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Category Archives: Places
Abandoned Village: Saint-Amans-le-Vieux
Today was a beautiful, if still too dry, autumn day, so the SF and I decided to bestir ourselves and make the most of this fine weather for a walk. “Where shall we go?” We are faced with an embarras … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places, Walking in France
Tagged Bonnette Valley, Caylus, deserted village, lac de Caylus, rural exodus, Saint-Amans le Vieux, SW France
4 Comments
Cordes-sur-Ciel: Dramatic and Timeless
I’d forgotten what a long way up it is. Seventeen years had obliterated our memory of the steep hike up to the cité of Cordes-sur-Ciel perched on its hilltop, which was long considered inaccessible. But we weren’t going to wimp … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Albigensian Crusade, bastide, Cathars, Cordes-sur-Ciel, Counts of Toulouse, Raymond VII Count of Toulouse, Southwest France, Tarn
21 Comments
From Monks to Mona Lisa: L’Abbaye de Loc-Dieu
Imagine a place the locals dreaded so much that they named it locus diaboli, the devil’s place. A lonely, remote spot near the major trade route between Rodez and Cahors, with dark woods bristling with bandits lying in wait. And … Continue reading
Rally Round: the Caylus Car Rally
It isn’t exactly the Paris-Dakar rally, but it’s an annual event that we really enjoy taking part in. The Caylus rally is not about speed; it’s about discovering the local historic heritage during a 50 km circuit with eight checkpoints. … Continue reading
Posted in Places
Tagged Bach, Caylus Notre Village, Jamblusse, Lacapelle-Livron, lavoirs, Loze, rallye touristique, SW France, Varaire, wash-houses
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Timeless Monument: The Cathedral of Cahors 900 Years On
2019 marks the 900th anniversary of la Cathédrale Saint-Etienne in Cahors. The cathedral is even older than the ill-fated Notre-Dame de Paris. Yesterday, 27th July, was supposed to be the official anniversary, since it was on that day in 1119 … Continue reading
Summertime, and the Living is – Busy
Life on La Lune has been a bit quiet recently. One non-negotiable reason is that we had huge problems accessing the internet during the past week. While it is back, it’s wobbly. The other reason is that summer has arrived, … Continue reading
Quirky Quercy Art – or Quart
Some of you will remember the late lamented Fyfe Robertson, a British TV journalist known for his trenchant views. A somewhat quirky figure himself, with his tweeds and deer-stalker hat, he had his own series, ‘Robbie’, in which he roamed … Continue reading
Posted in Places, Quirky stuff
Tagged Art, Caylus, Contemporary art, Quercy, quirky art, Saint-Grat, SW France, Vidaillac
4 Comments
Noses to the Grindstone? La Meulière de Clayrac near Cordes
Our walking group has recently taken some interesting routes, which have introduced us to the patrimoine (historic heritage) of the region. Some of the sites are quite off the beaten track and we hadn’t come across them before in our … Continue reading
A Walk Around Caylus
It’s been an eventful 10 days or so. My latest novel is now out, involving quite a lot of last-minute effort. And the Irish Embassy in Paris phoned on Tuesday to say that my citizenship application had been accepted. My … Continue reading
Saving Face: Some of the Less Obvious Gems in SW France
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so I’m following the example of fellow blogger Midi Hideaways, who wrote a recent post about the statuary and carved stone faces on buildings in the towns of the Languedoc. In this post … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged carved stone figures, Caylus, chimera, French Wars of Religion, gargoyle, Maison des Loups Caylus, Najac, Puycelsi, Puylagarde, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val
6 Comments
A Special Day for Life on La Lune
Today is a rather special day for us. More of that below. It’s been a rather eventful couple of weeks, which explains my erratic blogging record just now. Having taken part in a concert in the hilltop village of Puycelsi … Continue reading
Posted in Places, Walking in France
Tagged Félines, orchids of SW France, Puycelsi, SW France, walking
15 Comments
Centuries to Build, Hours to Destroy: Notre-Dame de Paris
One of France’s – no, the world’s – best-loved icons, Notre-Dame de Paris, caught fire shortly before 7 pm last night. The flames quickly took hold and, although the fire brigade was quick to react, it was impossible to save … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged France, Notre-Dame de Paris, Notre-Dame fire, Paris, World Heritage site
12 Comments
Say it with Flowers: France’s Villages Fleuris
The garden is burgeoning and it’s that time of year when one’s thoughts turn to planning and planting. While driving around France, you might have noticed village signs declaring “Village – or ville – fleuri(e)” and sporting one to four … Continue reading
Tilting at Windmills
One of the things I love about living here is local people’s interest in le petit patrimoine, the vestiges of a rural life that has faded away. Groups of enthusiastic volunteers contribute to their restoration to rescue them from oblivion. … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Association des Amis du Moulin de Saillagol, Moulin de Saillagol, patrimoine, Saillagol, SW France, windmill
9 Comments
The Story of the People at La Lune
I’d love to know who lived in our house long ago. Elderly neighbours have always been hazy about this, perhaps because it doesn’t really interest them. This week, at last, I discovered a story about previous occupants.
Posted in History, Places
Tagged French archives, French census, French country life, infant mortality, la France profonde, paysans, SW France
22 Comments
The Post-Impressionists Head South to Rustic Provence: Guest Post
Life on La Lune: I’m very keen on art, so whenever I visit a place, I always seek out the art gallery. The Impressionists and Post-Impressionists particularly appeal to me. They have a few connections with Southwest France: Toulouse Lautrec … Continue reading
Posted in Personalities, Places
Tagged Aix-en-Provence, Arles, Impressionists, Paul Cézanne, Post-Impressionists, Provence, Vincent van Gogh
4 Comments
The Bells, the Bells: the Magic of Church Bells in Rural France
In Victor Hugo’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the loud ringing of the cathedral bells has turned Quasimodo, the bell-ringer, deaf. Some of you will no doubt have seen Charles Laughton hamming it up inimitably in the 1939 film. I … Continue reading
Millau: Towers, Markets and Bridges – Guest Post by Angela Wren
I’m thrilled to welcome back to the blog Angela Wren, whom I had the great pleasure of meeting at an authors’ event in Carcassonne in September. Angela is a Francophile, who has visited many more corners of France than … Continue reading
Posted in Books/writing, Places
Tagged Angela Wren, Emma Calvé, Jacques Forêt mysteries, Millau, Millau Bridge, Millau glove-making, SW France
4 Comments
Villeneuve d’Aveyron: Ancient Paths and a Historic Gem
What do you think this building is? A small château or fortified house? A barn? All will be revealed below. Autumn is the best time for walking in this area. The days are warm and sunny, it’s usually dry underfoot … Continue reading
A Mystery Tour on the Way to Cantal
Revisiting old haunts can be tinged with disappointment. I once returned to a place where I had lived 30 years before and was saddened to see how much it had changed. Happily, Cantal has never fallen into that category. This … Continue reading
Posted in Auvergne, Places
Tagged Auvergne, Cantal, Maison Carrée, Marcolès, Massif Central, Maurs, Monts du Cantal, Thiézac, Vallée de la Cère
15 Comments
Return to Cahors
I do like Cahors, an ancient city and capital of the Lot Département. Why is it, then, that we visit so infrequently? It’s more appealing than our own Préfecture, Montauban, and it doesn’t take much longer to get there. The … Continue reading
A Local WWII Resistance Group: Update
Today, the causse above the riverside village of Cazals is a tranquil place with superb views of the Gorges de l’Aveyron. It’s covered with juniper and scrub oak and the only sounds are birdsong or the occasional whirr of … Continue reading
The Story of Notre-Dame des Grâces
Set at the edge of a grassy plateau overlooking the verdant Bonnette Valley, this little chapel is visible for miles around. It commands a magnificent view of the countryside, with the ancient province of Quercy on one side and the … Continue reading
Summer in Southwest France
Summer is here, les grandes vacances have begun and the foreign number plates in the area have multiplied. And to go with them, a little present from the French government: a drop in the speed limit on secondary roads from … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged Chapelle de Teysserolles, fete, French markets, lavoir de Caylus, summer, summer fêtes, Summer holidays, SW France, Teysseroles fête
11 Comments
Every Château Tells a Story #16: le Château de Saint-Michel de Vax
What a boon the internet can be – in small doses. And we’ve had only a small dose of it recently. More about that in a later post. I can find out almost anything, without moving from my computer in … Continue reading
Whitsun Walk on the Wild Side
Pentecôte (Whitsun) is the time for our village’s annual fête. It’s become a tradition for Caylus Notre Village (CNV), an association that promotes and protects local monuments, to organise a series of guided walks around the commune as part of … Continue reading
Posted in Places, Walking in France
Tagged APICQ, Caylus, Caylus Notre Village, Fête de la Pentecôte, lavoir, Moulin de Genebrières, SW France, vintage cars
15 Comments
Loze: a Tiny Village on the Causse
Sometimes life takes you over. I’ve brought out two books in the space of a month and sung in two concerts, in Gaillac and a tiny hamlet near Puycelsi, in the past 10 days. I’m notorious for trying to do … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Bonnette Valley, Lacapelle-Livron, lauzes, Loze, Mas de Monille, Moulin de Vignasse, rural depopulation, SW France
25 Comments
On the Carpet: the Tapestries of Montpezat-de-Quercy
I’m pleased to say that I have done one of the five items I listed in my January post of things to do in 2018. It’s now getting a bit late for the truffle market at Lalbenque, but that will … Continue reading
Five Museums in SW France You Must Visit
If you read Life on La Lune regularly, you’ll know I’m a history girl. And there’s plenty of it around in our part of France if you just scratch the surface. Also, many museums in France open for free on … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Albi, Bordeaux, Centre Jean Moulin, Figeac, French museums, Fromagerie Papillon, Musée Champollion, Musée du Beret, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, Nay, Roquefort, SW France
17 Comments
5 Things to do in SW France in 2018
Meilleurs vœux pour l’an 2018 à tous mes lecteurs. I will still be writing 2017 on cheques until the end of February. Have you made New Year’s Resolutions? I find those lofty aspirations are all too easily broken. However, the … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Lalbenque, Les Arques, Montpezat de Quercy, Musée Fenaille, Musée Soulages, Musée Zadkine, Ossip Zadkine, Puylaroque, Restaurant les Sens, Rodez, SW France, truffles
13 Comments
