Meet our long-term Château volunteer, Liska.
Long-term volunteer, Liska, who has been here for 6 months, kindly spoke with us about château life, why she came here, and what’s made her stay so long. Liska is incredibly knowledgeable about this château and château DIY projects that have occurred over the past 6 months, making her the perfect candidate for an in depth discussion. Please read on to enjoy her inspiring story…
Tell me about why you came here and how did you find the château?
I was working in marketing for a start up for 2.5 years but was looking for an opportunity to live an alternative lifestyle and experience new things. I wanted to find seasonal jobs but this was challenging in seasons such as spring and autumn, so I thought in the meantime I would find a work exchange on the Workaway platform. Initially I didn’t know what I wanted to do as a Workaway volunteer, but after searching the platform using the keyword “horse” then reducing my search to “France” (I have a horse named Ébène and wanted to travel with him), the profile for Château de Riolas came up. I saw that this position would be working with other volunteers from all over the world, exchanging cultures and traditions, which is what I wanted. My dream location was the south of France, as I’d never had the chance to go there, and the château sounded like a great place to learn some DIY skills. I knew there were stables and with the owner’s horses set to arrive later in the year, my being here with Ébène to set up the stables and pastures, would be a perfect situation for both of us.
Growing up in France, what does French Châteaux mean to you?
French Châteaux are historical luxurious homes and they are definitely a point of interest in French culture. Everyone wants to see the best châteaux in France, as well as the traditional homes, and there is always a buzz around châteaux for sale, especially if you live in the local area of one.
Have you been in a château before?
I have visited famous ones. One of my favorites is tucked away on the grounds of the Château de Versailles. Very few people know that in the garden there is a château made for Marie Antoinette, Le Domaine de Trianon. It is one of my favorites because it has so much character and is much smaller than Versailles.
What are the different things you’ve been involved with since you came to Château de Riolas?
Looking after the horses has been my main job at the château. I arrived here 1 week before my pony and wanted to get everything ready for his arrival. I had to clear out the stables and link electrical wire to newly constructed pasture fences. Moving forward, it’s all about building new pastures and fences, aiming for 4 fenced pastures, so that we can rotate the horses around the different pastures throughout the year, allowing the grasses to grow back. Additionally, although I am almost exclusively working on horse related projects (such as creating a tack room to store our horse equipment), after a few weeks we realized that I could contribute to château life in many more ways than just with the horses. As a native French speaker, I am responsible for going to the farmers market each week (and help with meal plans) and occasional stops with hardware suppliers.
I have a degree in French Literature, and a master’s degree in management, so because I am here long term, I also help manage the volunteer teams and on-site contractors. I’ve organized housekeeping tasks which will be useful for the château when it transitions to retreat programming and a luxury bed and breakfast. For example, I ordered personalized labels with room names and, with my team, sewed these on all the appropriate bed sheets (as each bed has it’s own unique dimensions). I also helped skilled craftsmen renovate rooms in the château and learned useful skills such as sanding walls and painting.
It has clearly been a great learning experience!
I’m super happy because in the 6 months I’ve been here I believe I’ve learned more than I did in 2.5 years with my former company. It’s the reason I wanted to experience a new lifestyle and so far it does check that box and I get to stay in a château in France.
What is your favorite thing about being here?
I really like the management style here. The owners always make sure that you feel useful and let you know they’re grateful for your contributions. They’re understanding when it comes to flexibility with work hours and doing more here and there so that you can take a day off for special plans. They are the best managers I’ve ever had! I feel like my work is valuable, thanks to them. There are productive and positive dynamics here and that makes you want to do your best for them.
You have explored the local areas, what do you like about them?
The Samatan market is excellent because of it’s vast size and the amazing selection of fresh produce direct from farmers. I’ve developed relationships with vendors where I can pre-order items from certain producers to make my weekly shopping easier. Having these relationships also means that I can learn from them about their produce and share facts and information about it with the team back at the château, which everyone loves. The community is also very spirited and friendly, everyone wants to help each other and this might not be the same in every rural French town, but it is the case here. My social life is almost better than it was in the big town that I previously lived in!
In terms of longer day trips from the château, do you have any favorites?
The first is Biarritz, having been there as a child and not remembering much about it, it was a pleasant surprise when I visited with the Workaway team from the château this year. It was amazing. The atmosphere was great and I booked a surfing lesson! My other favorite trip was to Cahors and Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, traveling solo in my van, and it was really cool to be able to recharge and relax in these peaceful and beautiful towns. They are medieval cities that are part of France’s beautiful village circuit. Being there felt like a fairy tale. I had never visited them before, so it was a great day trip which I definitely recommend.
If you got to choose what the château became when it opens up for business and people get to stay in the château, what would you want it to be?
This is super hard!! I’ve never thought about what would be my dream for Château de Riolas. Because I love horses, I would love the château to be a bed & breakfast where guests could bring their horses to join them! People could travel with their horses, house them in our stables and take them on trips in the beautiful countryside that surrounds the château. I’m not sure how big this community is, but I think that’s what I would love!
Liska has a great story and we are so grateful that she’s chosen to spend so much time with us here at Château de Riolas. We hope you enjoyed this discussion with her and some updates she has shared about our journey over the past 6 months!
-Château de Riolas
