Castex!!

We finally made it to France, and here is a quick update!

 

Here is an overview of the country.  Castex, the town near our home is labeled 'A'

 

Here is a closer view of the local geography...Our home is in the country, about an hour south of Toulouse, which is the 4th largest city in France and a major center for aeronautic production.  Airbus has one of its largest (if not the largest) plant in Toulouse, and is one of the largest employers in the area.

However, out in the country....Here's our story...

 

Steph being very excited about arriving...although to a house with no heat (snow was still on the ground then).  We unloaded the cats (who were mostly traumatized from the trip, but ok, then crashed under a ton of covers)

When we woke up in the morning, this is what we saw:

 

Not too bad eh?  This is the view from our bedroom window.  The Pyrenees are in the background.  The tall peak on the left is 3,200 meters high (not sure what that is in feet) and is an impressive feature on the landscape.  Our neighbor is super cool and has a son that works at a nearby ski resort.  Apparently they have over 2.5 meters of snow...we'll have to check it out.  The Pyrenees have been visible nearly every day, and the sun rise usually lights up the mountains in a beautiful pink alpine glow.

The weather in Castex has been amazing.  It is usually sunny or partly cloudy with temps in the 50's every day.  It rains occasionally, but usually at night and we find the weather to be very similar to Colorado, which is an excellent change from the grey drear of Chicago winter. 

 

The House

The house and property need a ton of work.  It hasn't been lived in for a couple of years and a variety of things are in various states of disrepair.  The gardening is endless and we've already spent 3 days trimming hedges, but have hardly made a dent in the work to be done.  The house itself was built piece by piece from an old barn, starting in the mid 50's, so repairs are a total cluster and we're still trying to figure out what everything is.  

Beyond working on the house, we've had a chance to cruise around a little bit, but haven't been climbing yet.  Here are a few pics from the area around Castex.  We're out of time right now, but will post more as soon as we can.  We're waiting for the internet to be hooked up at the house, which can take as much as two more weeks, but can't wait to talk to you all to catch up.

 

Steph Trimming one of the 50 bijillion trees on the property

 

A nearby village, typical of the area, with rolling hills and a church to mark the skyline.

 

 Rieux Volvestre a nearby medieval town

 

 A sundial, marking the lunch hour for the French, which extends punctually from Noon to 2pm everyday...a time during which, every business (with the exception of restaurants) closes and it is impossible to get anything done...We're learning not to fight it by having nice long, relaxing lunches.

Here are the hours of a local mayor...a couple of hours on a couple of days a week...

 

Rieux Volvestre Church

 

Sunset above a neighbors house near Castex.

Talk to you all soon!

Steph & Cam