Tag Archives: Caylus

Abandoned Village: Saint-Amans-le-Vieux

Posted on 15/09/2019 by nessafrance

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

Summertime, and the Living is – Busy

Posted on 30/06/2019 by nessafrance

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 →

Posted in Places, Teysseroles chapel | Tagged canicule, Caylus, Chapelle de Teysserolles, fête de Teysseroles, Hommes sans Frontières, Notre-Dame-de-Livron, refugee camp Septfonds, Spanish Civil War, summer weather in SW France, SW France | 4 Comments

Quirky Quercy Art – or Quart

Posted on 09/06/2019 by nessafrance

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

A Walk Around Caylus

Posted on 19/05/2019 by nessafrance

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 →

Posted in History, Places, Walking in France | Tagged Bonnette Valley, cascade pétrifiante, Caylus, church of Saint-Pierre Livron, léproserie, leper colony, Saint-Pierre Livron, SW France | 21 Comments

Saving Face: Some of the Less Obvious Gems in SW France

Posted on 05/05/2019 by nessafrance

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

Posted on 22/05/2018 by nessafrance

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

All Aboard le “Moscou-Paris”

Posted on 25/02/2018 by nessafrance

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

Posted on 11/05/2017 by nessafrance

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

Posted on 13/08/2016 by nessafrance

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 →

Posted in History, Places | Tagged Académie des miniatures, Albi, Caylus, Les Jardins de Quercy, maison rucher, Ossip Zadkine, patrimoine, Peyrusse-le-Roc, Promilhanes, SW France, Villeneuve, Zadkine Christ | 17 Comments

Caylus Car Rally Revived

Posted on 02/08/2016 by nessafrance

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 | 13 Comments

Tour de France 2016

Posted on 08/07/2016 by nessafrance

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

Posted on 22/05/2016 by nessafrance

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

Posted on 26/05/2015 by nessafrance

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 →

Posted in History, Places, Walking in France | Tagged Bonnette Valley, Caylus, Fête de la Pentecôte, Lacapelle-Livron, lavoirs, local heritage, Notre Dame des Grâces, patrimoine, Saint-Pierre de Livron, SW France | 9 Comments

Sunday Promenade Around Félines

Posted on 27/02/2015 by nessafrance

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

Posted on 08/02/2015 by nessafrance

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 →

Posted in Châteaux, History, Personalities, Places | Tagged Caylus, Château de Cornusson, Cornusson, de La Valette family, French châteaux, Jean de La Valette-Parisot, monument historique, Parisot, SW France | 13 Comments

Counting Heads: the French Census

Posted on 21/01/2015 by nessafrance

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

Posted on 12/12/2014 by nessafrance

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 →

Posted in Châteaux, French life | Tagged Albigensian Crusade, Caylus, Caylus board game, Château de Caylus, French Wars of Religion, Hundred Years War, Quercy, Rouergue, Simon de Montfort, SW France | 10 Comments

Plague Cross

Posted on 25/10/2014 by nessafrance

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

Posted on 20/08/2014 by nessafrance

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 →

Posted in French life, Places | Tagged Caylus, Espinas, Espinas fête, Fenaisons à l'ancienne, Festival d'Art International Parisot, Marché des Potiers, Parisot | 2 Comments

Every Château Has a Story: #1 Le Château de Cas

Posted on 13/08/2014 by nessafrance

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 →

Posted in Châteaux, History, Places, World War I & II | Tagged Cas, Caylus, Château de Cas, Espinas, French resistance, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, Service Camouflage du Matériel, World War II | 7 Comments

Art on the Menu

Posted on 19/08/2013 by nessafrance

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 →

Posted in French life, Places | Tagged Art, Caylus, Festival d'Art International Parisot, Marché des Potiers, Parisot, Parisot International Art Festival, pottery, SW France | 7 Comments

Five Curiosities in Caylus

Posted on 18/08/2012 by nessafrance

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

Posted on 20/11/2011 by nessafrance

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 | 13 Comments