WWOOFING IT IN SW FRANCE

I FOUND OUT ABOUT WWOOFING through the Frugal Traveler column in NY Times. Just by Googling 'wwoofing' you can get a wealth of information to start you on your travels in just about any country. WWOOF is a world wide organization that links to opportunities to live and work on organic farms. In previous posts I have described how I journeyed to and from my wwoofing experience in the Ariege Region in South West France, adjoining the Spanish border. Quite a journey from the small rural community around Corning/Painted Post (Upper NY State) to the small rural community around St. Girons, Ariege, the best part of which were the long rides through the lovely French countryside absolutely alone in the sense that hardly a soul in that part of the world had any knowledge of me. This may seem curious to you but I recommend the experience of solitude.

My hosts were Erwin and Jasmin Berg who, for the past 12 years have owned and run an organic farm of 40 hectares in the hamlet of Rames, near Moulis, near St. Girons, in the very hilly beginnings of the Pyrenees. You can Google-Map these places to see the region. Here are my hosts. They are dear people whom I am now very pleased to count as friends. They have hosted many wwoofers over the past decade and have wwoofer friends all around the world. Besides being hard working, they are wonderfully welcoming and kind; as well, they are most interesting people. Erwin is German and Jasmin was born in England. They have been traveling entertainers and Erwin is a professional glass worker (which automatically gives him entrance to Corning, the center of glass working here in the US), and also briefly ran a circus. They raise cattle and rabbits and grow produce for local markets.

I had the company of two other wwoofers (Katy and Matthieu) and also Celia who was doing her second internship on the farm as part of her studies. One of the really great experiences were mealtimes, sitting around and eating wonderful food (Jasmin is a very good cook), and talking a lot. Here we all are (I am out of the picture, taking the photo). From left to right, clockwise, Celia, Matthieu, Katy, Dominik (the son of the house), Erwin and Jasmin. As most of the talking was in French, I gradually became better at hearing French and I think my spoken French has improved a good bit. Both Katy and Matthieu were good tutors. Also in the company were two dogs, three puppies, several cats, and two kittens.

How did each day go? Up around 7 AM and coffee which we all seemed to need to get going. The French do not make much of breakfast (which is why it is called 'petit dejeuner' or 'little lunch') so we each were responsible for our own food. For me, that was oatmeal. Then it was off to work. This might be haymaking, weeding, digging, mulching, planting out, or cleaning out. we did a lot of haymaking since it was the season. This involved a deal of successive turning of recently cut hay and, finally, baling. It being hot and humid on haymaking days, at some altitude, and the ground steep, I can vouch that this was hard, steady work. Fortunately, being German, Erwin had a good supply of beer which we were all very glad to drink whenever available and at all times of the day, as well as copious amounts of water. Maybe I am getting too old for this? I asked myself at times! As wwoofers, we could work at our own pace and rest as necessary. I took time out to wonder at the view, especially that across the vally of the other farms. Even so, as part of the haymaking team, one really had to just keep up with the work. I will up-load a video of the haymaking, when it has been edited. We would take mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks as well as for lunch and dinner. All up, a working day might be 10 hours but, apart from the hay, not hard or difficult, just pleasant and steady. Have you discovered the zen of weeding?

It was not all work. Several times I went off with Erwin to visit friends or neighbors...very pleasant and involving drinking good French wine (sometimes a good bit of wine). On another day,we all went off to explore part of an extensive cave system under the hill on which the farm was situated. My first experience of real caving. I passed on the final descent and spent some 20 minutes in complete darkness (I did have a flashlight) listening to the voices of my friends coming up from the deep...another experience of solitude. This is a well known cave system (Grotte du Portillou a Moulis, Ariege) and begins through a quite tight entrance and steep descent leading to large chambers formed by a (subterranean) river. On other days we went to the local markets at St. Girons and Engoumet. Also, I took a Saturday off to visit St. Girons and St. Livier on the day of the finish of the 8th Stage of the Tour de France at St. Girons. And then there was the pub at Engoumet where we all had a drink (clockwise: me, Matthieu, Celia, and Erwin), so it was hardly all work and no play.

After lengthy dinners, so beloved by the French, we would retire around 10 PM, bone tired and quickly off to sleep. Matthieu and I shared the loft above the main living area while Katy and Celia had separate quarters attached to the house. The house was built in the 19th Century and has needed (still needs) quite a bit of work. It is pictured at the top of this post. It is comfortable and has a wonderful fireplace which was just great on one cold and rainy day. We did have some cold and wet days. The locals have a couple of sayings about the weather. One is, 'If you cannot see the mountains, it is because it is raining; if you can, it is about to rain!' Another, 'We have seven months of winter and five months of terrible weather!' Living in Ariege is no picnic; as one of their story tellers (Olivier de Robert) has remarked, 'This mountainous area is never a gift for anyone..." It has long attracted folk who are suspicious of central authority, seeking a free, simple, and independent life.

Wwoofing is not everyone's idea of a vacation. It is unparalleled however as a way of entering into the life and ways of a region and of making friends. Would I do it again? I must admit that age may be working against me but...maybe once more in a wine growing area? If you like the idea and really search it out, you may be lucky enough to meet folk like Erwin and Jasmin.