Quillan, France: "Little Bit of Heaven"

Details

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  Description

  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.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Language practice

  Help with Eco Projects

  Gardening

  DIY and building projects

  Creating/ Cooking family meals

  Help around the house

  General Maintenance

  Help with Computers/ Internet
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  Interests

  

  Self development

  

  Movies & TV

  

  Sustainability

  

  Culture

  

  Events & social

  

  Performing arts

  

  Plant care

  

  Music

  

  Languages

  

  Drawing & painting

  

  Cooking & food

  

  Gardening

  

  History

  

  DIY & crafts

  

  Books

  

  Art & design

  

  Architecture

  

  Yoga / Wellness

  

  Nature

  

  Mountain

  

  Dancing

  

  Beach
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  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.

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  Help

  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.

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  Languages

  Languages spoken
  English: Fluent
  French: Intermediate

  This host offers a language exchange
  English, French (intermediate)
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  Accommodation

  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.

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  What else ...

  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.

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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

  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.

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  Space for parking camper vans

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

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  Can possibly accept pets

  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.

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  More than two

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  My animals / pets

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