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Rock Eddy Bluff B&B The perks of being an innkeeper
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Every time we come home, the experiences are enriching! After each adventure, we discover new facets of the human landscape, and we return excited, stimulated, and amazed. But how can we afford to travel frequently? We are modest innkeepers, living in a rural retreat in the heart of America. Our secret lies in how we structure our lives: we let adventure take precedence over new cars and flashy boats, embracing a simpler lifestyle.
This privilege is the result of many conscious decisions we make every day. Moreover, we travel abroad smoothly, escaping what many Americans consider obligatory travel styles. As innkeepers, we have more time during the winter months when travel expenses are lowest. It's the perfect time to go! During quieter months, we exchange and visit our fellow innkeepers. It's a special time to explore new places.
"We recently fulfilled another of our travel dreams: the trans-Canadian railroad, a jewel of North America. Then, we explored the small roads of France, far from the hustle and bustle of Paris. Our little red Citroën took us through picturesque villages along the Seine. We visited our fellow innkeeper, Philippe, in an area we wouldn't have thought to explore without our connection across continents. We also exchanged with other innkeepers in the United States and two other foreign countries. Our lifestyle allows us to have these unique experiences, like our two weeks in a self-contained cottage in the Scottish Highlands, shared with friends we met during their stay in our own cottage.
Our French innkeeper friend, Philippe, is an expert in this. Learn from his experience. Currently, he has just returned from a several-week stay in Australia, after previously exploring America for several weeks. On each trip, he stays with other innkeepers through exchanges, living near them, making friends, and sharing his adventurous spirit. His approach is simple: at first, when seeking exchanges in the United States, Philippe would simply select some interesting innkeepers from the lists available on the internet. He would email them expressing his desire to exchange stays and ask if they were interested. Additionally, he has a rich and comprehensive website where he shares several of his exchange experiences, as well as a letter proposing exchanges with other inns. Philippe is a great host and a wonderful guest!
We first met Philippe when he stayed with us for a week in winter during an innkeeper exchange: we would stay at his guesthouse "L'Etoile" in France, and in return, he would spend time at our property "Rock Eddy Bluff Farm," in Dixon, Missouri, USA. A year later, we were at his place.
It is essential to say how much we appreciate Philippe and have great esteem and deep respect for him. Philippe is courageous, honest, intelligent, and easygoing. He is comfortable with others, curious, and open-minded. His English is tinged with a strong French accent, but that does not stop him from being interested in others without being held back by cultural barriers or dogma.
When visiting America, Philippe will show you his true self, and I am convinced that he will expect the same authenticity from you. Be yourself and give him the opportunity to discover your life personally. Introduce him to your daily activities, the people you interact with, and share ideas different from those he is accustomed to.
The key events of his life illustrate the kind of man he is. Philippe didn't enjoy school, he told us. Wanting to jump into "real" life, he asked his father, a freelance journalist in Brussels, for permission. His father said: "If I see that you can get good grades, then I'll let you." Philippe easily passed his exams, and at the age of fourteen and a half, he left school to fully embrace life.
He worked on organic farms for several years, then in construction in France and Belgium. Later, he explored Peru, Australia, Greece, and the United States.
At age 16, he cycled solo through France, then from Brussels to Athens at 17, participating in an environmental protest to protect the Mediterranean. A year later, he undertook another bicycle trip in Scandinavia. "Cycling was the ideal way for me to travel far and cheaply while staying free," he said to me.
At 21, after watching a TV report, Philippe decided to search for gold in California. Speaking very little English, he took a flight to New York with his brother Michel, then hitchhiked to Northern California. Along the way, he learned some English. "When you are forced to learn, you learn," he said. Among the first phrases he learned: "Hands up!" – an expression he quickly understood when he found himself facing a gun. A driver had picked them up on the highway in a stolen car, and they spent the day in jail. What an adventure!
In Arcata, on the Pacific coast, they met John, a former Vietnam War soldier, who hosted ladies from 2 to 4 p.m. in a unique setting: a large waterbed. Tattooed, strong, and a gentleman, he did everything to make the ladies happy. John knew a certain Brian Hill, who was a gold miner at Eagle Creek.
After a few days, Philippe and his brother found their way to lost gold miners in the Redwood forest, where they lived self-sufficiently in cabins with redwood shingle roofs, surrounded by their horses. To join them, one had to follow the Willow Creek, Denny, then the path leading to Eagle Creek, where everyone knew Brian.
Once there, "you are in another world. Here, I have to prove myself, adapt, think big, forget my prejudices... Everything is swept away, you have to move forward, not wait for others, and be creative to find a little place. Everyone here was part of the special forces in Vietnam, I feel that the experience is going to be top-notch. The beauty of nature with its raw, healthy, and unforgiving side." What could a 20-year-old full of energy ask for more than to see "something else"?
"The first nugget was 1.5 cm by 2. Searching for gold gives you incredible strength. They were waiting to see what I was worth. One night, I smoked a joint of marijuana they were growing and emptied half a bottle of vodka. I was high but in good company. We hunted bear or deer, then had big bonfires and saunas on the hills with hippies, gold miners, kids eight or nine years old riding horses naked like Native Americans.
These are the last words of Philippe, owner of L'Etoile Guesthouse, cousin of Jack London. He spent much of the night telling us that the 20th century can still look like the last-chance saloon. The curse of Jack London's pub. The Greco-Belgian speaks like a writer.
At age 30, with his partner, three horses, and two dogs, they traveled 650 kilometers through France for 2 months following long-distance hiking trails (GR), sleeping on farms or under the stars. Philippe spent a year taking care of his two horses and dog like a real cowboy, taking the opportunity to learn how to shoe a horse, make a Texas saddle, a pack saddle, chaps, etc.
Immersing himself completely in this opportunity provided by his friend Olivier, whom he met in a small village in the Cévennes. Running a farm inn, Olivier occasionally hosted hikers in a large dormitory and offered them his table d'hôte. "I felt concerned," said Philippe; this is what the ex-gold miner was waiting for!
It was during this trip that Philippe discovered the Hotel Ranc, which was then for sale in La Bastide-Puylaurent. Though he had little money, he immediately declared: "This is my guesthouse!" "What makes you make these choices in your life?" I have asked Philippe variations of this question more than once. Each time, his answer is the same. "I don't choose, life chooses," he replies in heavily accented English.
Here is a description of Philippe by Nicholas Crane, an English writer who traveled Europe along the trails that led him to L'Etoile's door.
The Hotel Ranc has become a holiday home for former soldiers who served in Algeria (FNACA). It is now a beautiful guesthouse run by the young and very tall Philippe Papadimitriou, a Belgian-Greek whose grandfather once owned the Hotel de Paris in Cairo. "It was intuition, not science," laughed Philippe. "Voila!" by Tom Corey
A High Sunny Place. The book can be obtained at the following web address: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/rockeddy
Visit our two websites:
Former resort hotel with a garden on the banks of the Allier, L'Étoile Guesthouse is located in La Bastide-Puylaurent, nestled between Lozère, Ardèche, and the Cévennes in the mountains of Southern France. Positioned at the crossroads of GR®7, GR®70 Chemin Stevenson, GR®72, GR®700 Voie Régordane (Saint Gilles), GR®470 Sources and Gorges of the Allier, GRP® Cévenol, Montagne Ardéchoise, and Margeride. It offers numerous loop routes for hiking and day-long cycling excursions. Ideal for a relaxing stay.
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