Helpx #1 - Part 2 - Castrel

Wrapping up my stay at Michael's


So another weeked past and I finished my helpx work at Michael's place, leaving early Monday morning (the 10th) to head down to Naples and beyond to spend some time visiting Pompeii, Mt. Vesuvius, and Sorrento.

The next week was much like the first in terms of work, although we started work on splitting and stacking LOTS of wood to prepare for the upcoming winter months. But I continued to ride Paddy, exploring more trails and trying to do a bit more technical type work with him.

Julie left and five other Americans arrived (a group of four who all went to college together in Virginia and a girl from NYC). There was a moment where Michael was talking about how his mother survived on chestnuts during the German occupation in England during the War, then hugged Isa, the German helpxer. She then joked that the place was being taken over and occupied by Americans. Having this big group (in total there were eight of us helpers!) was a bit of a different dynamic. A little more chaos than the laid back atmosphere of the first week, but still fun.

Lunch!

Isa and I really connected and we began to compile a list of things that we had to do or buy when we got back to our respective homes:

Coty and Isa's List:
- buy a hammock
- specifically for Isa but I'll do it too:
watch Into The Wild while sitting in hammock eating popcorn with soy sauce and nutritional yeast
- listen to Figgis on Figgis while making our favorite meals we made at Micael, specifically for me: Kartoffelpuffer, the german potato pancake-like meal Isa and I made one day for lunch.

I think there were a couple more, but these are the ones I can remember.

Isa and I making pancakes from scratch...

...and the result was oh so good!

And then the week passed. And it was the night before I had to leave. That evening as the sun was going down Michael told us of a walk where we could go to an old 12th century abbey, no longer in use. Aaah! Why did I not know about this before?! So all seven of us helpxers (Isa had already left by then) took of for this place, reaching it just as the sun was going down. Going on this little adventure was the perfect way to end my time at Michael's. Getting out and enjoying the countryside, seeing this cool old abbey, having a little bonding adventure as we explored the abbey in the waning light, and finding our way back on the little path through the trees in the dark, with owls hooting in the background. I'll definitely miss this place, and I'm pretty sure anytime I hear church bells ringing, I will be transported back to the patio, sitting around sharing meals or playing the guitar. And hearing Figgis on Figgis (the stay's theme music!), Van Morrison, or Bob Dylan will probably transport me back to the kitchen, helping make bread or stirring the veggies in the wok for our lunch and dinners. But now it's on to more new and unknown experiences! Thanks Michael and crew for a wonderful and unforgettable two weeks.

And here are a couple more pictures from Michael's: