A day full of variety...

Today started out great. I was up at 7am to help Marie-Laure prepare the bread and the oven for this afternoon. Early in the morning the day of the baking, a big fire is built inside the oven, and left to continually burn for about 5 hours. When the bread is ready to be put in, all the logs and ashes and bits of coal are removed, the oven is quickly cleaned out with a wet coth on a stick, and the bread is put in. It stays so hot that it cooks all the bread, and Marie-Laure said you can even cook things in it later in the evening it's still so hot. There's a guy that came a bit later that does most of the work with the bread, and I helped him shape the loafs, add nuts, chocolate chips and fruit to some, and roll others in sesame and poppy seeds. Then we put all 61Kg (Almost 130 pounds) of bread in the wood burning oven as fast as possible so as little heat as possible could escape. They bake and sell all their bread in a building just next to their house, and inside they have a giant wood-burning oven. I absolutely loved helping with the bread, and I'm excited yo do it again on Friday, even though they said it's harder on Fridays because there are more orders, and we will also make some different bread that needs to be kneaded by hand (they have a machine that does it otherwise). After lunch I went with Phillip in the tractor to see him cut wheat and grass for hay, and then I went with Jean-Yves (the farm hand) and helped him build three gates out of logs and barbed wire. Just before dinner I helped milk the cows, and I'm almost able to do it on my own-- I herded them all into the barn with the help of their sheep dog, Lalou, and once Marie-Laure got me started (with the many levers and buttons), things went pretty smoothly. Except, of course, for the 2 cows that shit all over my clothes right near the end. The cows are on a big step in front of us so it's easier to attatch the suckers (what I call the milkers that you attatch to the cow). Their poo is really liquidy, and comes out in a big arc, like a fountain. I wasn't quite able to move out of the way fast enough when one of them started to let go, and as soon as that one finished and I moved back, another one went off. It's ok, it only took a hot shower and an intense cycle in the wshing machine to solve that problem.

Good Times at St Ouen des Toits

Two days ago I arrived at St Ouen des Toits (Seh whe day twa) in Mayenne, and first impressions were ok. Just ok. Marie-Laure and Phillipe, the hosts, were really nice. The house was a little messy, but they do have a 5 year-old boy with Down syndrome and a 6 year-old girl, so it's understandable. The one thing that I don't like so much about this place is the fact that I have to share my room with the 6 year-old girl. I have a little bed in the corner, and a small place on the floor where I can put my suitcase. Nowhere to put my clothes, or any of my belongings for that matter. (That will change this afternoon though, because I plan on cleaning up the room a little and I'll put away a lot of her toys that are scattered all over the surfaces in the room.) Dinner was a little awkward because it was me, Marie-Laure, Phillip, Nathan (the 5-year-old), Manon (the 6-year-old), and Sylvan (their 22 year old son) , their other older daughter (whose name I can't remember) and their girlfriend and boyfriend, who were staying over for the family reunion. Phillip and Marie-Laure had finished and put the younger kids to bed, so I was left with the 4 others, who made no attempt to make conversation with me, and who kept laughing at all these jokes that I didn't understand.
Yesterday morning I got up at 8:30 and Phillip showed me how to milk the cows. It was really interesting, but I don't think I would want to have it as a career and do it twice a day, everyday. At 11, we all got into the van to go to a big family get-together: it was one of Marier-Laure's brother's birthday, and the entire family, about 45 people, were having a big party. At first, it was soooo awkward because I didn't know anyone, and the only talking I did with people were brief conversations about why I was in France and what my plans were. That all changed when we sat down for the big lunch. I started talking to people around me, they got me to taste different wines and cheeses, and we got a few others to come around us when the cake and champagne started being served. Sylvan and his girlfriend came around, and then we all went ouside to play a game with metal disks. One person starts off by throwing a smaller disk onto the plank, and then everyone has to try and throw their 2 disks as close as possible to the small disk. It got really competitive for a while, but that eventually petered out, and we all just stood around listening to music and drinking beer. I got to know the other people that were closer to my age, and we all talked and drank and ate French food until 12:30 in the morning. Everyone (even the adults) were opening beer after beer, cider after cider, bottle of wine after bottle of wine, and insisted that I drink as much as they did. They went on and on about how it's part of the French culture to drink all the time, and how I should experience this French culture since I'm in France. We had so much fun, and I went from standing on my own in the corner to being in the center of all the action because I'm the "exotique", and I have "des beaux yeux et une belle sourire". All the people my age were going to stay over night at the house, and they begged me to stay when I said I was leaving with Marie-Laure and Phillip. I was absolutely exhausted, and declined their offer, because I knew I would probably get about an hour of sleep if I stayed.

A few days in the life of a WWOOFer at Monfreville

The past few days have been excellent-- we've gone and done quite a few of the tourist things, and even though they're each completely different, they were all worth seeing. On Saturday we took the train to Bayeux, where the famous Bayeux tapestry is housed. We visited the museum and saw the tapestry, which is something like 70 meters long, and tells the story of William the Conquerer through detailed embroidered pictures. Afterwards, we walked around the town, visited the cathedral, and did some shopping. We also discovered a way that we could taste as many different pastries as possible without spending too much money and getting sick. Each of us would buy one thing, and we would split each thing into 3 pieces so that we could try everything. Our idea worked brilliantly, and we tried a ton of food.
On Sunday, June was really nice and drove us to the American war cemetery and Omaha beach, where the Americans landed on D-day, and where the beginning of Saving Private Ryan was set. There wasn't much to see on the actual beach, just a memorial statue. But then we went farther along the coast to the cliffs (Pointe du Hoc) where about 240 US soldiers landed and scaled the cliffs. On the top of the cliffs there were giant holes in the ground from shells and bombs, and dozens of German concrete bunkers. Some were completely destroyed, but you could alk right into others, and even see bullet holes in the walls and above the doorways.
ON Tuesday after lunch, we biked to the Caramel factory. They only give tous at 10am, but we went into the shop and got some really good caramels for cheap, not to mention handfuls of free samples. (Noah was good enough to sneak 2 pockets full when the store clerk went to stock a shelf).
Wednesday we had some cider with our lunch, and tasted a shot of Calvados after lunch. Calvados is a specialty drink of the region, which is made from apples, is really strong, and which is think tastes foul. We were then inspired to visit the nearest farm that produces cider and calvados and everything in between. We biked about 20 minutes and got to taste everything: sweet cider, dry cider, extra dry cider, an apperitif, a digestif, cavados, apple juice (which tastes nothing like the stuff at home--it's much better), and apple honey. As you can imagine, we were a little wobbly on the bikes on the way home. We were disappointed we couldn't buy a bottle of cider 5it was too big and too heavy to fit into our suitcases), but we did walk away with some of the honey and a mini bottle of apperitif.
Today, all 3 od us were assigned to a most unfortunate job after tea: mucking out the big sheep barn. This is where about 20 sheep spent the whole winter. It wasn't cleared out, just more and more straw was put down. In about 2 and a half hours, all 3 of us got about half of it cleaned out. There were about 5 layers, totaling about 4 inches of manure, and the stuff was really packed down. Sometimes we would hit spots where manure and stale urine had started to ferment, and the smell was almost unbearable. After a while; we got so sick of the smell that we created something that would help us overcome the smell. We each picked a bunch of sage from the garden, and got a roll of really wide masking tape. We then taked the sage to our upper lips, right below our noses. We looked absolutely ridiculous, and we couldn't take eachother seriously for the next 5 minutes, but the work progressed as usual, only things smelled a little better.

Experiencing a bit of the culture

The past week has flown by. 6 hour work days seem more like 2 hour work days, I'm eating amazing food every day, and even though the weather hasn't been the best, I'm really enjoying myself. For the last couple of days I've been stuck with the really disgusting jobsthough. For 3 days, David and I drained the natural swimming pool, and cleared out about 10 wheelbarrows full of greenish-brown sludge. It was really hard work, and I finished every work day caked in a greenish muck, smelling of pond water. Their jacuzzi tub is in a small glass enclosure on the side of the house, and I was left to clean that as well. The roof of the inside was ultimately one massive spider web, with spiders the siz of my big toe, and even hornets the size of my thumb. I also swept about 3 dustpans full of beetles and other dead bugs that were on the floor and on the inside of the empty jacuzzi. As disgusting as these jobs were, it was really satisfying to step back once I was finished and see the result of my work.
Yesterday was David's birthday, and we hosted a big lunch with 14 people, and ended up polishing off 16 bottles of wine. Besides one other younger couple, it was entirely retired couples in their 60s, who, as David told me, spend most of their spare time drinking, partying, and travelling. As they were leaving, one woman was crawling under the table to find her sandals, and another commented on how she couldn't tell whether she was sitting or standing. 2 other WWOOFers arrived in the middle of all this-- an American couple in their early 20s-- but they were glad to have a huge meal of oysters, roast duck and potatoes, French bread, smoked salmon, and wine after their long trip. Ali and Noah, the WOOFFERs, met at the university of Boston, and they're coming to France and Italy for a month after just graduating this past weekend. They're really nice and great to talk to. We had a busy day today at work, and we all went to Chateau Bel Enault to see the gardens, and to Chez Roger to drop off the salad. When we arrived at the restaurant, a couple of people had already arrived. They were close friends of the owner and we all stood around and drank wine. Then Roger brought one of the live lobsters from outside. He had it on it's back in one hand, and a small fork in the other hand. The entire belly of the lobster was covered in black lobster eggs, and he began to feel some of the women the caviar. We got back to Monfreville exhausted, and we plan on sleeping in tomorrow ( one of our days off), and then do some touring of the area.

First work day at Chateau Monfreville

This morning David cooked a massive breakfast of poached eggs, bacon, tomatoes, and potato cakes, accompanied with homemade toasted brown bread and raspberry banana smoothies. I ate so much that I felt sick, and I had to lay down for 15 minutes before I started work. Work today varied a lot (a good thing): I started by helping June pick greens for salad they supply to a local restaurant. Then David and myself and a neighbour wrestled with a sheep that had an eye infection, and gave it an antibiotic shot. After sweeping the ,ain floor, cleaning the guesthouse patio and picking flowers for the guesthouse, we had a tea break. After tea, I helped David scrub the steps of the natural pool. The 6 hours of work seemed more like 2-- and a late lunch followed. There are only 2 meals a day: breakfast at 8am and lunch at 3pm. Any food that you may want in the evening is up to you to prepare, but only if you're not still full from the massive 3 or 4 course lunch.
After lunch, I read outside for a little, and at 5:30 I went with David to visit a British friend of his, who owns a chateau (Chateau Bel Enault) with huge gardens. We sat down for drinks, and I had a tall glass of white wine. After it stopped raining, I went outside to take a look at the "garden" as David called it. I went out through the front door, and immediately after turning around the right side of the chateau, I was greeted by 2 white geese on the lawn, and 4 peacocks on the side balcony of the chateau. The "garden" is more like a nature reserve-- there are meadows with trees and stone statues, a lake with a rowboat, a creek tht snaked all over the property with at least 5 wooden/stone bridges going across at different intervals. There are also gravel paths surrounded by flowers, bushes, ivy, and hundreds of huge trees, stone grottos that were big enough to hold dozens of people inside, and stone steps leading to the tops of the grottos, where you can look out at the gardens. I can tell you right now that the images you're picturing now of the gardens are absolutely nothing like how it really is. I didn't bring my camera, but David said we may come back another day-- although I sincerely doubt the true magnificence of the gardens can be captured through the lens of a camera.
After my walk through the gardens, David and I drove to the restaurant, Chez Roger (shay rojay), to drop off the salad. It's right on the beach, and every day they have a fresh catch of blue lobster that they keep alive in a barrel just outside the restaurant until they're ready to cook them. The restuarant didn't open until 8, and Roger, the owner of the restaurant and former celebrity chef (or so David told me), offered us wine, and kept our glasses full for the half hour we were there. Waling out of the restaurant, I felt a little unsteady, and decided that it would probably have been best if I didn't let him top up my wine.

On to Chateau Monfreville

This morning I packed my bags, said goodbye to my familym and got a cab to the train station. I took a 2 hour train ride to Monfreville, Normandy, and made it to the Chateau Monfreville in time for lunch. June and David are a really nice British couple that have had the Chateau for about 17 years. They've been permanently living here since 2000, and started having WWOOFers that same year.
We ate lunch outside and it was delicious-- we started with foie gras with toasted bread and greens, then had lasagna with salad, and finished with a fruit crumble with loads of creme fraiche. After lunch, I did a little exploring around the property. I thought the Chateay de Sacy and its grounjds were big-- this place is at least 3 times as big. There are multiple fruit and veggie gardens, a few greenhouses, a massive front yard with trees, bushes, and a long gravel driveway. They also have 2 guest houses, a natural swimming pond, a regular pond, a barn with chicken and ducks, and a big field with sheep. The chateau is huge, and clean too! I'm at the very top floor-- 51 steps-- with my own bedroom and connecting bathroom (which is the top room in the tower). The views from my 2 bedroom windows are amazing, and the window in my bathroom looks out over part of the front garden. I've already found my favourite spot in my room: one of the windows has a window seat, and looks out over the grazing sheep and the neverending countryside.

Last day in Paris

Even though this was my last day in Paris, I took it pretty easy, and I really didn't see much. We all slept in, I went to the internet cafe to check my email, and after lunch, we did a self-guided tour around Le Marais, an area in Paris near the Bastille monument. We looked around at a market and some shops, passed by the Picasso museum (which I had no interest in seeing), and visited the Place des Vosges, Paris' oldest square. It was built by Henri IV in the early 1600s. Surrounded by identical brick buildings, it was a favourite spot for duels. On our way back to the apartment, we stopped by the Moulin Rouge and took some pics, and I did a little more last-minute shopping with my sister. Today I spent a good 110€...but hey, who knows when I'll be back in Paris again?

Day 4 in Paris

Today was cold and rainy, but we didn't let that stop us from seeing as much as possible. In the morning, we paid a visit to the catacombs-- a series of underground tunnels that span underneath all of Paris. Near the end of the 1700s, lack of space in Paris graveyards and plague forced the powers that be to create mass underground graves, where they deposed millions of bones. Parts were also used as headquarters for the French resistance during the second world war. We missed the guided tour by about 10 minutes, but we were still able to walk around inside. We walked down a narrow gravel path surrounded by walls made entirely of bones and skulls. Many of them were made into designs, and every few meters, carved into the pillars, quotations all realting to death. After this enlightening experiece, my sister, my dad and I met my mom outside of the Pantheon (she had no desire to see the catacombs). We walked to Saint Sulpice, a gorgeous church that was featured in The DaVinci Code (if you haven't read it yet, I strongly recommend you do), and where the original rose line is etched out along the church floor. A rose line is a line of longitude, and today, longitude zero is in Greenwich, England. Longitude zero used to be in Paris (don't ask me when, I don't know), and the long brass line can still be seen today inside Saint Sulpice.
Despite the rain, we had a short walk through Luxembourg gardens, which were absolutely magnificent. We then did a little shopping on the Rue de Rennes and the Blvd St Michel (or as those in the in call it, the Blvd St. Miche), where I bought 150g of the most amazing dark chocolate for 7.50€ ($11.25 CAD). I still think it was well worth it.

Day 3 in Paris

Today was a bank holiday-- Liberation day-- so most of the shops were closed again. There is, however, a monument which is open 364 days a year: The Eiffel tower. We went all the way to the top, and it's much higher looking down then it is looking up from the ground. My sister and I wanted to throw something from the top, watch it fall all the way down, and retrieve it once we got back down. We threw the only thing we really had on hand: orange peels. We had a couple test runs, but both were blown out of our field of vision. We had one left. I stuck my arm way all the way through the cage that wraps around the outside, and threw it as hard as I could. It fell for a really long time, and landed on the grass beside a lake on the grounds around the tower.
After that intense excusion on th Eiffel tower, we went to one of the few stores that was open: the Galerie Lafayette. It's a massive department store that opened in the 30s, and is characterized by it's lavish design and giant glass dome. We had an intense shopping experience while we rushes through its 8 floors and hundreds of designer shops. We had to see it all in 2 hours before it closed.

Day 2 in Paris

Today was the first Sunday of the month, which in Paris means no charge to get in museums. We decided to go to the Musee D'Orsay, known for it's huge collection of Impressionist art. The line outside stretched about 4 blocks, but it moved fairly quickly, and we were in within the half hour. It was super busy inside too, but it was well worth it because there were so many exquisit paintings and sculptures-- the famous and not so famous.
On our way out of the museum, we crossed the Seine and walked through the Jardin de Tuileries. The sun was shining, and people were in the gashops, walking, jogging, or just sitting on the benches. There was also a carousel and giant trampolines for kids. At the end of the gardens is La Place de la Concorde-- a square where the beheadings took place during the French Revolution. There's a giant Egyptian obelisk and an magnificent fountain in the center.
Not too far from the Place de la Concorde is the Place de la Madeline, with a giant Greek-like building, and a ton of designer shops. Because it was Sunday, nothing was open, but we peeked inside the display windows, including Fauchon, the designer food store. We took the metro back to Monmartre where we happened to find the fruit and veggie shop that was used in the French movie "Amelie".

First day in Paris

Today was my first day in Paris, and it was awesome. The apartment we're staying in is in the heart of Monmartre. It's a little crammed, but it's really nicely restored, beautifully decorated, and it's clean! We took the bus to Notre Dame, and had a great tour of Paris and it's sights on the way. We didn't go inside, but took plenty of pics at the front. We wanted to find somewhere to eat lunch, but out front it was packed with tourists. We walked around the the back of Notre Dame (which I think is much nicer than the front...but less famous) where there are benches and gardens and almost no tourists, and we had a peaceful lunch there.
After our lunch, we walked over to Saint Chapelle, and waited in line for 30 minutes to get in. It's a church built in the 1200s to house the supposed crown of thorns that Christ wore during the crucifixion. It's not that big, but what it's known for is it's stain glass windows-- on a sunny day it's like you're inside a jewel box.
Later, we walked around Paris, and went to the outside of the Georges Pompidou center-- a museum of modern art. It's an amazing building that looks like it's been built inside-out, because all the pipes and stairs are on the outside.

I've Broken Free!!

The weather is gorgeous now, and working outside is a pleasure again. It got to 25 today, the sun was bright, and we worked in the shade by the lilac trees. On Saturday, I'll be leaving for Paris to visit my parents, just as I've been planning. Originally, I was going to come back on Sunday evening. But Sundays there's basically no transportation, so Hermine suggested I come back Monday. But Monday is a bank holiday so there won't be any buses then either (cabs are impossible to get on Sundays and holidays), so she said I could just come back on Tuesday evening. Then she realized that I'm leaving on Thursday morning, so I would only be here for qnother full day and it might not be worth it to come all the way back and leave again. At first I insisted that I would stay until Thursday, because I had agreed to stay until then. But then I started to think. Spending an extra day in Paris wouldn't hurt-- there's so muxh to see and the longer you stay, the better. I would also be able to spendmore time with my family. On Thursday, I could catch a metro straight to the train station that I have to leave from to get the the Chateau Monfreville. If I were leaving for Sacy le petit, I would have to pay 15 Euris for a cab to the nearest train station and take a train to Paris. Then I woul have to take a bus from the one Paris station to the one where my train leaves from. I talked to my mom about it over the phone, and she agreed it's probably not worth it. She also said that I don't owe Hermine anything-- I've been working hard the days that I have been here, and it was Herrmine who suggested that I just stay in Paris. So that's it. I had been counting down the days left at this place since the beginning, and now I'm leaving 5 days early.
Another WWOOFer came this evening-- a 22 year-old girl from New Zealand, and she's a sweatheart. After dinnerm Efie, Pete, and I were telling her all the things to do, not to do, the things to avoid and not say, etc. I think we scared her a little, but it's better that she knows everything ahead of time and not get yelled at. Pete and Effie leave on the 12th, and she'll be here by herself untili the 16th. She's a little nervous and she says she reall hates bugs (there are a lot here), but I know she'll get used to it-- if I can, anyone can. She just finished university, and she's going to be in France for a year. She was in Paris for 2 weeks at the beginning of her trip and tried to find a job. Unemployment is really high here, so she didn't have much success. She heard about WWOOFing from someone she met in Paris, and that's how she got involved.
We talked to her about the other places we're going to WWOOF, and she told us she had just come from a 6 week stay at the farm in Mayenne that the Aussies and I are both going to. She said that for work, because she didn't really want to work on the farm, she took care of the kids, did some housework, and cooked. I think I'll try working on the farm, because coming up with meals for 8 people every evening would not be too successful.

A brief peek inside

Here are a couple of pics from inside the chateau de sacy. They're not much, but they give you a little bit of an idea of what it's like. Hermine puts up signs all over the house like the ones in the pics below...mostly telling you not to do something, like "do not leave this light on". The pic on the left is a sign that's posted in the shower. On the right is part of the kitchen. If you can zoom in, look around....and good luck trying to decipher the note on the right.

Pics of the outside of Sacy

Here are some pics of the outside of the house and the gardens. I didn't include everything because the pics take FOREVER to load, but this will give you an idea of what it's like. Sorry about the order, it's pretty random.



This is one of my bedroom windows, on the right end of the house.














This is a meadow behind the house and to the left. Beyond the hedges is a garden.















This is a really pretty gate on the far left wall that leads to an open field.












This is the "kitchen garden" where we planted potatoes, carrots and zuchini. Raspberries, strawberries, spinach and leeks are already growing here. It's not the greatest pic of the garden, but the light on the canola field beyond the wall is gorgeous.




















This is another shot of the kitchen garden, with the back of the barn at the end.
















On the left is the barn, on the right is the meadow and the compost. If you follow the path all the way to the end, you will end up in front of the pretty gate I took a picture of, and the kitchen garden on the left.









This is a shot taken from the courtyard of the front of the barn. hermine doesn't have any animals, but she stores most of the tools in here. There's also a ping pong table, but it's been so cold out we haven't played yet.












This is at the front end of the property against the wall-- it used to be an outhouse.












Here's a shot of the front of the chateau taken just inside the gates. The entire property is surrounded by 10-foot stone walls.











On the far left is the back of the house, and in the middle is the dovecote (although there aren't any birds in there because the stray cats ate them all. Hermine doesn't want to get anymore birds because of the bird flu). On the right is a little bit of the barn, and in the bottom left-hand corner is a bit of the concrete structure that is divided into sections: one for the compost, and others for lettuce and other greens.