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Tag Archives: Caylus
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
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
14 Comments
All Aboard le “Moscou-Paris”
It sounds rather like a jolly luxury express, doesn’t it? A competitor, perhaps, to the Orient Express, with starched white tablecloths, gleaming silverware and sycophantic stewards. If only it were. In fact, le “Moscou-Paris” is the meteorologists’ nickname for a … Continue reading
Posted in Weather
Tagged Caylus, le "Moscou-Paris", record low temperatures, SW France, Tarn-et-Garonne, Weather, weather forecast, winter weather
18 Comments
Restoration of the Lavoir in Caylus
Lavoirs, or wash-houses, are features of the landscape around here. In times past, this is where the women (naturally…) did their laundry. They were normally constructed by a spring or a stream, so if the women were lucky, there was … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Caylus, Caylus Notre Village, lavoir, lavoir de Caylus, patrimoine, rural life, SW France, wash-houses
12 Comments
5 Hidden Gems in Southwest France
This region contains so much to see and do that it’s easy to visit only the obvious places, those that get the most publicity: the plus beaux villages, the Viaduc de Millau, the better-known markets, the famous festivals. Dig a … Continue reading
Caylus Car Rally Revived
Our village formerly held an annual car rally. This wasn’t a race with souped-up vehicles – fortunately – but a “rallye touristique”, i.e. following a circuit between checkpoints around the commune. The event faded, as these things do, but … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged Caylus, Caylus Notre Village, lavoir, lavoir de Caylus, patrimoine, rallye touristique, SW France
12 Comments
Tour de France 2016
The Tour de France passed through our village for the first time yesterday, which has inspired great excitement during the build-up. All of the roads along the route have been resurfaced and relined, the verges have been cut and the … Continue reading
Posted in French life
Tagged Caylus, cycling, cyclists, SW France, Tour de France 2016, Tour de France Stage 6
28 Comments
Our Village Fête: Yesterday and Today
We went to our village’s Fête de Pentecôte (Whitsun fete) last Monday. It’s still an important local event, but in times past it was among the bigger fêtes in the region. We have a lovely book of photographs showing our … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Caylus, cazelles, Fête de la Pentecôte, Fêtes in France, gariottes, lavoirs, patrimoine, Pentecôte, pigeonniers, SW France, Tarn-et-Garonne
18 Comments
Celebrating the Past at our Village Fête
Unlike many local villages, which hold their fête in the summer, ours has it in May to coincide with la Pentecôte (Whitsun). It involves the usual stuff: concours de pétanque (boules tournament), go-kart racing, a bal/disco and other events. This … Continue reading
Sunday Promenade Around Félines
It was more like a forced march, actually. The SF did military service in the Swedish army and can still do a 20 km yomp bearing a 14 kilo pack with the best of them. Last Sunday morning, the … Continue reading
Posted in Places, Walking in France
Tagged Cassini Map, Caylus, Félines, patrimoine, Ruisseau de Laval, rural life, SW France, Tarn-et-Garonne, walking
6 Comments
Every Château has a Story: le Château de Cornusson
The word “fairy-tale” when applied to a château usually makes me cringe. But there is something a little magical about the château de Cornusson, with its jumble of towers and turrets. You get tantalising glimpses of it peeping above … Continue reading
Counting Heads: the French Census
We had a visit today from the local census taker, having been warned a couple of weeks ago that this was imminent. This happens every five years in a small commune like ours (more on this below). But did … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged Caylus, Demographic trends, French census, INSEE, recensement 2015, rural depopulation, rural exodus, rural life, SW France, Tarn-et-Garonne
7 Comments
Every Château has a Story #3: Le Château de Caylus
Very little remains of this château, except for a square tower in surprisingly good condition and parts of the original ramparts. And yet, in its heyday, le château de Caylus had dominion over a large swathe of the surrounding … Continue reading
Plague Cross
Wayside crosses are very common around here. Some date back to the Middle Ages; others are more recent. We’ve even seen one erected on top of a dolmen, imposing the supremacy of Christianity over earlier pagan religions. Sometimes, they … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Bubonic plague, Caylus, La Croix du Miracle, La Peste, Phylloxera, Phylloxera cross, Plague, Plague pandemic 1348, Wayside crosses
6 Comments
Fêtes and Festivals in Southwest France
It’s that time of year again. You can’t move for village fêtes, art exhibitions, concerts and so on. There are too many things to go to and you have to be selective, but it’s all good fun and excellent … Continue reading
Every Château Has a Story: #1 Le Château de Cas
Châteaux, large and small, have played an integral part in the history of France. Some have been at the centre of national events; others have been less affected by them, but nonetheless have a story to tell. This is the … Continue reading
Art on the Menu
In July and August the population of our region swells several times, thanks to holidaymakers and second homers. The French tourist industry is complaining that numbers are down this year but we haven’t seen much evidence of that. The markets … Continue reading
Five Curiosities in Caylus
How many of us can claim really to know the place we live in? I’ve always contended that, as a tourist, you find out more about places because you are not subject to the duties and distractions of daily life. … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Caylus, French Wars of Religion, Maison des Loups, Ossip Zadkine, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, Tarn-et-Garonne
17 Comments
Lovely Lavoirs
Last weekend we took advantage of the continuing mild weather to do a walk we hadn’t done before around Vailhourles, in Aveyron. We parked in the centre of the village near the lavoir – washing place or wash-house. These structures … Continue reading
Posted in Aveyron, Customs, History, Places
Tagged Bach, Caylus, lavoirs, SW France, Vailhourles, wash-houses
11 Comments
