Help us live our dream on a 400-year-old farm full of stories near Cologne, Germany

Details

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  Description

  Step into history, nature and creativity – and become part of the next chapter of our dream.share our daily life
  
  🌱 A Living Home – With Open Hands, Wild Garden & a Cat Named Lavendel
  A place to live simply, connect deeply, and share what we’re growing
  
  Hello fellow traveler,
  
  we’re Andreas and Laura, and we live with our cat Lavendel in a 400-year-old timber-framed farmhouse in a quiet, green valley in western Germany. Our home is in a small Eifel village with about 500 people, surrounded by nature, caves, forest paths and peaceful hiking trails. The landscape invites you to breathe deeper.
  
  This house stood empty for decades – and when we found it, it was more ruin than home. Over the past 15 years, and especially since a big flood in 2021, we’ve been rebuilding – not just walls, but a way of living.
  
  We don’t run a “project.” We live a real life, full of rhythm, chaos, wonder, and things to be done. And when someone stays here, we live it together – like a family for a while.
  We share meals, mornings, moods. We build things, grow things, fix things. We laugh a lot. Sometimes we cry. We try to listen, to be kind, and to live from the heart.
  
  
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  🛠 What We’re Working On
  
  There’s always something to do – and space for the person doing it.
  
  Some of our current or ongoing projects:
  
  Taking care of our beloved old farmhouse with natural and traditional touches (like clay, wood, stone)
  
  Turning the old barn into a shared creative space – a place for music, art and community activities
  
  Growing a permaculture-inspired garden with over 40 old fruit tree varieties
  
  Exploring small creative structures from reclaimed materials – more like playful experiments than construction projects
  
  Caring for our wild spring pond and enjoying it as a natural place to swim and relax
  
  Food-saving, organizing, cleaning, creating
  
  And always: helping each other grow as humans
  
  
  You don’t need to be a professional. But we love people with creative skills: gardeners, artists, storytellers, musicians, photographers, dreamers.
  And everyone is expected to contribute in simple ways – from chopping vegetables to doing dishes. We believe in sharing all the work that makes a place feel like home.
  
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  🌿 How We Live
  
  Our way of life is simple and soulful. There’s not much luxury – but there is richness:
  in the morning sun, the smell of firewood, the silence of the forest.
  
  Some things we care about:
  
  Spirituality lived gently: yoga, meditation, presence, connection
  
  Cooking and eating together – mostly vegetarian, often from the garden or saved food
  
  Singing together – especially sacred songs, healing songs, Rainbow songs, mantras and spiritual folk music
  
  Fire circles, laughter, and honest conversations
  
  Creating a rhythm where everyone feels part of the whole
  
  Noticing the small things – a bird call, a moment of stillness, a shared smile
  
  
  We don’t drink alcohol. It’s important for us to keep the space clear and respectful.
  We like to start our days with purpose – breakfast around 8, then shared tasks. After that, we often find a good mix of structure and spontaneity.
  
  
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  🦋 Nature All Around
  
  The garden is wild and full of life.
  There are fireflies, kingfishers, salamanders, countless birds, butterflies, and sometimes deer in the morning mist.
  We grow herbs and berries, and we’re slowly turning the land into a place of quiet abundance – with lots of weeding, digging, dreaming, and wondering in between.
  
  You’ll also find old fruit trees, starlit skies, and quiet corners where time slows down.
  
  
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  🏕 Your Stay
  
  You might sleep in a yurt, a caravan, a room in the house, or your own tent or camper. It depends on the season and how many people are around.
  Things are basic but cozy, and you’ll always have a warm place to sleep, food to eat, and hearts to share with.
  
  We live together like a little temporary community. That means:
  We share what needs to be done.
  We check in with each other.
  We make space when someone needs it.
  And we learn to be part of something – for a while.
  
  
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  💛 Who We Are
  
  We’re two people on a path – learning, creating, sometimes seeking, sometimes finding.
  
  Andreas is a trained violin maker and studied music therapy. For the past 15 years, he worked as a researcher and guest lecturer in historical instrument making. He has a deep love for traditional craft, lives close to the elements, and walks a spiritual path rooted in creativity, stillness, and transformation.
  
  Laura is a silversmith and ritual facilitator with a growing career in photography. She brings beauty into the world through her hands, her lens, and the way she holds space for others – especially in nature-based rituals and soulful moments of transition.
  
  Together, we care deeply about nature, simplicity, creativity, and connection. We’re inspired by plant medicine, ancestral knowledge, and the many ways healing can happen – often in the quietest places.
  
  This home is our shared living canvas – earthy, imperfect, real.
  And what we offer is not a polished escape, but a way of being, shared for a while.
  
  
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  🌈 Who We're Looking For
  
  We’re drawn to kind, open-hearted people. People who are curious, humble, funny, creative – and ready to show up with their full presence.
  We welcome both skilled hands and soulful wanderers. What matters is that you want to be part of this, not just pass through.
  
  You might be:
  
  A craft lover, gardener, artist, herbalist, woodworm, creative soul…
  
  A seeker, healer, dreamer, doer
  
  A person who wants to live this way themselves someday
  
  Or simply someone ready for the next step, wherever it leads
  
  
  Before we say yes, we always do a video call – just to feel if it’s a good fit on both sides. We trust in connection more than perfect CVs.
  
  
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  If something in this text makes your heart nod – write to us.
  Tell us who you are. What brings you here. What you long to give and receive.
  Maybe you'll arrive as a stranger – and leave as a friend.
  
  With warmth, gratitude, and muddy boots,
  ☀️ Andreas, Laura & Lavendel the Cat

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Art Projects

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Farmstay help

  Babysitting and creative play

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Vegetarian or vegan

  

  Van life

  

  Sustainability

  

  Self development

  

  Pets

  

  LGBTQ

  

  Culture

  

  Farming

  

  Charity work

  

  Languages

  

  Plant care

  

  Photography

  

  Music

  

  Hitchhiking

  

  History

  

  Gardening

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Carpentry

  

  Art & design

  

  Animals

  

  Hiking

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  Dancing
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  there is a beautiful landscape around and also this very old little village is quit nice. Further you will learn a lot about ecological gardening and building and have a nice community time. And of course I can tell you something about musical instrument building and thousand other things...

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  This is not a business – it’s our private home, full of daily life, creativity and nature.
  
  When you stay with us, it feels a bit like a shared flat or a small community: we live together for a while, share what needs to be done, and also find time for learning, fun and exchange.
  
  We don’t give you a fixed “job list”. Instead, we look together at what you enjoy and what you’d like to learn, and what we currently need here. That’s also why we always do a video call before – just to feel into each other and see if it’s a good fit.
  
  Some examples of where you might give us a hand:
  
  Household help: cooking together, doing dishes, keeping things clean and cozy.
  
  Gardening: planting, watering, weeding, caring for fruit trees, herbs and berries.
  
  Creative exchange: art, music, storytelling, photography, small projects that bring beauty and inspiration.
  
  Eco-living: small, simple tasks that help keep the old house alive (tidying up, sorting, adding little creative touches with natural materials).
  
  With our children (when they are here): painting, making music, telling stories or just playing simple games. They love meeting new people and learning from them.
  
  Animal care: giving food and cuddles to our cat Lavendel.
  
  
  ✨ We also carry a vision for the future: that this home may slowly grow into a place where creative and spiritual growth, learning and human connection can happen. A kind of “school of life” – always simple, real, and shared with open hands.

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  Languages spoken

  German: Fluent
  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Fluent
  Dutch: Fluent
  French: Intermediate
  Portuguese: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  We share our space with simplicity and warmth – and there’s always a place to land.
  
  Depending on the season and who’s around, you might sleep:
  
  in our Mongolian yurt on the forest hillside
  
  in a small room in the house (sometimes shared)
  
  in the instrument workshop
  
  or in your own tent or campervan – we have space and electricity
  
  
  It’s not luxurious, but it’s real.
  We live close to nature, and the setup changes with the seasons.
  You’ll always have a dry, warm place to sleep, shared meals, and kind company.
  
  What matters most is your willingness to be part of the place – not just to stay, but to belong, for a while.

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  What else ...

  there is quite a lot nature around including two caves and historical buildings, it's definitely not the right place for party people but nature lovers will love it

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  Can host digital nomads

  This host has indicated that they love having digital nomads stay.

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  Space for parking camper vans

  We have space for one campervan in our paved driveway, directly in front of the house. It’s not a scenic spot, but it’s practical and flat – and just a few steps away from the garden and everything else. Please note: we cannot offer electricity or grey water disposal for vans.

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  Can possibly accept pets

  Yes, possibly – depending on the pet. We live with a cats who is part of our daily life, so it’s important that your animal is relaxed around other pets. Please just write us in advance so we can see if it’s a good match.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

  Lavendel

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