Come and join me on a French Walk/Talk Challenge on the 13th of June in Lewes, East Sussex.  I am organising this to help raise money for the Railway Land Project.  Find out more by clicking on the widget below.  Hope to see you then, if not for the walk and French Treasure Hunt maybe for the picnic in Lewes or the Cream Tea party at the Newhaven Fort.

http://www.justgiving.com/thecosmofilchallenge

They’ve done it again!  Stephanie and her family went to spend a cosmofil field trip with them at Auberge des Baous in Saint Jeannet and they were overwhelmed by their hospitality and support: “Their relaxed and friendly style made us feel more like old friends rather than paying guests.  They were patient while we struggled to remember our vocabulary and grammar, correcting us politely and with good humour, and took the trouble to make sure we understood what was being said in reply!”

Read Stephanie’s review for Auberge des Baous and find out more about how your hosts can make all the difference. 

Babette

What?

They are weekend/three/five day or longer organised stays offered by some of our cosmofil hosts.  The activities offered depend on the region and  on the hosts’ interests, but an emphasis on the local language is the common denominator.

Where:

France: Auberge des Baous, Corinne and Benoit introduce you to their culture rich area in The Alpes Maritimes.  There is so much to do in and around Saint Jeannet!  Walking in the Baous, visiting museums, hill top perched villages, the Riviera, talking to locals, swimming in the Med, the list is exhaustive and the choice is yours but whatever you do, I know you will never forget Corinne and Benoit, their hospitality, kindness, sense of fun, cuisine, patience, knowledge…… again, the list is exhaustive!

Greece: ALEXANDROU TRADITIONAL INN in Halkidiki and Eleonas on Evia Island.  Believe me, during the several years I spent in Greece, I have experienced the best and the worst of what tourism has to offer in this country I love.  If I decided to go back  for a holiday after staying away for almost a decade, I would definitely start my stay doing a cosmofil programme to refresh my Greek, but also to be sure to experience the “philoxenia” Greece is famous for. 

Spain: Las Sirenitas in Andalucia and Agroturismo Alfatx in Mallorca.  Two of the most stunning Spanish regions, introduced to you by friendly and easy going but passionate hosts.  Lluc runs an organic farm on one of the most beautiful islands of the Mediterranean and Jose invites you to relax in a little known regional park close to one the most celebrated and ancient European cities.  Please don’t ask me where I’d choose to go.  I’d love to go to both and practice my very rusty Spanish.

Italy: Marla and Fabrizio from Bella Baita will share with you their love of the Piedmont, a part of Italy rich in culture but also a paradise for outdoors lovers.  Away from the crowds, you will discover a people and traditions not usually associated with La Dolce Vita image of Italy.  Your hosts are very flexible and open to suggestions.  They will create for you and your group a taylor-made stay you will never forget.

Turkey:  Few people have the  cosmofil touch like Heather and Bulent from Villa Jasmine & Villa Begonville in the Turtle Bay.  They offer a programme based on the Turkish language.  They will introduce you to their community and you will be able to observe or even take part in seasonnal jobs such as preparing olives or drying tomatoes.  They will also tell you about the history of their region. 

Panama:  Margaret and Henry from La Loma on the Carribean side of Panama invite you to live and if you so wish work alongside local people in their tropical farm.  Don’t miss this  unique opportunity to practise your Spanish in the New World, and learn about butterfly breeding and cacao producing in Bocas del Toro.  Can you imagine the attention you’ll get at dinner parties after a stay at La Loma? 

How?

You can go with your family, with friends or with fellow language students.  Why not ask your teacher to help you organise a cosmofil field trip?  Or maybe your children would like the chance to practice their foreign language and organise it for you? 

 How much?

 Please email your chosen hosts to find out more about their cosmofil programme.  Prices may vary depending on activities offered and the number of people in your group.

Do you know any hosts who would match these?  Please, send us their contact details and we will contact them as soon as possible. 

Happy cosmofil field trip!  And please don’t forget to send us your review and share your experience with others.

Babette

Hi there

 I would like to welcome our new 2008 cosmofil hosts. 

Thank you Liz and Mel from La zourcière for introducing Marla & Fabrizio from Bella Baita in Piedmont, Italy and Silvana & Richard from La Pierre Bleue in Saint Martin Vesubie, France.  They are generous and talented people, just like you Liz and Mel.

Also in Italy, Marco and Emmanuella from Villa Irelli in Aruzzo are our first hosts to propose an equestrian stay.  Why not take this opportunity to practise your Italian on horseback?  What would be the greater challenge for you?  The riding or the talking?

I met Bulent at the 2008 Times Destinations Show.  Bulent was there to promote Villa Jasmine & Villa Begonville, near Marmaris in Turkey.  It did not take me long to realise that he was “cosmofil”stuff!  He and his wife Heather will open for you the door to the South West of Turkey, its culture, traditions and people.

 Spain also joined the growing list of countries in the last couple of months, with Jose from Las Sirenitas in Andalucia  and  Lluc from Agroturismo Alfatx in Mallorca.  If real Spain appeals to you, look no further.  Go to practice your Spanish or learn some with them.  Their generosity, the beauty and authenticity of their area will combine to make your stay a very enriching experience.

At last, we now have some cosmofil hosts in Greece, where the whole cosmofil concept originates from.  Alexandrou and his family, from ALEXANDROU TRADITIONAL INN in Halkidiki,  Marina & Stephanos from Eleonas on Evia Island and Kostis & Marcie from Red Tractor Farm on Kea Island will introduce you to the daily life as well as to the ancient culture of their region.  Having lived in Greece and witnessed the damage tourism has caused to many areas of  this wonderful country, I have no doubt our first Greek hosts represent philoxenia at its best and I would be really surprised if you did not return home with a wider Modern Greek vocabulary, a keen interest in olive growing, fishing or Greek mythology.

Do you know hosts with the cosmofil touch?  Please introduce them to cosmofil or send me their details using our contact form on  the Contact Us page.

I’ll soon be back with information on cosmofil language and cultural packages offered by some of our hosts and with news on the cosmofil French Walk/Talk challenge. 

Till then, have fun practicing the language you are studying or just communicating with and learning from the local people you meet on holiday or the foreigners who live in your country.

Best cosmofil wishes

Babette

Hello cosmofil friend

  If a fortune teller had told me several years ago, when I was in Greece harvesting olives or steering my friend Nicoli’s fishing boat, that I would one day give other people the opportunity to share my way of travelling, I would have told them they’d got their cards mixed up.  And yet, as I sit now in front of my PC typing the first entry to my blog, I know that the cosmofil concept was born of my experience of living in a small Greek community, working alongside the locals in the fields and then, in the evenings, soaking in the heat of the kafenion stove and chatting with my friends.  I was often mistaken for a local, which I liked, but I also liked my status as a foreigner, which allowed me far more freedom than my Greek girlfriends had.  Also, I knew I could get on the next ship to Athens and never come back without my departure causing much more than some customary tears.  In a way, I was acting in two different plays, which allowed me to be a Greek peasant at the beginning of the week and end up dining on Saturdays with my stylish Parisian friends.   After leaving Greece, I settled in Sussex and, having made some Italian friends, joined an Italian evening class.  At the end of my first year as a beginner, I went to Sicily and Stromboli for a ten-day holiday, very excited at the prospect of meeting Italian people with whom to practice my Italian.  Well, all I managed to do was to order food and ask for the bill – not much interaction with locals there.  My Italian was still limited and the locals did not have the patience to wait for me to find the right Italian words, so either they ignored me or they replied in English.  How disappointing!  Four years later I passed my A-level and went woofing (working on organic farms) in Umbria and Tuscany for two months.  Staying with a family made a big difference. My hosts had time for me, I learned a lot about them – their culture, their views on politics and their work ­­– and returned to England, my head buzzing with all I had learned and experienced.  It was when some of my students told me that they found it hard to practice their French in France, and that too often French people wanted to practice their English on them, that I decided to find accommodation owners who would help them with their French and introduce them to local culture.  And they would not have to work as hard as I did to be welcomed into the local community!  I am sure cosmofil will eventually become a brand of quality and that cosmofil hosts will be sought for their friendliness, their help with the language and for the richness of the experience that a stay with them provides.