Host 2: Moulin Saleth

The property we are staying at is called Moulin Saleth. Saleth I believe is just a name, Moulin is French for mill. The popular Moulin rouge is a windmill. In this case however, Moulin Saleth is named for a water mill, as we are on the Aveyron River and on the property is indeed an old water wheel.

I don’t know a ton about the property as the language barrier with my hosts is tough, but I can still relay a few things. Denis and Perrine have only lived here about a year and a half, and are in the process of renovating basically all of it. In total there are 3 buildings.

The smallest building is the water mill. I’m guessing that’s the oldest thing built on the property, dating back to around 1792. I’m unsure if it’s still operational, but water is still diverted through it, so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be. There are a number of moulin’s on the river and at each of them you have little dam like structures in the river, which I covered in my kayak blog post. Through the water mill building are steps leading down to a nice gravelly beach that Tawnie and I have enjoyed lounging on while reading, skipping rocks, and rare cold dips in the river.

The other two buildings were likely built more recently, but are still old, and served as a summer camp. In one building is a covered garage still housing a bunch of bicycles and other recreational supplies. That building also has a couple bunks, bathrooms, and a small portion of it has been remodeled and is where Denis and Perrine live. Their actual living area is very quaint and humble, containing a small kitchen, bedroom, and a dining table, sofa, and home office all within an open room design. Outside is a balcony that meals are eaten at during nice weather that looks out onto a sea of trees along the riverbank.

The other building is comprised of 5 stories. 3 stories contain bedrooms with bathrooms throughout, 1 story has more beds, a small kitchen, and a washing machine, and the ground floor has a gigantic industrial sized kitchen and a large eating area. I’m going to take a time lapse video walking through the house and I’ll count all the beds when I do that. My estimate is 60. The floor that Tawnie and I sleep on (the third, although, it too is ground level as we’re on a hill) also has the area that we’re currently renovating. I don’t know what Denis and Perrine’s plans are, but I imagine it will be used mostly as a lounge, living room, and library type of space. After renovating this area they’re going to keep going room by room until it’s in shape to be an event center for large groups to use for family reunions, weddings, etc.

The majority of the structures are visibly run down, with the exception of the living space Denis and Perrine have already remodeled. You get the feeling that everything is a bit dusty, and my probable sinus infection is none the better. Many of the walls have mold and are warped from water damage. Spiders and their webs abound. All that aside, it’s actually quite comfortable. The sheets feel fresh, the shower is warm enough, all the lights and plumbing work, and right now it doesn’t get too cold at night. This place certainly isn’t for everyone, but beggars can’t be choosy, and for all the downfalls our hosts make up for in kindness. Infinitely better than the last place we stayed.

A couple notes before I end the post (alternatively, here are things I wanted to say but couldn’t cohesively weave them into narrative):

• On the 2^nd floor of the building we’re staying in, between the window and the window shutters is a massive honeycomb. You can sit in the room and watch the bees work, work, work. It’s super cool.
• I’ve kind of been nerding out on all the door latch mechanisms. In the US the doorknob is generally the way in which one opens a door. Here there are all kinds of weird mechanisms with bars sliding up and down, or bars locking behind something. It’s hard to explain (nor am i going to try because it would read rather dry I imagine) but if I get super bored I may take pictures and do a little door mechanism collage.
• There’s a wonderful dead tree covered in large mushroom conks on the property.
• The summer camp left behind a bunch of things, including board games. French Catan has plastic pieces for routes, villes, and colonies. They also have many classics like Clue, blockus, etc. Slightly less classic but great games include citadels and of course: Carcassonne - which is only a short drive away from here.
• The shower just has a button you push, like the sink in a public restroom. You push the button and water goes for about 1 minute. The water is too cold on the first push, but by the end of the 2^nd push it’s bearable. I actually really like this feature (if I could get the water temperature just right) because you use way less water.
• I see now I forgot to touch on the non-structures part of the property. I’d estimate we’re on 2 or 3 acres. There is a long driveway with messy natural looking grass on both sides with trees spaced sparsely. The property sits between the river and a road.
• I really hope Denis and Perrine get to see their event center dreams to reality. At first I was highly skeptical, but now I’m not so sure. Denis does a good job of spending a few hours on it everyday, and he seems knowledgeable enough. All the light fixtures and plumbing seem fine, so it’s mostly dealing with nasty old paint jobs, wallpaper, and crumbling walls. Tawnie and I are making good progress and we don’t even work that much, so I can see Denis possibly finishing this thing within about 10 years. In any case, he seems to be enjoying himself.