End of the Road: We ain’t gonna work on Gabi’s farm no more

Last week we completed our tenth and what appears to be last Work-Away stint of the seemingly endless 2016-17 road show. Three and a half weeks in Nades—smack dab in the middle of France—provided a perfect close to our long and often colorful tour of duties.

As with several other hosts, tucked away in the most remote reaches of the hinterlands, we found this country maison a challenge to locate, but a pleasure to arrive at. Owned, restored and exquisitely renovated by a talented family from Britain, these were without a doubt the most comfortable digs of our adventure: complete with our own very modern kitchen, a separate loft for the kids’ beds, and not one but two bathrooms, one with shower and one with jacuzzi.

You could say we were spoiled, in the lap of luxury, in the heart of the Auvergne. To make our stay even less strenuous, we agreed to cover our own food expenses and do 2.5 hours of work per day, instead of the standard 5 hours in exchange for both room and board. The single solitary drawback here was an internet connection reminiscent of the late 90s. Even so, this was a far more tolerable downside than certain others we’ve encountered elsewhere at previous posts, including but not limited to the days without running water and electricity, the indoor composting toilet just across the hall from the kitchen, the parents who regularly locked their daughter in her bedroom, and the cold-water-only kitchen where every dish and utensil gleamed with the dull patina of old butter and residual olive oil that could be described as anything but extra virgin.

We had actually planned to end our exploits with an 11th assignment in the southwest corner of Germany. Ultimately though, we decided not to take a chance, but instead to end it all on a high note. I continued to hone my light carpentry skills, assembling a tidy row of composting stalls for the garden. We also prepared an impressive array of vegetable beds for spring planting and painted a few rooms in their erstwhile barn or soon-to-be guesthouse. A close examination of the renovations helped us to realize what a couple people can do to one very decrepit building with a bit of hard work and imagination. We now have own dreams of taking what we’ve learned about centuries-old stone house restoration and putting it to use for ourselves.

For the moment, however, we are giving the hard work a rest; but our imaginations continue to run wild. Despite the small change of plans, we continued northeastward up to central Germany, to catch up with the family, and to have a look at another handful of smaller European cities and another several hundred kilometers of bucolic countryside. Belfort, France, and Fulda, Germany, both struck us as surprisingly delightful, with their salubrious pizzerias and palatial gardens. We also found Vichy, Freiburg and Baden Baden to be brimming with old-world charm, while also erupting with spring bloomage.

From here, we’ll head south again to seek out the Easter bunny and do a little exploring in the Black Forest area. Then it’s another few days of driving to get back across France. With spring in the air, the weather has finally turned, and camping in the VW is once again a most agreeable option. Camping out at roadside rest stops in France is especially pleasant, free of charge and free of stress. Generally these rest areas are set off the highway just far enough to afford a quiet night’s sleep, and in the morning we wake up in the middle of a secluded forest, where the sound of songbirds accompanies the murmur of diesel engines.

Later this month we’ll reconvene in the Pyrenees, where we have the highest hopes for new projects and a promising future, details of which we will be very eager to share, as things progress.