Wish you were here!

I've never been good at a daily journal, so maybe if I think about this like a postcard with updates from five house and pet sits across the UK and EU, 10 weeks of travel and a Eurail pass.

Day 24

Below is basically the text I sent my friends last night, to let them know I had arrived at my garden sit near Toulouse. I corrected the typos, it was late. But the tone remains the same.

I am still processing all of this and don’t have the bandwidth for anymore at the moment. With this, you are caught up.

Arrived at the garden sit in France. This may be the time my optimism does me in.

Holy. Shit.

I am in the middle of nowhere.

A dead ringer for the wild eyed, flux capacitor guy from the movie met my train, and we drove an additional 30 minutes outside the small town that is 30 minutes by train, outside Toulouse. He put my suitcase in a WHEELBARROW to bring it the last 300 yards from where he parked the car to my “cabin” on the property.

A yurt would be a major upgrade. The cabin is one room, with one plug, one lamp, and no wifi but is conveniently located near the outdoor, dry toilets. Which he pointed to with enthusiasm. “Good for the environment. Non? And close, for in the dark, oui?”

Dinner was outside in the dark. We talked about rustic in 3 different languages. But rustic is generous.

Then I saw a bat. I shrieked (out loud). And at that moment, I think they realized this sit was in peril. I had determined that long before.

“Rustic a problem? Oui?”

So she moved me from the cabin to a bedroom/storeroom in the main house. The room is built around a tree. There is a tree growing in the middle of my room. An actual tree. With roots in the ground, limbs going in several directions and nature flowing up and down inside of the truck.

This is basically camping.

I am tired. I need sleep. I will reassess in the morning.

While I try to sleep, it is still daytime there in Chicago.

Can you look up the number of whoever it is that dispatches helicopters and platoons of marines to rescue Americans in hostile territories. I know it is a thing. I have seen it on tv. There is ample room here in the field adjacent to the house to land a Blackhawk. I will let you know if I need you to make that call in the morning.

It is now morning. She said there is coffee. More to come. Is the helicopter on speed dial?