We've lived 70 days in other people's shoes
Literally that is - full leather Cowboy boots with spurs, casual but oh so comfy garden Crocs, and ill-fitting Welly's that saved our feet from snow and mud have all been kindly offered to Quiggy and I over the past 12 weeks. Some of you may cringe at the thought of wearing another souls soles but we accepted wholeheartedly as there's no way we could have packed shoes for all occasions into our already overstocked suitcases.
What's a shoe between strangers/new found friends anyway? when, after a few emails, maybe a phone call, a get-to-know-more-about-you meal and drink together (sounds like a romantic date), we are given the keys to their private sanctuaries and cars which, from our stays in France, have steering wheels either on the left or the right side of the vehicle, thanks to England being so close, just to add a little more excitement to Quiggy's wrong side of the road driving pleasure. It's ok though, we always get a driving lesson on the way to the nearest bar.
It takes a lot of trust to allow a near stranger to - wear your shoes for one, especially if you want them back, let alone hand over your home and all the treasures within in the hope that all we be, at the very least, handed back to you as it was when you left. But what we notice most about our home sit hosts slash shoe sharers, is the love they have for their pets and the sadness of leaving them behind. These members of the family will now be in our care after a short introduction and some written instructions. Naturally the animals love us, they are good judges of character, and we too fall for these furry critters who will keep us company, give us cuddles, keep us exercised and fill the void of grandchildren far away. They also give you lots of laughs, although the cucumber trick doesn't work on all cats but the dog chasing it's own tail never gets tired.
But seriously...spending our holidays with so many animals (we've cared for 5 x dogs, 6 x horses, 5 x cats =16 x personalities) has been an added bonus to an already rewarding experience. Not to mention the people we've met who have graciously smiled like Chrissy Teigen whilst handing over their shoes yet unbeknown to them their generosity is helping in the healing of our burnt out souls scorched by past sorrows and weary minds, the reason we decided to take time out and see the world. The hospitality we have been extended has been tremendous and meeting new minds has opened our own. We have been privileged to be in the homes of proud military men and women, outstanding academics, the most benevolent President of several boards, a champion endurance rider, and other high achievers and ordinary folk like us, who have shared their stories in our short but sweet times together. Everyone goes through turbulent times but with the passion of travel, seeing new places and meeting new faces, we know the world and its creations, are powerful healers.
Quiggy and I decided to incorporate home sitting into our world adventure as a means to travel longer for cheaper, with the expectation that we would experience the local life as well as the tourist attractions. What we didn't expect is that it would make for some of our favourite and most memorable times. Not only has it provided us with an ever changing shoe selection, some that fit, most that don't, it has given us warm and secure shelter in beautiful homes, supplied plenty of furry cuddles and happy waggy welcomes, and taken us off the tourist tracks to stunning locations we had never known but will now never forget. Like Mauvezin...who's ever heard of Mauvezin? but look at the view, magnificent!
We continue to search home sit sites to see who's shoes we'll be walking in next, in fact there are so many available house sits in Europe we could easily spend a year here...very tempting...but our visas will not allow. Gives you an idea though of how you too could see some beautiful parts of the world for less money than you think.
Our next stop, and home sit number 6 in country number 5 of our travels, is Portugal! I wonder what we'll see, who we'll meet and what size shoes await us there.
#Back in the shoe closet
#Skip the foot phobia
#Go live a day in another's shoes