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The Berghs

@chez_berghs

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🇿🇦🇵🇱 family living in #capetown
@kashbergh @gregbergh & 2 👦👧
Here’s our 18 month adventure in the French countryside in #dordognevalley
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This time last year we returned to South Africa after 18 months of living in France 🇫🇷→🇿🇦 So many reflections since! Big moves take time to process. Back to Dec 2024, we… ✨ Had a farewell in France & a welcome home in SA ☀️ Swapped Euro winter for Cape Town summer 👢→🩴 Traded boots for flip-flops 🏡 Left our tiny countryside cottage for a brand new (bigger!) home 🎄 Exchanged French Xmas markets for frantic unpacking a week before Xmas 🦞 Switched snowy Pyrenees & mulled wine for poolside crayfish & braais 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Kids reunited with family & friends for the first time in 18 months 🚗 Returned to Cape Town’s energy &… never ending traffic 😅 (after only 2 traffic jams in 18 months in rural Dordogne!) We’ve had to build routines from scratch, settle in, support our kids through big transitions, reconnect with old friends, make new ones, and rediscover our favourite places. It’s been beautiful, messy, and full of learning. We’ve been asked a lot about what it was like to live abroad, build a home remotely, and make a lifestyle move like this. We’ll be sharing more on that soon 🌍✨ In June/July kids school holiday we headed back to Dordogne for a visit to the home we left behind, the people we missed, and the life we loved. It was emotional, nostalgic and made us realise - home is where the heart is and our hearts will always be in both places. This month we finally had our house warming party - 12 months since we moved back. Making home takes time & we didn’t want to rush this. On the brink of 2026 we are so grateful for it all — the then, the now, and what’s still to come 💛 #LifeBetweenTwoCountries #FranceToSouthAfrica #FamilyAdventure #ExpatLife #HomeAndAway DordogneToCapeTown ReentryJourney Gratitude homeiswheretheheartis capetown southafrica france dordognevalley by @chez_berghs
We kicked off November in Krakow. A quick gateway with my brother and his family. I wanted to show kids Krakow for a long time. Probably didn’t pick up the best time of the year as the cold was real… Still it was a beautiful golden Polish autumn- my second fav season after summer. The colourful leaves falling are magical at this time of the year. Amongst many Krakow highlights - so much history, beautiful architecture and the yummiest food (often in oversized portions) catching up with our ex au pair Mpai who now lives & works in Krakow was so special! We loved to see her again and can’t wait for our Cape Town hangout soon! Back in the French countryside we decided on a couple of last additions to our home here - solar panels, new sign and a treehouse. Maks aced the bike race in BELVÈS and came 2nd in the kids category. Lexi had a tea party with the girls in the local hotel- oh so posh:) We had a unique home visitor - a salamander… On 28 Nov I pulled out four suitcases, laid them out opened and made a big sigh knowing this could only mean one thing- official packing was about to begin….and the move back home was imminent 🇿🇦 #familytravels #familylivinginfrance #homeawayfromhome #livingoverseasadventure#livingoverseasexperience #frenchcountrysideliving #lifeinfrance #lifeinthedordogne #dordogneliving #lifeindordogne #poland #visitingpoland #dordognevalley #familyinfrance #travellingfamily #familytravels #krakow #krakowpoland #belvès by @chez_berghs
In October we started a period of lasts. With less than 2 months to go back to 🇿🇦 we were focused on things we still want to do before we leave 🇫🇷. Maks started guitar lessons so he can continue when we get back. I attended a sourdough workshop & made some kick ass sourdough crackers (that lasted less than 5 minutes). I then headed for Cape Town on last time to check on the house progress and start tying up the interior. In between all the work I managed to catch up with a few friends and celebrated two special birthdays in the 9 days I was there. Back in the Dordogne Valley Maks run his first cross country race at the school. Their class was training for a good few weeks for that. And then it was time for kids school term break which kicked off with our 13km trail relay race. I definitely underestimated the terrain but the four of us pushed as hard as we could on the day. There were some beautiful autumn days in October so we tried to enjoy the outdoors as much as we could knowing the cold is on its way. Me and the kids ended the month in Poland visiting family one last time:( while Greg headed back to SA for the opening their Lego V&A store. Managed to get to 🇵🇱 in time for kids first Halloween in my hometown, followed by All Saints, which I really wanted the kids to be there for- a day paying respects to those loved ones who are no longer with us and visiting cemeteries lit up with hundreds of candles. There is joy and sadness in doing things one last time but we always knew our time here in 🇫🇷 will eventually come to an end. Still we were blessed with almost 6 additional months over and above our original 12 month stint. #familytravels #familylivinginfrance #homeawayfromhome #livingoverseasadventure#livingoverseasexperience #frenchcountrysideliving #lifeinfrance #lifeinthedordogne #dordogneliving #lifeindordogne #poland #visitingpoland #dordognevalley #familyinfrance #travellingfamily #familytravels by @chez_berghs
Playing catch ups with the last three months… September was a biggie for all of us. Kids started their 2nd year of school in 🇫🇷 with new teachers & a new school building for Maks with a bus ride from/to - #independence Lexi turned 7 and this year we had a pool party with some of her school friends. It was a gentle reminder that summer is on its way out as pretty much straight after we closed the pool & winterised it- a thing we do here so the pipes don’t explode in winter temperatures. I was blessed to extend summer for a bit longer by visiting Malta & my friend Lynne. What a beautiful island with turquoise water, sandy beaches and so much heritage from the Ottoman Empire era. Greg headed to the home of Lego - which I know he calls work but how fun to check out the Lego House, Lego factory and stay at the Lego hotel #worktoplay My dad spent a better part of the month with us helping us getting the house winter ready! It finally needed to be done after having it for almost a decade #timeflies In between all the work we did some sightseeing and visited Lascaux caves, the UNESCO world heritage site due to its exquisite cave wall paintings. Kids resumed their extra murals - Lexi was back with her ponies and Maks started at the new soccer club #amped I wrapped up the month with down the memory lane trip to London - visiting all the places I loved & reconnecting with friends and family who still live there. My cherry on top was going back to the Greenwich university after all these years & feeling like I never left #toospecial October brings the quiet season here & by the time we blink it will be time to head back to 🇿🇦 #whatanadventure #familytravels #familylivinginfrance #homeawayfromhome #livingoverseasadventure#livingoverseasexperience #frenchcountrysideliving #lifeinfrance #lifeinthedordogne #dordogneliving by @chez_berghs
To say that the Dordogne Valley comes alive during summer months is an understatement. One actually can’t keep up with all the activities! From chateaux parties, music concerts, evening markets, air shows to kids summer activities & town fetes where each little town celebrates their uniqueness. We tried to embrace as many of these events as possible knowing we will get our chill back in the quieter months:) To top it all off August is also the sunflower season with yellow fields stretching around like magical carpets. Our highlights were: Private party at the chateau Roufillac - beautiful venue for summer holiday or hosting a special event. Fireworks by the Dordogne river at the Siorac town fete Fete Medievale in our own town of Belvès A day at Les Etangs du Bos - water park with friends The BELVÈS Air Show with an impressive display of commercial planes & vintage cars We also had two visitors, both who visited us for the 2nd time since our arrival in 🇫🇷 Nana Paula was our 9th visitor & our friend Lauren clocked double digits on the visitors front:) With nana we visited Bergerac - beautiful town situated by the closest to us wine region (45mins drive) & we finally kayaked on the Vezere river together. With Lauren our highlight was our 2nd trip to Saint Emillion to visit some wine estates & see the actual town itself which is totally charming & on the UNESCO World Heritage List. August ended with kids performance organized by the local kids centre holiday club & boy was it great! It was incredible to watch what the kids & educators achieved during less than two months together - spectacle extraordinaire! Hard to believe September is the start of the 2nd school year for the little Berghs. #holidayindordogne #dordogneliving #summerindordogne #dordognevalleysummer #chateauxparty #kayakingvezere #saintemillion #fetedete #fetemedievale #Belves #siorac #roufiliac #dordognesunflowerseason #dordognesummer #marchenocturne #dordogneriver #belvesairshow by @chez_berghs
Playing big catch ups again but we had a busy summer! Kids finished their school year here in 🇫🇷and broke for holidays in the first week of July. We celebrated end of school & beginning of summer with a pool party. We then headed to Paris & Disneyland just pre the Olympic crowds. It was great to show kids some of Paris & spend Bastille day there. As for Disneyland we have never been Greg & I and honestly I can’t say who had more fun - us or the kids 😂. We got back to our hood just in time for the Belves race - first race in the area for the whole Bergh clan. Next it was time to visit our fav Spanish corner - Val de Aran, Pyrenees. We spent a week there hiking, running, MTBing, chilling and eating way too much:) When we got back to 🇫🇷 kids would spend some days at the kids centre holiday club & so we could have some time exploring adult activities around. We finally visited St Emillion wine area in the Bordeaux region to learn about & taste some of their wines. What a beautiful part of 🇫🇷. And in between all this we watched our veggies, herbs, lavender & magnolias soak up the sun and grow. Swimming was the daily order when the short heatwave stroke and then August rolled in…. #summerindordogne #dordognesummer #livingindordogne #euroholiday #eurodisneyparis #paris #bastilleday #valdearan #aranvalley #baguergue #summerinthepyrenees #pyreneesummer #bordeauxwineregion #saintemillion #livingabroad #livinginfrance #familylivingimfrance #lifeinfrenchcountryside #frenchcountrysideliving #whitepicnic #stémilion #disneylandparis #paris #valdearán by @chez_berghs
Our June begun with visitors from the UK- Hannah and Chris. They were our 8th visitors. Hannah and I used to study together in London and haven’t seen eachother for almost a decade. But as it is with good friends we picked up right where we left off ❤️ We spent a week wining, dining, sightseeing & kayaking. We welcomed summer with some great weather & our first swims of the season. Suddenly our garden, plants & herbs took off completely. Daily watering has been in order. On 24 June we celebrated our 1 year here in France. It’s incredible to think it has gone past so quickly. It was then time for my and Greg’s birthday on 27 June. We saved a special lunch for this occasion visiting @restaurantlepetitleon run by South African chef that recently got their first Michelin star! Exquisite experience! It was also great to celebrate with friends in our town of Belves to finish the day off. On 29 June we had kids end of the school year concert called Kermese. Such fun performances by all the classes celebrating the upcoming Olympic Games. Hard to believe that beginning of July will bring us the end of an entire school year. We couldn’t be prouder of the Little Berghs- our Big Legends! #sᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ2024 #oneyearabroad #oneyearinfrance #livingabroad #livinginfrance🇫🇷 #livinginfrance #frenchcountrysideliving #familyabroad #familylivingabroad #livinginthedordogne #dordognevalley #larzac #belves #frenchcountryside by @chez_berghs
We’ve lived in Larzac for over 12 months & this long forgotten sign has been hurting our eyes every time we drive back home. So….we used a great occasion to give it a clean and a bit of a lift:) Today South Africa celebrated Mandela Day. Mandela Day encourages 67 minutes of service, representing the 67 years Nelson Mandela spent fighting for social justice. Volunteering and active citizen service is one of many impactful ways to honor his legacy. The sun was setting when we were out with some water, cleaning products, brushes & cloths. A little effort between the four of us but a great impact 💕 And while we were at it we cleaned another sign. We would probably continue as there are a few more that also need a clean but the mosquitos were out in full force and it was getting late for the kids. Another day another sign. Let’s make Larzac shine! #livingindordogne #larzac #visitlarzac #lovelarzac #larzachome #liveinfrance #frenchcountryside #southwestfrance #perigordnoir #dordognevalley #dordogne #mandeladay #mandeladay2024 #activecitizens #activecitizenship #localcomunity #volunteering #larzac #mairie by @chez_berghs
Happy Bastille Day 🇫🇷 Bon 14 Juillet! I can’t believe it’s our 2nd #bastilleday in France already. There is a sense of homecoming when you have done the same things or celebrated the same events more than once in the same country. 1st time is a novelty but with 2nd time comes settling in a bit…well at least for me… Last year we celebrated our 1st #bastilleday in the nearby towns of Belves & Monpazier and this year we got to spend it in Paris. Very different experiences but certainly celebratory mood in both places. In 2023 we were surrounded by the local community with snacks served by the #mairie (local city hall) & a local group of traditional dancers. The whole town came together for that! It felt great! Today we took metro to Avenue Foch to see the jets & army planes flying past and we walked the Champs Elysee together with thousands of locals & tourists from all over the world. I’m pretty sure if we were in South Africa we would have headed to Franschoek to celebrate #bastilleday at the annual Bastille Festival. Bon Fete Nationale Française toute le monde 🇫🇷 #bastilleday2024 #bastilleday2023 #fetenationalefrancaise #14july #bastillefestival #14juillet #paris #monpazier #belves by @chez_berghs
May was a very special month as my bestie Sarah flew all the way from Australia to visit us & in celebration of her big birthday! She was our 7th visitor. We spent a few days together here in the Dordogne & watched Lexi’s drama performance with her local drama club. And then the two of us set off for a total birthday extravaganza adventure. 10 days. 2 countries. 6 cities. We first headed to the south of 🇫🇷 Cote D’Azur & a beautiful town of Menton right on the 🇫🇷 🇮🇹 border to meet up with 2 other girlfriends. 5 days of fun in the sun, yummy food, girl chats & laughter and one big bday celebration in between. From Menton to Nice to San Remo - we made the most of our time there 👯‍♀️ After that Sarah & I flew to London which is where we both met over twenty years ago. We both lived there for quite a while & haven’t been back for a long time. This was exciting! We only had 3 nights there & very soon we had realised it wasn’t enough time. We both missed the London vibe so much! Popping into our favourite places, walking the town, visiting spots we worked & lived in ans seeing friends brought so much nostalgia ❤️ Being there at the time of the Chelsea Flower show was also so beautiful with all these gorgeous flower installation around south-west of London. One easy & short Eurostar ride & we dropped into Paris for less than 36 hours:) Sarah was flying back home from there so it sounded like a good idea. What does one do in Paris when the time is so short? We both have been before so chasing tourist attractions wasn’t a thing but an eve cruise on the river Seine to see the Eiffel Tower sparkling never gets old. Shopping never gets old either:) And then it was time to head back to the serene & slow Dordogne living. I’ve always loved coming here for June school holiday in SA but living here for almost a year has been so different yet so very pleasant. It will be so sad to leave not so long from now…..Let’s make the most of our last couple of months here. #livinginfrance #livingindordogne #oneyearaway #homeawayfromhome #cotedazur #menton #sanremo #nice #london #paris #girlsholiday #dordognevalley #eifelltower by @chez_berghs
We started the first quarter of 2024 in Spain & we finished it in Poland. We travelled more than be at home here in 🇫🇷 but with festive break & two school holidays we decided to take a full advantage:) Welcoming New Year in the Pyrenees 🇪🇸 was magical & the snow was in abundance to ski our hearts out! On 5 Jan headed out to Lleida in Spain to meet up with Maks’ bestie Jesse & his family. What a reunion after 6 months of not seeing eachother! We also happened to be there on the day of the Three Kings Parade. It was great to see pre-parade prep. Maks turned 10 on 8 Jan & we had our 6th visitor- our friend Ben from HK. Fast forward to mid Feb with kids winter break & we were back in the Pyrenees again. Over the last few years we’ve been skiing in Baqueira’s Beret in the Pyrenees & we highly recommend this spot. There is always snow & they have plenty piste, great facilities & the charm of local villages is endearing with delicious food & activities for everyone. This time we shared this experience with our fiends from SA & their kids. We had a ball together! Mid March I flew to Cape Town to check on our build. It was quite a surreal experience seeing the half way house for the first time not on paper or via pics & videos. Knowing that the ski season ends after Easter weekend we headed back to the Pyrenees for Easter. At that time snow conditions were still decent to ski even though it was end of March. Mid April I took the kids to Poland during their spring break to see the family. It’s always great to hang out in Warsaw as there is so much to do. We also popped over to my hometown to see more family & friends. We got back to 🇫🇷 with my aunt, who was our 7th visitor. She loved it here. We celebrated 13th wedding anniversary back in 🇫🇷 with delicious dinner. We are so grateful for all the travels & a slow, quiet life in the French countryside in between. It’s often hard to strike a balance between the two. Working progress:) #oneyearaway #movingtofrance #livinginfrance #livingindordogne #familyafventures #familytravelling #valdearán #poland #warsaw #baqueira_beret #capetown #capetownsouthafrica by @chez_berghs
📍Truffle Festival/ Fete De La Truffe à Sarlat. This time last month we spent a great day at the Truffle Festival in Sarlat. Dordogne region is home to truffles & foie gras and this was definitely one of our highlights since coming to the area. This annual two day event was packed with truffle workshops, truffle hunting dog demonstrations, stalls filled with different variety of truffles & truffle infused produce. Place de la Liberté in Sarlat was transformed into a vibrant market square serving truffle “croustous” - tapas dishes prepared by the local chefs, alongside some local wines & craft beers, live music & a cheerful crowd. We ended the day off watching the competition by the Culinary Academy of Foie Gras and Truffles where eight students from all over the country, whose work is judged by four star-rated French chefs, compete for the Jean Rougié trophy. This year young Canadian Erik Hansen took it home. The truffle season in the Périgord runs from December to March and it’s a great time to visit local restaurants showcasing truffle inspired menus. And if you are in the area next January head out to Sarlat for a day of fun and culinary delights. #blackperigord #dordognetruffles #fetedelatruffe #sarlattourism #trufflefestival #sarlatevents #perigordevents #croustous #trufflehuntingdog #visitdordogne #dordogneholiday #rougiegastronomie #jeanrougietrophy by @chez_berghs

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