Work and Pleasure Blur During Working Vacation for Volunteers in Southwest France

Volunteering at La Giraudiere, in Southwest  France offers a balance of activity and leisure, pleasure as well as industry. That is what I find so dynamic about staying here for my first foray into France, or Europe for that matter.

The work week at La Giraudiere starts on a Tuesday and ends on Thursday leaving four days, Friday through Monday, to explore the whole of France- “pour le plaisir”. Since I arrived Thursday evening, my first days were channeled entirely towards the recreational side of the week, although work and play seem to blur somewhat while volunteering at La Giraudiere.

A delightful day trip was planned to explore a few of the villages and towns in the Charente-Maritime region of France, Pons, Talmont, and St. Palais.

Pons

The first leg of our excursion was at Pons, one of the main towns in the southern part of the Charente-Maritime.

Ideally located on the road to Saint-Jacques de Compostela, Pons became an active religious center covering churches, monastic orders and even a hospital for pilgrims. It is now a leading tourist city.

The site is dominated by the silhouette of its iconic Romanesque tower, complete with a medieval dungeon. Perched on top of a rocky promontory, the views from the hilltop where we enjoyed our morning  “chocolat chaud”, coffee and a croissant, were stunning.

Talmont-sur-Gironde

The town of Talmont-sur-Gironde is, practically speaking, an island. With the exception of the town’s inhabitants, no cars are allowed within this once ancient citadel, a “walled town”. Situated on the Gironde estuary, Talmont has been awarded the famous Les Plus Beaux Villages de France.   As you wander through the flower filled streets and alleyways, you are easily transported to the Middle Ages, and can see why cars are not allowed into this quaint and tiny village.

While we were there, we happened upon a film crew as they were filming for a Hollywood movie. The inside of the intimate yet stunning chapel had been transformed and brought to life with monks and nuns wearing ancient garb, in a somewhat “misty” interior. There is also a charming restaurant at Talmont  where one could feast on local French food. We however, moved onto our next stop, the coastal village of St. Palais.

St. Palais

Saint-Palais, which is a city also created because of the road to Compostelam, has a mix of ancient charm and a more “modern” flair, as many of the old buildings were destroyed during the second world war. That said, there is certainly no lack of beauty and appeal in this thriving beach city.

We arrived at the lovely beaches of St. Palias just in time for lunch and relished our meal at  Les Quimperoises creperie. The  afternoon was spent swimming in the ocean, lying on the beach, or by a poolside enjoying a drink.

Relais-Routiers

We rounded out our day with an unexpected stop at a “relais-routiers”, a French truck stop.

 This fun option, for the brave, was truly a unique experience. The relais-routier, which offers food, wine, and sleeping accommodations for truckers is also open to families, holiday makers, and anyone else willing to give it a try.

We were pleasantly suprised to savor a complete meal including a main course with vegetables, a complete buffet with a variety of salads, pâté, mussels, cold meats and  more, as well as delicious dessert and cheese. To top it off, you could buy a small pitcher of wine for, get this, half a euro.

We had a full and delightful day going from medieval and ancient villages all the way to a gourmet truck stop. Now that is real cultural immersion.

If you think you are a prime candidate to participate in and experience a truly uncommon and eclectic experience in the Southwest of France, visit our volunteer page for more information.

à bientôt,

Mayra Pena 🙂 (Volunteer)

 

A New Zealand Volunteer in France

This week we said goodbye and thank you to Carolyn Nimmo, a volunteer from New Zealand who came to the south west of France to improve her French skills and to experience the French culture.

Carolyn quickly immersed herself in the French culture by participating in regular games of Pétanque, speaking French with locals and other volunteers.

In New Zealand Carolyn works with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to arrange and support people who are coming from developing countries to New Zealand to study. A dream of hers is to live in France for about 6 months and she is definitely well on her way to being able to speak the language fluently.

At La Giraudiere she took on many housekeeping and gardening duties.She regularly planted new flowers around La Giraudiere and taught new volunteers a little bit about gardening.

Thank you Carolyn for your help at La Giraudiere. It was a pleasure to have you on our team and to work with you!

Thank you Shavanna Woon, a volunteer from the United Kingdom who left La Giraudiere this week. Shavanna recently graduated from college with a diploma in Uniformed Public Service and came to the south west of France to learn French, meet new people and to learn valuable skills.

 

During her time at La Giraudiere Shavanna learned to put up dry wall, plaster boards, garden and much more. She also got to experience the French culture and gain an understanding of the French language.

Now that Shavanna has returned to England she will be working at a night club, while pursuing a career with the police.

Thank you Shavanna for all your hardwork and generosity while at La Giraudiere. It was a pleasure to have you be a part of our team of volunteers for the spring!

 

 

An American Volunteer in France

This weekend we said goodbye to Betsy Shoup a volunteer from the United States. Betsy joined La Giraudiere to learn French and to experience the French culture in a village in the Charante region of France.

With her extensive experience in the hospitality industry Betsy was well-equipped to take on housekeeping duties at La Giraudiere. She was responsible for preparing morning tea, preparing rooms for new volunteers and other housekeeping duties.

In addition to her housekeeping duties, Betsy spent much of her time gardening, cleaning the Old House and other duties that needed to be completed at La Giraudiere.

Thank you Betsy for everything you have done at La Giraudiere. You were a great addition to our team here and it was a pleasure working with you!