We enjoyed a month-long home exchange in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume which is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France. It lies 40 km (25 mi) east of Aix-en-Provence at the foot of the Sainte-Baume mountains: baume or bama is the Provençal equivalent of “cave”. The town’s basilica is dedicated to Mary Magdalene.

Mommy, Mimi, and the two Muffins arrived first. Our gracious and ebullient host Marc had the oldest Muffin in the pool and the youngest in his arms before we’d even unpacked our bags. For those considering home exchanges, having a day overlap of the two families at the beginning and end of a home exchange is a marvelous way to settle in and express gratitude. My daughter used a French home exchange site to find this beautiful home with a pool.

The patio was a great place to relax and enjoy all of our home cooked meals. The interior was Mediterranean modern and spacious with separate bedrooms for each of us, but within earshot of the little ones. The baby, not yet walking, enjoyed couch cruising and both children loved the pool. In another post I will share how our four-year-old was able to attend school in the town for 3 weeks.

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