Bouzy en Champagne : le gîte

    
The gîte we rented was a fairly big house with an enclosed courtyard. Above is the living room. One thing it didn't have was an internet connection. When I told them woman who greeted us that on the the Gîtes de France web site, a connection
was listed as available. "I don't know why they put that in the description," she said. "It's never had internet.
So now you'll feel like you really are on vacation. You won't have to work while you're here."
She obviously didn't understand much about using today's technologies.

    
The kitchen was big too. There was no separate dining room. There were three bedrooms, one downstairs with a half-bath
and two upstairs, where the full bathroom was. The upstairs toilet was of the type that has a grinder built in,
like a garbage disposal. It made so much noise that it could be be heard all through the house
when the toilet was flushed. Putting in a toilet with a grinder is a way to avoid
having to do major plumbing work to update an old house.

    
This was certainly not the nicest gîte we had ever rented, but it was okay. It was right in town, and the outdoor space
was nice. We didn't have to worry about the dog running away. It was warm enough, even in October,
for us to sit outside in the afternoon — and even have evening meals outside.