Linda and Steve's B&B

Talk about taking our work home with us. Our babysitter moved out at the end of March and we decided to convert our guest room into our own B&B which is now listed on our agency website. It works perfectly as a guest room because the area is removed from our own apartment - down below us and separate - and guests have their privacy as well as their own independent access through our garden. There's none of the possible discomfort associated with a home stay.

The girls love having guests and meeting new people - it's great to see it all through their eyes. The buzzer rings announcing our guests arrival and they start screaming in excitement. It can be a bit overwhelming though - I have to insist that they say hello and then go back upstairs while I show our guests around and explain things. Giulia and Paloma insist on waking early so they can help serve breakfast. They feel so important bringing down a tray.

So far we've had two different sets of guests - both Australian couples - one Asian and very young and the other older with grown children. We had invited the older couple up for dinner last night not knowing that it was their anniversary - 41 years! We all got to hear about their adventures trekking through the Himalayas for 330 kilometers with their then-young children. Steve got to hear about all the great surfing he's missing out on and we learned about the geography of Australia and sheep farming practices which don't sound entirely humane.

Since I don't get to spend as much time at The Beehive anymore, it's wonderful to have these multicultural experiences and these small glimpses of the world in our own downstairs.