Expedition Stevens

Saint Cirq La Popie is located in the Lot region of south France.  It is known as the most beautiful village in all of the Lot, and rightfully so. Upon arrival at this medieval village you'll be swept away by views of the river and forest of the Parc Naturel de Causses du Quercy surrounding it. These views are best experienced by a short hike up the peak in the center of town. Once back in the village, a stroll down the cobblestone walkways allows you to explore the architecture of the old buildings and the new shops within them. Our favorite activity was the Chemin de Halage de Ganil. This out and back walk which can be started from the nearby town, Bouziès, or from the village Saint Cirq La Popie itself can range anywhere from 3 to 15 km roundtrip. The initial descent from the village is a little steep with loose rock but it is relatively easy for anyone who does regular walking. After this, the trail is flat and travels alongside the river through fields for appro

It only takes one bite of Chef Mirella's signature baked tomato dish to know something is different. The vine ripe tomato slices mixed with garlic, salt, and honey awaken your tastebuds to heavenly flavors you never knew existed. Credit must be given to a chef with such talent but Mirella swears it's because she starts with quality ingredients. To qualify as an auberge, Les Gonies must get at least 80% of its food from its own property. This means the food is picked daily, at the peak of freshness. No ripening in a plastic package on a store shelf or in a shipping container on this farm. The other reason the product is so amazing is because it is 100% organic. At Auberge Les Gonies they even go beyond the organic label and make efforts to be self-sustainable like feeding kitchen scraps back to the pigs and chickens or growing their own grains for their chickens to eat. The lambs and cows also have a rotating pasture schedule that ensures they can eat live grass and plants a

Let's talk about swales, this amazing new thing that's been around for thousands of years. The basic principle is to create mounds of soil to hold moisture and prevent water run off and erosion. Even if you completed your understanding of swales with the structural benefits it would still be wise to apply the concept to your farm or garden, but there is so much more. Placing swales will also improve the nutrient quality of your soil. This occurs because it prevents water from washing nutrients away durimg heavy rains and because the contents within the swale decay slowly over time, creating amazing compost. During our farmer interview, Ton Kodden at Domaine Les Gonies, tells us how he has implemented two swales using the Eastern European hugelkultur technique. Often, a trench is dug and filled with compost material, then covered with dirt from a new trench just uphill from it, but the ground in south France is very rocky, preventing deep digging without excess effort or ma

After travelling by train through the sunflower field countryside, we arrived at Mauroux, in the Lot region of France. Waiting on the small platform was Ton; for the next 24 days, he and his wife Mirella, would be our hosts and introduce us to WWOOFing. As first time WWOOFers, we had no idea what to expect when we agreed to exchange our labor to provide assistance to an organic farm in exchange for food and lodging. Our excitement peaked as our car curved down the winding roads like a rollercoaster. Waiting for us, at Domaine Les Gonies was a rustic French farmstead beyond anything we could expect. The main house, built with traditional stone architecture, stood solid in the center, mirroring the endurance of the old chest nut's  tree in the yard next to it. Little did we know that this yard would be a common ground for memories that will last a lifetime. The initial tour of Domaine Les Gonies revealed a spectacular organic farm, deep with knowledge of permaculture and skilled

Besides looking amazing, Jerome is modeling compression stockings - these are an easy way to travel in good health. The risk of swollen legs and blood clots increase when you fly, especially for those with predispositions like lymphedema. You can get these at most pharmacies and even find colorful ones online. 

Everyone has unique tastes, this includes what they would like to see and do while on vacation. With only one day to explore Paris, we really had to condense our activities. We made a list of the top things we wanted to see, organized it based on opening times, popularity, and distance. We also selected some lower priority locations if time allowed. For anyone who is interested, this is what we came up with and how we travel about The City of Lights. 1. Wake up at our airbnb near St. Germaine 2. Walk to Notre Dame 3. Walk to breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien 4. Walk to the Jardin des Tuleries on our way past La Louvre. 5. Walk to Musée l'Orangerie 6. Walk to lunch at Le Pain Quotidien 7. Walk to Musée Rodin 8. Walk back to our bnb and take a nap (talk about jet lag) 9. Get dinner near the intersection of St. Michael and St. Germaine. (Walk around the side streets and you are sure to find a flavor for every tastebud.) 10. Catch the bus to the Eiffel tower and watch the sun s

Can you find the difference between these two photos? If you guessed the number of people surrounding us, you were right. The first photo is taken at approximately 4:30 p.m. By the time we reached the square it was filled with people and the crowd behind us in the photo were actually in line to get into Notre Dame. Most of the line is out of Vue, what you can't see is that it snaked to back on itself for approximately one block. Photo number two was taken at 8 a.m., 15 minutes after Notre Dame opening. There was no line at the entrance and near solitude at the back of the church which was only broken by songs of the morning service. A line can not distract from the architectural awe Notre Dame possesses, but being able to take in the find stained glass detail without throngs of people moving about create an entirely different spiritual appreciation for its greatness. This was our experience in hopefully it will help you in future travels. It is well worth planning ahead and getti