Hildegard & Elisabetta

Germany
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Profile information

Travel information
We are currently
At home
Description
Children, music, arts, languages, nature, manual work, mountains
Interests
Music
Hiking
Drawing & painting
Charity work
Sustainability
Mountain
Gardening
Art & design
Languages
Architecture
Outdoor activities
Animals
Books
Cycling
Nature
Farming
Culture
Languages
Languages spoken
German: Fluent
English: Fluent
Italian: Fluent
Dutch: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
French: Intermediate
More details about my language interests
This workawayer has indicated that they would be interested in sharing their language(s) or learning a new language. You can contact them directly to discuss this.
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Skills and knowledge we'd like to share or learn
We're interested in:
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Some knowledge of:
General Maintenance
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Life at a Farmstay
Art Projects
Teaching
Able to teach about:
Gardening
Babysitting and creative play
Helping around the house
Languages
More details about your skills
master violin maker, cello playing, recorder playing, piano playing, sports (bike, hiking trekking), german mother language, other languages: italian (fluently) english & dutch (very good) , french & spanish, recorder teacher, tinkering with children, animal care
Age
58 & 22
What else ...
my family tries to eat healthy food, we have two free-range chickens and a huge orchard, I like to make cakes and cookies
Some more information
- Smoker
- Driver's licence
- Allergies
  No
- Special dietary requirements
  No

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19 Apr 2026

Left by Workawayer () for host (Join our family and learn ...)

We – that is me and my 14-year-old daughter Elisabetta – stayed with this family for 12 days during the Easter holidays, and it was an enriching experience for both of us to be part of Loic and his family’s dream of living in self-sufficiency.
It's unimaginable what a paradise the family has created there in the countryside of the Departement… read more Loire Atlantique a 15 minutes’ drive north of Ancenis.
A passive house that doesn't seem that big from the outside but has a lot of rooms (very stylishly decorated by one of the daughters) and even a large gym with a climbing rope, gymnastic rings, a thick floor mat, a padded floor and a punching bag... a dream for every child!!
There are three greenhouses on their huge property in which Loic grows all imaginable (including exotic) fruits, be it bananas, oranges, tangerines and of course all sorts of vegetables you can imagine ...even asparagus.
Their lifestyle is truly inspiring—fully autonomous, even the power supply via solar panels, close to nature, and incredibly diverse. From the permaculture gardens to the animals (sheep, rabbits, pigeons, chickens, ducks and horses, and bees), aquaponics, there is always something to discover and learn. It’s clear how much thought, effort, and care they put into everything they do.
The atmosphere is open and inviting and they like to share their knowledge and their way of life and also like to talk about their adventures on their journeys to distant countries on cozy evenings around the fire... thank you very much for the exciting stories and impressive photos that you, Loic and Camille told and showed us...
On other evenings we played Dixit with the whole family - a new but fantastic game for us.
What I really appreciated is that the family didn't use garlic when preparing the meals during our stay because we don't particularly like the taste.
I am also grateful for correcting our French.
Our help in the greenhouses was caring for the plants, which means sowing, getting humus in the forest and then transplanting the shoots into it, watering the plants in the greenhouses, and naturally treating the citrus plants against aphids and picking weeds. We also rebuilt fences and cleared fields of raspberry plants of a lot of weeds and grass.
We didn't really have to worry about the animals because Lara, another workawayer, did that.
Obviously we also helped with the daily house chores that needed to be done, be it setting the table, washing up, loading the dishwasher, hanging up the laundry, or preparing a typical southern German meal, small cakes or Italian focaccia.
Elisabetta unfortunately couldn't ride out because Loic broke his rib on the second day of our stay but she spent a lot of good time with the two smaller children Esteban and Yelena, doing puzzles, making paper flowers and origami, making giant soap bubbles, preparing delicious date balls, reading, swimming doing gymnastics in their gym or playing outside with the ducklings and she certainly improved her French skills during our stay.
Of course, Elisabetta also helped in agriculture while the children were at school, be it mowing with the cordless lawn trimmer or with the scythe, pulling weeds, watering, sowing, transplanting, and collecting leaves in the forest to cover the ground that had been cleared of weeds.
The day before our departure we pressed around 2.5 kg of honey with a German juicer :-) ...a new method for us.
As a farewell gift we were given a jar of this honey the next day, what a surprise!! Thank you very much Camille and Loic!!
Overall, we leave with a lot of memories and a lot to think about. We would recommend this place to people who are really interested in living a self-sufficient life.
We wish you all the best for the future and for your beautiful project.

(Excellent )

12 Apr 2026

Left by host (Join our family and learn ...) for Workawayer ()

Hildegard and Elisabetta have been part of our familly for two week and they were absolutely fantastic workawayers and an absolute pleasure to host.
they are both hard workers. Elisabetta spend time with our children. She is kind and patient with them. They actively participated in the life of our house. We had long and very interesting… read more

(Excellent )

23 May 2024

Left by host for Workawayer ()

Hildegard and Elisabetta were absolutely fantastic workawayers and an absolute pleasure to host.
We have very fond memories of them staying at our home. It was great to host people who are such incredibly hard workers. Although Elisabetta is young, she is very hard-working and always willing to take on new challenges! She was fantastic with the… read more

(Excellent )

21 Apr 2024

Left by Workawayer () for host (Anyone interested in farm ...)

During the Easter holidays we (me and my 12 year old daughter Elisabetta) spent 13 wonderful days with this large and busy family near Bantry on their farm from where you have a beautiful view on Bantry Bay. The West Cork region is magnificent, the landscapes breathtaking and specially the sunset at Priest’s Leap!! One evening when the weather was… read more good, we were lucky enough to stand on the summit of the 572 meter high mountain and witness this spectacle of nature. We were also standing a little below, on one of Ireland’s highest pass roads right on the border between County Cork and County Kerry.
We arrived right at the start of the lambing season and it was a very interesting and exciting experience. Right at the start, triplets!!! For several years now, Elisabetta has had the opportunity to help a hobby sheep farmer here in Germany in our small village with feeding the sheep and lambs, cleaning the stable, etc. BUT the experience we had with the Keohanes was simply outstanding!: 71 lambs in 13 days...
We mostly worked outside on the farm with Denis, a hard-working person. He is such a super nice man, great excavator driver (I was really impressed the way he handled machinery) and farmer. Denis always takes the time to explain in a calm and friendly way everything in detail, gives the opportunity to learn new things, always ready to make a joke. We really enjoyed working beside him whether it was feeding the animals in the morning and in the evening, assisting with lambing, marking the newborn lambs, driving sheep out to pasture, repairing fences in the meadows, tidying up the courtyard, cutting, transporting, splitting and storing timber, cleaning the hens stable, restoring an old mirror.
Catherine is also a super nice, multitasking woman who holds the large family together in a wonderful way. Late in the evenings we all sat together, telling funny stories about life…I can't forget her heartfelt laugh. A funny experience I had was on the first Sunday when I went to mass with Catherine and followed her unsuspectingly and then found myself in the middle of the church choir and was singing hymns that were completely unknown to me. One very sunny day Catherine had to go to Clonakilty to see her sister and took me with her and showed me the beauties along the way like Ballydehob Harbour, Pollgorm Bridge near Union Hall, Drombeg Stone Circle and Michael Collins Memorial Centre. That was an amazing afternoon.
On the day of our departure she took us on the night bus to Cork - even though there is always a lot to do. Thank you so much!
Elisabetta spent also many fun hours with the children, whether with the Keohane’s ones, or with those who came to spend some hours, a day or night (or even more) at home… They played and worked together, watched movies, went to an Easter egg hunt and even Catherine prepared a super Easter egg hunt around the house for the teens. Thank you!
Sometimes we also helped with household chores, be it washing up, preparing meals, baking cakes and cookies, that were eaten faster than you could look around...but the best scone maker is by far Patsy. She regularly treated us with fresh homemade scones.
The family warmly welcomes everyone and that’s why from the very first moment we felt as part of the family. Catherine and Denis are super hosts and you can tell they have huge experience with foreign workers.
In summary one can say that we learnt a lot, and we had a great time with all the members of the family. Thank you very much for all these moments we shared with you.

(Excellent )

25 May 2022

Left by Workawayer () for host (Get to know our family in ...)

During the Easter vacations I spent 16 wonderful days with my 10 year old daughter with this lovely and busy family near Sligo. It was our first workaway experience and our first trip to Ireland, and now we have got new members of - our already international - family in Ireland as well.
I helped wherever I could, in the garden, around the house,… read more with the kids, on the farm, and even one night I assisted the birth of a calf.
Carol is a great cook and indulged us with fresh homemade scones and lovely dishes. She even noticed in the first few days that I liked yogurt for breakfast and to drink sparkling water and from then on there was always yogurt in the fridge and sparkling water at home. Since we were interested in a cultural exchange, I also cooked and baked typical Italian and German dishes.
Carol and Henry are very open hosts and you can tell they have traveled a lot and have great experience with foreign workers in their beautiful, modern, and very comfortable house. For this reason they are very open-minded, helpful and sociable. They let us - whenever possible - get to know the region around Sligo on great walks and Carol also taught us a lot of Irish history. On Sundays we went to church together and our daughter even got the chance of playing the church organ.... We also visited grandparents from both sides who are as welcoming as Carol and Henry and treated our daughter like a grandchild.
Carol and Henry have a very fine sense of humor and we got along very well. There were always enough breaks between the work and Carol never forgot to offer tea.
I enjoyed our conversations and I learned a lot about the Irish school system and prehistoric sights.
The 4 children are also super welcoming.
We enjoyed spending time with all four of them
Whether it was pulling weeds, planting hedges, mucking out the barn, putting in the fence, cleaning horses, collecting eggs (chocolate Easter eggs and real ones), baking apple pie, making giant soap bubbles, reading aloud, painting, jumping on the trampoline, watching movies,....
But the best was that I got to teach William how to ride a bike. I had promised him on the first weekend that we could do it together and 2 days before we left he was riding his bike like a world champion!
We will NEVER forget our time with this particularly warm and open-hearted family and are already looking forward to a return visit here in Germany or further stays with them in Ireland.

(Excellent )

9 May 2022

Left by host for Workawayer ()

Hildegard and Elisabetta joined our family on the Thursday of the Easter holidays. I needed to be in Dublin for the weekend and so Hildegard organised that she could come early to be with the family for the weekend. When I arrived home from work on Thursday, they had already arrived. Elisabetta was already outside in the garden with our oldest two… read more children playing Gaelic football and getting to know them. Inside, Hildegard had helped with dinner and was in the middle of organising the toy cupboard which had been organised since it was put in place. This was the birth of a beautiful friendship between our families which I hope will continue for many years to come.
Hildegard and Elisabetta were good for our souls. We are all wrecked. It had been a long, tough spring. The weather was starting to get nice and Hildegard immediately set about to working in the garden, planting trees and weeding. She helped with the kids, getting up the middle of the night with our youngest son when he was sick and teaching him Italian when he was better. She taught me how to cook a number of Italian dishes, including focaccia, homemade pasta and pizzas.
In addition, her help was invaluable on the farm. She assisted at the birth of a calf which was difficult due to underlying pre calving issue. She also help looking after a horse who had a sore on his leg. She brought not only her physical help but also an in-depth knowledge of animal husbandry and medical care.
Elisabetta is a beautiful little girl. She is talented, fluent in English, German and Italian. She is creative and fun loving. She was a joy to have in the house. The kids really embraced her and she became an integral part of our family.
This stay was over the Easter holidays. Not only was Hildegard and Elisabetta involved in family Easter egg hunts, they were also involved in a charity Easter egg hunt for newly arrived Ukrainians to our area. Hildegard made huge bubbles attracting the children and adults to the event while Elisabetta painted rocks and entertained the children who attended. In addition, Hildegard added to the celebrations not only with culinary delights such as traditional German and Italian food, but also lots of fun, frolics and friendship.
Hildegard and Elisabetta didn’t just become part of our family they also became part of the wider community. From the local parish priest (which is a very Irish thing) to my own parents and all the neighbours who regularly call into our house everyone became a fan of Hildegard and Elisabetta. We were heartbroken to see them heading off into the sunshine and back to Germany, we are looking forward to having them back in Sligo sooner rather than later. There are not enough words to express how positive our experience was with them joining our family.

(Excellent )

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