The Studio
Accommodations
- La Cascade has four bedrooms that comfortably sleep eight people. There are two full bathrooms on the 2nd floor and one on the first floor. There’s also a studio, a sitting room, a dining room, two terraces by the river and a large, well equipped kitchen. There is a bed and breakfast nearby which often handles the overflow from La Cascade.*
- My apartment, which is on the 3rd floor, is available for rent in June during your class week. The rent is $500. There is one large room with a bed, kitchen and en suite bathroom. Included is an additional bedroom with a single bed across the landing.
Payment
- The rent for La Cascade is $2,750 for the week, starting in 2012, and does not include meals or transportation.
- A deposit of $500 will secure your choice of week up to May 1 the year before your class; ie for a class in 2012, the deposit is due May 1,2011. After May 1 it’s offered to people on the waiting list.
- The balance of $2, 250 is due February 1, the same year as your class for classes May through July 31.
- The balance of $2, 250 is due March 1, the same year as your class for classes Sept through October. (There are no classes in August)
Cancellation Policy
- Rent, including deposits, is non-refundable unless Gwen cancels.
- If a replacement is found for your scheduled week, $400 will be refunded.
Board
- Please contact Gwen directly for information on hiring a chef. gwen@gwengibson.com
Flight Information
- Toulouse is the final flight destination. You can fly to Toulouse from many European hubs. London, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, Munich etc.
Ground Transportation & Car Rental
- The Toulouse airport is about 57 kilometers away. A rented car affords the best transportation from the airport to La Cascade and is necessary for exploring the great things the area has to offer.
- Make rental arrangements from the US at least a couple of weeks ahead of time. A very good deal can be had at Argus www.drivealive.com/car_hire.html or “Europe by Car” tel; 212/581-3040 www.europebycar.com
Location
- Durfort, a medieval copper artisan village, approximately 45 minutes east of Toulouse. (The French estimate time rather than distance because distance could mean anything in terms of time on country roads)
Mediterranean beaches – 1 hr 30 minutes - Lake – 10 minutes
- Nearest shops/restaurants – 5 minutes
- Airport – 1 hr 20 minutes to Toulouse airport in Blagnac
- Medieval Cité of Carcassonne – 45 minutes
- Medieval village of Soreze-, 5 minutes, famous Abbey School and music festival in June and July
- Canal du Midi – 20 minutes
- Castres – 30 minutes; Goya Museum
- Toulouse – 45 minutes
- Albi – 1 hr; Cathedral and Toulouse Lautrec Museum
- Montolieu- 35 minutes, The book town
Insurance
- Travel insurance is a requirement for renting La Cascade. This covers trip cancellation, trip interruption, travel delay, baggage loss, baggage delay, emergency medical expenses, rental car damage, air flight accident. Each person is responsible for her own travel insurance unless the teacher chooses to take out a group insurance plan. “CSA Vacation Guarantee”800-348-9505
Communications
- Our telephone in France: dial 05-63-50-81-09, From the US dial 011-33-563-50-81-09 (My US phone # is 415 454 3246)
- We also have Y-fi.
House policies
- The washing machine and dryer are quite different from American models and require supervision so we discourage classes from using them. The washer and dryer are primarily for staff use only. There is a laundromat in Revel (5 minutes away) which is easy to use, takes large loads and take about an hour to complete. If you must use ours, we charge 7 euros a load. (It takes small loads which each take about 3 hours to complete).
- Use of the kitchen. If Nese cooks for your class, the class is welcome to use the kitchen for making coffee, tea or assembling light snacks. Nese provides fruit for snacks. You are welcome to purchase any other snacks you would like. The stove in the kitchen is for staff use only. It doesn’t work like an American stove and you run the risk of a flare up. Please use the electric kettle for boiling water. If you’re renting the house without a chef, we’ll instruct you on the safe use of the stove.
- Fireplace; You are free to use the fireplace and any firewood that’s in the living room or behind the stairs, but we guarantee a supply of firewood only for the months of May and October. You can contact Nese if you would like to buy wood for fireplace use June- September and she will arrange to have it delivered.
- Maps; La Cascade has several maps and Atlases, touring books and guides and informational books on the local area which you are welcome to use and are to remain in the house. There are detailed local maps available at the Soreze Tourist office (2 minutes away), the Revel Tourist Office (5 minutes away) and at the local bookstores and supermarkets in Revel. You can also order maps through Amazon.com. Micheline Map #235- The Midi-Pyrenees
NOTES
* Often teachers who would like to have eight or nine students stay at a bed and breakfast down the road. It’s a lovely old mill. Veronique speaks fluent English, and her husband Bernard manages to communicate very well without it. The rates are reasonable. A large double occupancy room with an “en suite” bathroom is from 42 euros to 62 euros per night. www.moulinduchapitre.com