apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

wow. That looks fantastic. I'd love to know more about house/apt swaps and how it works. Is there a screening process? It must take an awful lot of trust, but if it works it looks completely worth it.

This was just what I needed to pull me through the last two days of work before I head to Tuscany (Siena) tomorrow night.

Not to get parochial, but what's the temperature like right now, and how do you handle the heat? Our villa's not air-conditioned and I'm sorry to say that as a thoroughly spoiled American, that's the only thing I have a concerned about.

Also, I should have said what a wonderful place you have to spend the month. What a treat it must be!

Kristin: This sounds like a lovely break from your regular work routine in Paris!
It reminds me of a similar experience I had, also in Tuscany, just a few weeks ago. I had exchanged my home for a medieval tower. I wrote in the top room high above the town, it was almost heaven.
Eliza: I can recommend home exchange whole-heartedly to anybody with an open mind and an adventurous spirit. Home exchange means to discover new places far off the beaten track and meeting interesting new people from all over the world at a backpacker's budget.
Recently, I have started my own home exchange network - www.JewettStreet.com. I would like to invite you all to join our growing number of members. Membership is free - no strings attached. If you have some specific questions, I would be happy to help. Also, on our site, you probably will find some answers to your questions.
In addition, there is a fantastic new hub for all things related to home exchange - www.knowyourtrade.com. KYT has rated all 63 home exchange clubs worldwide. By the way, JewettStreet.com has received an excellent review from KYT.

Eliza,

I've been doing regular house swaps all over the world for 10 years, always with great success. In the beginning, it was word of mouth, but now I use craigslist.

Doug,

The weather is amazing! I was afraid to come in August, but it's been breezy and lovely here in the hills. It's hotter in the city, but if you go out in the mornings and evenings and stay out of the hot afternoon sun, you'll be fine. I'm staying in a converted monastery with 70cm walls, so it's very cool (no need for even a fan). But if it stays like this, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Have a great trip!

Kristin

I am extremely jealous of your surroundings, but not at all jealous of the fact that you are working during your vacation. I hope you get to take at least a couple of days off!

The outside is just stunning! I would love to see the furniture inside! Is it as impressive as the greens?

If I got to work in surroundings like that, I think I wouldn't have to go on vacation! I hope to be able to live a lifestyle like that one day...

Kristin - Spectacular post! When you say you're a blogger, do you mean AT or do you have another blog that you run? I'd love to see it! And I tip my hat to your month away from home, as I think there is no better life to live than a mobile one.

Ursula - JewettStreet.com sounds great. I'm going to check it out right now.

Best,
Holly

From Evansville IN...I'll trade you!

Wow, that's a beautiful place to end up during a house swap!

incredible...

just lovely and so peaceful. i work by writing at home too, but i would probably be distracted by all that beauty.

FurnitureFromHome,

Look for a full house tour coming soon on AT...

Here in Sydney every household has their own recycling bins. It varies by local council area, but we have 3 foot high:
- red lid garbage tins;
- two part (paper vs glass & plastic) yellow lid recycling and
- green lid for (yes you guessed it!) garden waste.
The recycling alternates every week.

There are also
- skips for building waste which you hire (and the neighbours dump their stuff into after dark) and
- 2-3 'big garbage' collections per year where the council picks up stuff like broken furniture etc. There is also a paid service for this whenever you like;
- specialised pick ups like computers etc are here but not publicized much and
- drop offs for toxic domestic waste like paint.

Could Kristin tell us how the Italians do recycling, please?

Hi Deb,

I am no expert on Italian recycling, but the bins outside are divided into food waste; plastic and glass (a little odd -- in Paris we have to separate the glass); cardboard and paper; and non-sorted (this may account for the old camel hair coat hanging out of that bin at the moment).

If you're interested, in Paris there is daily garbage pickup. There are green cans for food waste; paper, plastic and small household appliances like broken irons and food processors; and glass (mostly wine bottles). You can call the city anytime to schedule free pick-up of unwanted furniture or other cumbersome objects as long as you can get them to the street yourself. When you buy new appliances, the company is required to take the old one off your hands at no charge.

Kristin

Hi Holly,

I don't run my own blog (although it seems there is another Kristin Hohenadel with her own blog, about scrapbooking -- not me!).

I write for newspapers, magazines, AT, gridskipper.com and have just started contributing food and cooking reference articles for the folks at cookthink.com.

Thanks for the positive houseswap reviews! I'll definitely have to check it out (as well as JewettStreet).