year earlier.  She is a delightful, elegant lady from Paris, whom we came to know well,, and with whom we shared many enjoyable times.  We loved what she did to finish her house, and the way she used the space that was originally the garage.  The kitchen was finished with a classic, yet modern look and a back drop of ochre walls, so much a part of Provence.  The garage, which she felt would not be easy to access with a vehicle received a new Iron Gate, a beautiful tiled floor, and the rough rock walls were whitewashed. This space had been transformed into one of the most attractive, unique “outdoor” spaces in the village  (the baume).  The “cave” had also been whitewashed and converted into a very functional laundry area at the front, with a relaxing sitting area further back into the hill. We loved walking past the large “baume” in the mornings and seeing the light streaming in and reflecting off the back wall. (see below)

Fast forward encore …… five years after the purchase of Maison des Pèlerins, we were surprised to receive some news from our neighbor.  She was planning to leave Sablet, to be closer to her children and would be selling her house.  At first, we were disappointed to be losing our wonderful neighbor, but it brought to mind a thought that we had never really contemplated, because we really liked our neighbor.  Buying her property  brought about the opportunity to reconnect the two properties as they once were – one house! 

Even more ironic, is the fact that during last summer’s visit to Sablet, we met the gentleman who made all the renovations on this building.  We told him how much we were enjoying our house and the changes he had made.  He was kind enough to give us the complete set of plans that he had used – so there it is – a complete (albeit recent) construction history of the building that is now La Baume des Pèlerins and Masion des Pèlerins and …… shown in the plans is the original staircase connecting the two! ……………..Les Pèlerins! 

Fortunately, the stairs were, and are planned to be in a place that will allow us to close them off and maintain the separation between La Baume and Maison, as they currently stand. When open, it will function as one four bedroom house, that will very comfortably accommodate large groups – not only because of the number of bedrooms, but also because we have several living areas, which gives everyone more of their own space.

The stairs have not been done yet as the purchase took place in mid July, and the rest of our time in Sablet was spent furnishing La Baume and getting it ready for guests.  Perhaps during this winter, when things are quieter in Provence. 

Until then, whenever we want to go from Maison to La Baume, we walk out of the front door of Maison to the l’Escaliers de l’ Eglise, walk down our version of the “Spanish Steps” (41 of them),  and down Grande Rue to the front door of La Baume.

Who needs to join a fitness club when you can spend time in Sablet walking from one part of your house to another via two streets and 41 steps??!!

             Below are some Before (2003 during construction) and After (2010) pictures of La Baume


      

                         The Living Room 2003                                                                                         The Living Room 2010


       
                      The Kitchen 2003                                                                    The Kitchen 2010

        
                              The Cave 2003                                                                    The Cave 2010 


                                 
                                               The Baume 2003 when it was a garage