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26 Apr 2024
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Description
Hi, we’re John and Micaela!
Last September, we bought a beautiful Chateau in the south of France, with outbuildings and 7 hectares (about 17 acres) of land full of meadows and trees, a pond, a water well, and a swimming pool. From the property, you can go for long walks or beautiful bike rides.
The Chateau is a private home in a lovely French hamlet, about a 50-minute drive to Toulouse, with amazing views of the Pyrenees. The area is magnificent, and we are constantly falling in love with it! No light pollution makes for nights of stargazing and listening to owls calling each other from the high trees. There is a lovely little restaurant, a church, and a post office, a 10-minute walk from the Chateau.
We're both in our early 60s and happily married. John is a lawyer and active with cycling and guitars. I (Micaela) am a retired art consultant, equestrian, and active hiker. We traveled throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States. When you come to stay with us, please tell us your stories, and we will share ours! John wants to start a vegetable garden, and I am interested in creating a food forest and would love some advice and help throughout the year. Our cooking styles are eclectic, with a focus on health and nutrition. We're not vegetarian and happy to accommodate reasonable requests regarding dietary restrictions. Please let us know your allergies/food restrictions before you arrive so we can ensure you are happy.
To get here, it's a short flight or train ride from Paris to Toulouse and a 1 1/2 hour bus ride from Toulouse. We can collect you from the town of L'Isle-en-Dodon (about 15 km away), but we highly recommend you come in your car, if you can, so you have some freedom and can go out when you like.
Did I mention we're non-smokers? There is no smoking in the chateau. No vapes, cigarettes, etc. No exception.
We have three dogs: Rambo (8-month-old Yorkshire Terrier), Napoleon (4-year-old French bulldog), and Leo ((8-month-old Belgian Malinois), with us at the Chateau. We have two horses, Ebene (who belongs to a Workaway volunteer) and Lungo (who is on loan to keep Ebene company), living in the Chateau's pastures. Our horses, Limonero and Buster, will arrive in September 2024. Our first Workaway team cleaned out the stables, and now we are renovating the stables (installing water and electricity), planning/building the arena, planning the gardens, and renovating bathrooms, doors, walls, and the roof. Our dream for the future includes a llama or two, a donkey, a mini horse, and some chickens and maybe a few geese once we're settled in a bit more.
Do you have a pet? Sorry, we cannot accommodate your pets (do not bring your pet); it's a construction zone right now!
We learned our DIY skills are not great, so we have professionals helping us with big renovation projects; it’s a lot of work, and we need help with all kinds of tasks. So… we’d especially love it if you have skills, expertise, or knowledge we don’t possess so we can learn from each other when you stay with us.
Lastly, we know age is just a number, but we cannot invite you to join us unless you are 21 or older. We are a diverse, mostly, mature, group, and not a lot of fun for teens.
Please write to us if you are interested or would like further information.
John and Micaela
PS, Please be prepared to show us your government ID (driver's license or passport) when you arrive.
PPS, Our first Workaway, in September 2023, was great! Our volunteers were a pleasure, we learned so much from them, most importantly, they taught us how to host with care and responsibility.
Types of help and learning opportunities
Help with Eco Projects
Gardening
DIY and building projects
Animal Care
Farmstay help
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
General Maintenance
Help with Computers/ Internet
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
You will learn with us about a historic neoclassical chateau built in the late 19th century and the French culture of the area. I will teach you about life in France from a cultural and insider perspective and how to live in France in step with French customs and food traditions. I am happy to help you with your French (or Spanish)!
My husband is learning French. I speak fluent French and would be happy to teach you. We are both fluent in English. We would be delighted to help you improve your English.
Help
From May-December 2024, we need carpentry, dog-sitting, digital, construction, gardening, cooking/housekeeping, DIY, general organization, and admin talent.
We are at capacity for volunteers in through the end of July 2024.
The Chateau is a private home with many things that must be brought back to life and used again. If you love architecture, design, gardening, and nature and would like to help us restore the Chateau and organize it and its gardens (learning what to grow and when), we would love to welcome you!
We need help to maintain our herb garden, tear down (and reconstruct) a crumbling wall or two, weed our gravel driveway and organic herb garden, and develop some beekeeping skills. We need housekeeping, organize/label tools, and tack room, figure out where to put up a gym, clear meadows and paddocks (fencing, manure, etc.), and pool maintenance! Our current projects include restoring doors, clearing brush, remodeling old bathrooms (and installing new ones), and updating the original 200-year-old stables and hay barn with hot/cold running water and a solarium.
We installed a new floor in the guardian's house (the Gentilhommiere), renovated it, and are in contract to get the roof fixed. We trenched a new French drain surrounding the chateau, and created a trench for one of our gutters to empty into the pond. We renovated a bathroom and created an ensuite. We are working on our second ensuite renovation in the former chapel. There is DIY to be done throughout, including our stone cellar and pantry (organization). Lots to do. If you are keen to learn and have a go and bring other talents, we would be delighted to have you!
We ask our volunteers to stay from 2 to 4 weeks. Your stay involves participation at mealtimes - setting the table and clearing up - and hopefully lots of conversation! We all pitch in here, and it's part of the fun.
Do you have verifiable digital nomad skills? Bring them on! We are keen to have our internet site/social media polished up and shiny so others can see what we've done (with your help!).
Languages
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Fluent
French: FluentThis host offers a language exchange
My husband and I speak fluent English. I also speak fluent French and Spanish. If you want to come to polish up your French, just let me know, I would be delighted to help you with language and cultural things!
Accommodation
We are a private home with spacious and clean accommodations. If you are a couple, we hope to offer you an apartment annexed to the Chateau in a south-facing corner of the ground floor. It has a private entrance, shower, and WC. It overlooks the park and has a small utility kitchen. If you are single, we offer a private room with a shared shower and WC.
We would like your company at dinner so we can get to know you, and it's the best time to relax and tell stories about your life and learn about life in France!
Breakfast is at 8.30 am - coffee/tea, yogurt, croissant/bread, butter and marmalade, muesli, fruit, and fresh orange juice.
Lunch at 1 pm - is a salad with a sandwich or soup
We eat evening meals together at 7.30 pm - soup or salad, main course (protein and starch), and dessert.
We do not provide alcohol apart from the table wine served at dinner, and all our water is potable (drinkable).
We are not vegetarians but are willing to accommodate your vegetarian requirements. We will try to accommodate any allergies or food restrictions you have. Kindly keep in mind we are a private home, not a hostel or commune, and Micaela does all the cooking.
What else ...
To get here, it's a short flight or train ride from Paris to Toulouse and a 1 1/2 hour bus ride from Toulouse.
We can collect you from the closest town of L'Isle-en-Dodon (about 15 km away), but we highly recommend you come in your car, if you can, so that you have some freedom and can go out when you like.
The Chateau is in a beautiful but isolated rural community surrounded by agricultural fields. We have a private park and meadows. The closest bar and restaurants are about 20 minutes by car.
No smoking is permitted in the rooms or any part of the chateau.
NO PETS (no dogs, cats, lizards, rabbits, etc.), unless it's a horse.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have 4G fiber optic cable and updated excellent WiFi. We would love to host digital nomads and will trade your blogging/social media skills for a room! Talk to us and let us know how we can work together.
Space for parking camper vans
We have a large parking area that might accommodate your campervan. There will be no WiFi/internet access to campervans. Please tell us what kind of campervan you have so we can ensure you have room for it.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Hours expected
About 5 hours a day, 5 days a week
Feedback (17)
Feedback
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In terms of… read more
I was very happy to work in carpentry and renovation and absolutely fulfilled by building my first beehive ever.
John and Micaela are very easy going, understanding, hospitable and just lovely people.… read more
I stayed at the Chateau for one month and it flew by. This was my first work away so I had no idea what to expect.
Well, from the moment Michaela picked me up, I knew I had definitely made the right choice. She made… read more
Her first task was to assemble a First Aid kit with care instructions. Her last assignment was to review CPR methods and protocols.
During her stay (almost three 3-weeks), Goby managed… read more
During our stay we felt like we were in our own home with family. We still can't believe how much we received: a stay in a wonderful chateau, intensive English and… read more
