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Quillan, France: "Little Bit of Heaven"

DISPONIBILIDAD

  2025 

 Estancia mínima:  Al menos 2 semanas

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Detalles

  • Descripción

    Descripción

    Micheal and I are a retired American couple living in Quillan, France, the town most people call "A Little Bit of Heaven." Our household consists of myself (73) and my husband, Micheal (75). We currently do not have a pet, apart from the neighbor's cat that frequents our garden.
    Micheal and I are "young at heart" and manage to stay busy most of the time, though we also enjoy sitting and talking on our back porch or by the fireplace in the living room. I love to garden and try to grow some my own vegetables. Cooking is another favorite activity , and wine is my preferred beverage. Micheal is an avid reader. He is a former petroleum landman and art teacher and sometimes dabbles with 3-dimensional art. We both love music and enjoy dancing at local venues. We have taken our workawayers to a wide variety of places and activities in this area, which is rife with Cathar castles, historic sites, natural amenities, and more.

    Micheal and I have traveled extensively in Europe since 2005. We love the cultures and slower lifestyle of many European countries, which is one reason we make France our home for most of the year. We have enjoyed having workawayers from all over the globe both in Texas and at our home in SW France. We are still friends with most of them, and have even had a reunion with several workawayers who were at our house together.

    For accommodations we offer two options: a room with a trundle bed, which works well for singles or a room with a double bed for a couple. Both bedrooms have access to a full bath. Our common areas consist of a living room with fireplace, a separate kitchen and dining area, plus covered porches front and back, and a large garden.
    Since retiring, we are not early risers and enjoy a pretty relaxed schedule. We have flexibility about the work hours for workawayers , unless something requires coordinating with a helper. We are not big breakfast or lunch eaters so we provide an array of breakfast and lunch options for our workawayers to make those meals when they are ready to eat them. Normally we eat the evening meal together. Sometimes I cook; other times the workawayers will cook. We can work all that out once you arrive.

    Quillan is considered one of the best places to live in this area of France. It is home to many artists, ex-pats, retirees, and lots of people escaping the large cities. Our community is friendly and welcoming and from many different countries. There is a local, 1 euro bus that connects to trains in all directions. The summer is filled with festivals, night markets, live music and swimming in the local lake to stay cool. Spring and autumn have their own magic with flowers popping out everywhere or gorgeous fall leaves across the mountainous landscape.

  • Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Tipos de ayuda y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Práctica de idiomas
    Ayuda en proyectos ecológicos
    Jardinería
    Construcción y bricolaje
    Cocinar para toda la familia
    Ayuda doméstica
    Mantenimiento general
    Ayuda informática
  • Intereses

    Intereses

    Autodesarrollo
    Películas y televisión
    Sostenibilidad
    Cultura
    Eventos y sociedad
    Artes escénicas
    Cuidado de plantas
    Música
    Idiomas
    Dibujo y pintura
    Cocina y alimentación
    Jardinería
    Historia
    Bricolaje y manualidades
    Libros
    Arte y diseño
    Arquitectura
    Yoga / bienestar
    Naturaleza
    Montaña
    Baile
    Playa
  • Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Intercambio cultural y oportunidades de aprendizaje

    Though not well known outside of France, this area of France has much to offer without the tourist crowds. So many different cultures have occupied the region that it is a melange of French, Spanish, Occitan, Catalon, and Gallo Roman. And then there were the Cathars, a religious sect, that was exterminated in the 13th century. It is rife with castles to explore, including the Unesco World Heritage Sight of Carcassonne. The natural amenities include the Aude River for fishing, swimming or rafting, a fishing lake and a separate swim lake, hiking and biking trails, the Mediterranean beaches, and ski stations an hour away. Here you can see actual prehistoric cave paintings in the Grotte de Niaux. Look up Aude Department Tourism for an abundance of options.

    Since we are flexible about the hours you work, if you prefer to work 8 hours for 3 days, you are free to take off 4 days and go to places like Toulouse, Perpignan, Marseille, etc., and spend a few days there. We can help you get to public transportation, if you don't have your own vehicle. Whenever possible, we take our workawayers to various sights of interest, as we enjoying acquainting them with our part of la belle France.

  • Ayuda

    Ayuda

    Some projects include organizing our primary residence, clearing out some unneeded items. We need help cleaning and painting some garden chairs, possibly canning some of the produce from our garden.
    I always can use help keeping the house clean, preparing meals, and general minor household maintenance issues. We have many antiques here and they all need a good waxing, for instance. Help watering the vegetable garden is also part of the summer/fall activities. French language practice would be great, as well, and we can help if you need help with English.

    It's really helpful to have workawayers who understand how to do general daily chores without being asked, like taking out the trash, sweeping the floor, or setting the table. We like to interact with our workawayers at dinner when we aren't working because that's when we really get to know them and to learn about their culture. Certainly we expect them to have hours off for privacy, too. Wherever you are front, there's something interesting about where you live that we haven't experienced.

    I like to think of workaway as an investment in the future - future understanding of other cultures for both the homeowner and the workawayer. I have hosted approximately 100 workawayers, both in Texas and in France, plus Micheal and I have been workawayers in Germany and Austria. Thus, we can appreciate what it's like to come into someone's home, try to get settled and establish a working relationship in a relatively brief period of time. We have made many friends worldwide through this program. In fact, we have had "workaway exchanges" where a workawayer has come to our house and then we have been workawayers at theirs. That was a truly great experience for all parties. We hope you will feel the same about your experience as a workawayer in our home and that you will encourage others to try this magical way of getting to know the world and people from other cultures.

  • Idiomas

    Idiomas hablados
    Inglés: Fluido
    Francés: Intermedio

    Este anfitrión ofrece intercambio de idiomas
    English, French (intermediate)

  • Alojamiento

    Alojamiento

    We have two different guest rooms: one has a trundle bed, which can hold 2 single individuals, and the other has a double bedroom, which works for couples. If we have more than one workawayer, they usually share that bathroom, which has a large, walk-in shower, toilet and sink. There is a covered front veranda and an open balcony which overlooks the river. Those are great places for having morning coffee, al fresco dining, or an evening apero. The garden is another wonderful space for relaxing and enjoying nature.

  • Algo más...

    Algo más...

    This is a fantastic area to explore and to relax. So, this is an interesting place to spend some time - not touristy. Instead, experience the genuine small town French life. Having a car would be a great benefit, though not required. We often take our workawayers exploring with us.

    If you let us know where you are coming from, we can offer some help with transportation options.

    Overall you will find us to be very flexible, considerate, helpful, friendly and accommodating. We ask that you keep your space reasonably tidy, and that you leave it orderly upon your departure. We have a washer and dryer available to wash your clothes, sheets and towels when needed. We have fast internet so working from here is an option. Just let us know what you need, and we will strive to make it work for you.

  • Un poco más de información

    Un poco más de información

    • Acceso a Internet

    • Acceso a Internet limitado

      Acceso a Internet limitado

    • Tenemos animales

    • Somos fumadores

    • Puede alojar familias

  • Puede acoger a nómadas digitales

    Puede acoger a nómadas digitales

    We have high-speed internet, and a work space (small desk). I have a printer/scanner/copier with WIFI connections. The workawayer bedroom is somewhat removed from the common area so it's quiet and private.

  • Espacio para aparcar autocaravanas

    Espacio para aparcar autocaravanas

    There is some parking for campervans in a public parking lot.

  • Podría aceptar mascotas

    Podría aceptar mascotas

    We can accept well behaved and house- trained dogs which do not get on the furniture (including beds) and don't shed. We prefer not to have cats since they tend to get on the furniture and can be destructive to upholstery.

  • ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

    ¿Cuántos voluntarios puedes hospedar?

    Más de dos

  • Mis animales / mascotas

    Mis animales / mascotas

Número de referencia de anfitrión: 328112917421

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Comentarios (35)



Fotos

La imagen representa una gran casa con tejado a dos aguas, con una puerta principal prominente y un porche cubierto, rodeada de un césped bien cuidado y un camino de entrada. La casa está situada en una zona suburbana.
La imagen muestra a una pareja mayor sentada a la mesa de un restaurante, rodeada de recuerdos deportivos en las paredes, con una copa de vino delante.

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