Profile information
Host rating
65 %
Last replied
7 Jul 2023
Feedback
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Email verified
Details
Description
We are a Swedish family with three teenage children and a Brittany Spaniel who have taken on the challenge of bringing a petit château from the 17th century back to it's former glory while updating it to modern standards. It was built in 1632 by Jacques d’Odol, a cavalry officer whose talents as a painter of royal portraits was so well liked by Louis XII that he was knighted and given this land to build his château. It's beautifully located on top of a hill, surrounded by vineyards, in the Gard part of Occitanie, close to Uzès, Chateauneuf du Pape, Avignon and Nimes. We will be very happy to receive help with anything that contributes towards our mission of reviving the château into a blissful oasis of authentic charm that pays tribute to its rich history. The kind of help that we're looking for range from gardening to masonry, carpentry, and general maintenance and DIY. We already have a team on site of skilled craftsmen who can teach the traditional building practices used in this region.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
It will be a great experience towards learning French through helping with a team that mostly speaks French and little or no English. The learning will happen naturally by doing projects together and communicating during the day and through shared meals and coffee breaks. We, the host family, speak Swedish, English and French fluently (and can communicate alright in German and Portuguese), and we have lived all over the world (Africa, Asia, the Middle East) and are looking forward to a cultural exchange of experiences with fellow travellers.
Projects involving children
This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.
Help
The kind of help that we're looking for range from gardening to masonry, carpentry, and general maintenance and DIY. Our garden is 1,2 hectares and there's always a need to help with various gardening projects like planting vegetables, pruning bushes, mowing the lawn etc. We are also rebuilding various stone walls around the property as well as renovating a number of rooms, where there's a need for plasterwork and painting. It's naturally much appreciated if you have skills in these areas already, but if you don't have experience in renovation work, we have a team on site of skilled craftsmen who can teach the traditional building practices used in this region.
Languages
Languages spoken
Danish: Fluent
English: Fluent
French: Fluent
Norwegian: Fluent
Swedish: Fluent
German: Intermediate
Portuguese: BeginnerThis host offers a language exchange
We love learning new languages and sharing our knowledge with others, as a family we have at some point in time been learning Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Khmer, Dari, Swahili, Arabic, and Portuguese.
Accommodation
We have several sections of the house where our guest can stay independently. On the first floor there are two bedrooms with one bathroom, that can sleep up to two to four people in private. These rooms are located close to the kitchen and from one of the bedrooms there's direct entrance to the garden. On the second floor there are two bedrooms that can sleep between two to five people in private, for these rooms, access to the bathroom is through one of the salons so a bit less convenient. There is also another bedroom available on the second floor, in another part of the house, that can sleep 1-2 people in private, access to the bathroom would be through another salon and the library. We are open to couples and families.
What else ...
There are plenty of things to do, see and experience in the area, from just walking, hiking, running or cycling in the beautiful countryside to kayaking, wine tasting, going to farmers markets, flea markets, and visiting village fetes in the beautiful hamlets of the Gard Provencale. Beyond the surrounding nature, a car is needed to get around, we can pick guests up at the nearest train station, and as often as possible drive guests to nearby villages. It's a big house (1000 m2) with a large garden (1,2 hectares) so finding peace and quiet and privacy is easy, but we will happily cook for and eat together with the guests for breakfast, lunch and dinner as much possible. We also have superfast fibre internet connection, so it's effortless to get online (at least reasonable close to the router).
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have a superfast fibre internet connection, it's not perfect in all rooms because of the heavy stone walls, but we can offer rooms to work from where the connection is perfect.
Can possibly accept pets
We love animals and have a Brittany Spaniel, and because the match isn't always perfect, we should connect on which pet you'd like to bring beforehand.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
Maximum 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
