Reference   12448
 

Best of town and country - historic city on edge of national park

Europe / France / Auvergne / Clermont-Ferrand


Close To   Lyon (200 Kms)
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Description Neighborhood About Us Destination

Description

Our 1920s townhouse was entirely renovated in 2006, creating a comfortable, spacious living area that has an elegant mix of antique and modern. The eat-in kitchen opens out to both the dining and living rooms, which are south-facing and filled with light. A separate, small sitting room provides a cozy place to read or watch television. The bedrooms and bathrooms are upstairs (there is a separate WC is on the ground floor). Sleeping : 1 queen-size bed in the master bedroom, 2 twin beds in the kids’ room, 1 full-size bed in the large guest room/study, which can accommodate a twin or queen-size inflatable mattress on the floor to expand sleeping capacity, and a full-size sofa bed in the living room. The house has a terrace and shed where we keep our bicycles (our main mode of transportation around town). Laundry is in the basement, and like most households in France we use the outdoor clothesline and do not have a dryer.

Neighborhood

Clermont-Ferrand is located in the heart of France and surrounded by picturesque countryside that remains very authentic and non-touristy. From medieval hill-top villages with their Romanesque churches to the volcanic peaks in the Sancy mountains, this is a perfect place to explore history and nature. Hiking, mountainbiking, paragliding and beautiful country drives are just 20 minutes away. There are cheese- and wine-tasting routes, and many gourmet restaurants. It is also an ideal setting-off point for a wide variety of day trips : Lyon, Burgundy, Limoges, Vichy. The Mediterranean can be reached in 3 hours (well-worth the trip to see the fantastic Millau suspension bridge).

Our house is located in an old, residential neighborhood that is very quiet and safe, and within minutes of all the main conveniences (bakery, farmers market, minimarket, organic/health food store, traditional butcher, ATM, post office, pharmacy, cafes). It's just a 15-minute walk to the historic medieval/Renaissance-era city center with many historical points of interest, including a striking Gothic cathedral built of black lava stone ; great shopping (clothes, shoes, antiques, home decoration, bookstores, gifts, linens); a wide variety of bars, cafes and restaurants; 2 movie theaters that regularly show new releases in their original English version; and a vast, newly renovated plaza filled with fountains and cafes and no cars.
Also in the neighborhood : flea market; supermarket; swimming pool complex; large park offering jogging, tennis (clay court access can be arranged), volleyball, basketball, soccer and a skateboard/rollerblading/BMX park; regional bus depot.

About Us

We are a French-American couple in our 40s with 2 children ages 5 and 8. I am an environmental specialist and my husband is a primary school teacher. While we have not done a house exchange before, we have traveled widely and are very self-contained and respectful of others. We are open to simultaneous or non-simultanoues exchanges. We would be more than happy to recommend site-seeing based on your interests. We can also arrange for French lessons, even if just for a few days or a week or two. If you have pets, we would be delighted to take care of them.

Destination

We are looking to to an exchange in New York City, preferably Manhattan, but we are open to Brooklyn. It can be simultaneous or non-simultaneous. We are flexible on dates for the months of April, July, August and October 2008.


 

Details

Type   House
Sleeps   5
Bathrooms   2
Swimming Pool   No
Surroundings   City
Bedrooms   3
    
Air Conditioning   No

 
Children Welcome   Yes
Smoking Inside   No
Exchange Cars   Yes
Pets Welcome   No
Disabled Access   No
    

 
Updated   2008-01-25 (yyyy-mm-dd)

 

Destination

United States
2008-04-12  to  2008-11-04
5 - 14 days
Netherlands
2008-12-20  to  2009-01-04
5 - 10 days
Portugal, Open
2009-04-01  to  2009-04-30
7 - 14 days

 
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