Le Castel

We have arrived in Normandy! Jon (our host) picked us up from the train station, and we both felt right at home almost instantly. We were surprised to find an American family of workawayers, Daniel, Cassandra, and Abby, which had already been there for three months. We had no idea that families did workaways, but more power to them! Jon is a very interesting character himself. He is an English expat and it turns out that he is a former editor for News of the World. He has pictures of himself with David Beckham, Elton John, Kylie Minogue, Whitney Huston, and Hugh Grant hanging in his bathroom. He said it was a “different life,” but what a heck of a different life! Apparently, he is “friends” with Elton John (I don’t know how close, but that is the word he used). His favorite interview was with Kylie Minogue and his worst by far was Jim Carey (kind of surprising, but not really). He said that the only two celebrities that he was ever actually excited to meet were Margaret Thatcher and the Queen Mother! Pretty cool stuff, I would say, but he was very nonchalant about it. “It was just a job,” he says.

Jon with his cat, Kylie (yes, Kylie Minogue)

Kylie again

But anywho, about Le Castel. It was built in the 19^th century by a Parisian judge as a country getaway. Two centuries later it is still very secluded. The closest proper town is Coutances, which is about 12 kilometers from here. There are three beautifully decorated rooms in the main house and 3 separate gites (cottages). Jake and I are in a gite equipped with the luxurious amenities of a kitchenette, ensuite bathroom, and WIFI access. Quite a step up from our tent.

The weather is very odd. It is a combination of rain, sun, wind, and gloom. I don’t know quite what to compare it to. Maybe Seattle? London? The countryside makes for good promenades (I am surrounded by English people, so I am starting to say stuff like this. I also seem to be constantly talking about the weather). The landscape consists of white cows, black cows, brown cows, and black cows. Mainly just cows, but that’s OK because we are from Indiana.

Our work consists of mainly childcare for the guests twice a day. Last week there were more guests, so we actually had to work. This week there are only two families and they don’t want childcare, so Jake and I are essentially off the hook workwise with the exception of making dinner for 3 children at night. I should bite my tongue before I say this, but I actually kind of wish that there was more to do. I feel like a freeloader. I will stop there. This is amazing.

Jake and I have been trying to master the oven. It is not your everyday, run-of-the-mill oven. La Cornue is her name, and she is a putain (those of you who have been paying attention to the blogs will know what that means). We are determined to conquer it though. To set the temperature you have to use a conversion scale from 1-10, and the top and bottom burners are controlled by two different dials numbering 1-3. Also, you can’t ever open the oven door while your food is cooking because it will lose all its heat. You just really have to be confident in your cooking skills and trust that you did your conversions correctly. Jon said that it is an exquisite oven and that if you bought it brand new it would retail for $32,000. YIKES! Our first meal was dreadful, but since then they have progressively improved. We are cooking dinner for everyone tomorrow, so wish us luck!

La Cornue

Today we went to the cathedral city of Coutances. The only car that we have access to is a Mercedes mini bus (13 passenger) that has a manual transmission. I have only just learned how to use a manual and Jake doesn’t know how at all. Also, I learned on a “glorified golf cart” (Brigitte’s Peugeot), so, needless to say, this was quite a different story. We made it to Coutances in one piece, but this was after stalling multiple times trying to pull out on the highway and then again on one of those damn roundabouts. I don’t think I want to drive again, BUT I did manage to get home without stalling at all.

Me driving the mini bus- don't let the smile fool you, shortly after this I thought that we were going to perish

Coutances was a cute little town. We saw three beautiful Romanesque cathedrals. Other than that, there wasn’t much open because we arrived at noon (France closes from noon-2 pm, ROAR!). We did manage to find a salon that was open, and I proceeded to cut off most of my hair. It looks great and I am really happy that I did it. I don’t have any pictures yet, but I’m sure that about a thousand will be taken in the near future.