Online Dating (for your house)

My fiancee and I just got back from the South of France. The trip was fantastic. But the way we chose the destination for our vacation deserves somes attention.

We listed our home in Newport Beach, CA on a website called HomeExchange.com, where (as the name suggests) people "exchange homes".  The process of listing our place was actually quite fun. You pay a $99 annual membership fee, and then proceed to upload pics of your house and your neighborhood. It really kinds of feels like you're writing a personals listing for your home! And most people give some info on the owners as well (which is important since most people, rightly so, want to know about the people they are potentially lending their home to).

Here's our listing:

http://homeexchange.com/show.php?id=101355

After we finished and posted the listing, we were blown away by home many inquires or "exchange requests" we received. From all over the world. Major cities in Italy, Spain, and France. London, Aspen, Stockholm - the list goes on! The site allows you to specify where you're looking to go, but we kept ours fairly open since we weren't exactly sure where we wanted to travel (although France and Australia were high on our wish list). Plus, the element of a little serendipity was appealing as well.

After evaluating all of the inquiries, we ultimately chose to exchange with a nice couple from London who own a vacation home in St. Jean Cap Ferrat (an exclusive little enclave in the French Riviera). According to the pictures and description (http://homeexchange.com/show.php?id=89062) it was an adorable two bedroom apartment about a hundred yards from the beach, with views of the Mediterranean.  Upon arriving we were relieved and actually pleasantly surprised that the place felt even better than advertised! 

We had such an amazing vacation. One of the best things about doing a home exchange v. staying in a hotel/resort, besides saving around $10,000+ (14 nights x at least $600/night plus all those annoying taxes, egregious parking fees, restaurant/room service...) is the fact that it forces you to have a different kind of experience.  You're staying in a home, with a kitchen, and end up shopping a the locals markets every morning, and cooking in many nights. For us, we ended up feeling like we really got a much more intimate feel of the town and the people.

I highly recommend Home Exchange for your next vacation.  (And if you happen to have a place in Australia and want to visit Southern California...let me know!)

Cafe Americain

I did not see ONE Starbucks in Nice/Cote D'Azur. Not during our cameos in Northern Italy or the Swiss Alps either. I loved this but can understand that some of my friends would be disappointed. Here's what I recommend to those who travel to Europe and are longing for 16 oz. of coffee:

1) Manage your expectations. Accept going in that coffee (and really everything) is not consumed in mass quantities.

2) Order a coffee called a cafe americain. It's a double shot of expresso served with a side of hot water. Barely bitter with rich cocoa notes. I know it doesn't seem like "much", but after you add a little water and cream/sugar, to your liking, I can almost guarantee you will enjoy the flavor and feel content with this size serving. (I was taken by surprise too as my usual order at Rose's Bakery is a medium Hawaiian Hazelnut coffee with two shots of espresso.)

Small v. Big

Everything in Europe feels small. I could have told anyone this since my first trip overseas when I was 10, but living life "small" again differs drastically from the memory.

Being present in the small life awakens your senses and sends a shock to your quantitative comfort zones. Streets, and therefore cars, are small. Objectively, I think I'm a small female and I barely fit in the showers. A glass of wine is 25cl (or 4oz) poured to the line. A cafe americain is a double espresso you can choose to add water too if you desire more volume at the expense of concentration.

I love this.

It forces me to slow down and enjoy. I passionately do not want to waste. I'm exponentially more satisfied. And, in most cases, the quality is higher than the larger, less expensive version that's easily accessible in the US. I appreciate the luxury of this access and infrastructure, but I'm going to try to exercise more discipline in the quantity to quality ratio in my life. But it is nice to have this choice (and the reawakened awareness to choose to do so).

Undercover

I learned after one morning that French women don't wear tee-shirts. Period. If you don't want to be seen (and sadly, treated) like an American, the first step you can take is not dressing like one.

Bonjour, Saint Jean Cap Ferrat

Holiday

The blog may be quiet for awhile as Michael and I are about to explore the French Riviera and neighboring destinations in Italy and Switzerland. After about a week of research, here is our plan:

Home base: Cap Ferrat

Day trips: Monaco, Monte Carlo, St. Tropez

Trip within trip: Cinqueterre, Milan, Zermatt

Brilliant excuse to stay overseas two more days: London

Any recommendations on restaurants, bars, attractions, 6 mile running routes, parks, live music venues, etc. are taken to heart. Thank you and see you in a few weeks!