Most popular posts
“A delight to read”
Tag Archives: Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val
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
Discovering a Former Railway Line
Do you enjoy travelling by train? I do, except of course when it’s cancelled or held up by the wrong sort of leaves or by vandals removing the copper from the electric cables, as happened to us recently in Sweden. … Continue reading
French People’s Favourite Village: Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val in 2015?
In 2014, it was Cordes-sur-Ciel in our Midi-Pyrénées region, about 30 km from us. Which village will it be this year? The 2015 candidate for our region is Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val. Voting in this contest – Le Village Préféré des Français … Continue reading
The Flood of the Century in Southwest France, 3-4 March 1930
On Saturday 1st March 1930, torrential rain started to fall on already saturated ground in Southwest France. Unseasonably high temperatures brought by southerly winds rapidly melted the thick mantle of snow that had fallen in late winter on the … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places, Weather
Tagged Adolphe Poult, crue du Tarn, Flooding, Moissac, Montauban, rainfall, River Aveyron, River Tarn, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, SW France, Tarn flood of 1930
17 Comments
Sheltering Jews in SW France During World War II
Today, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, is the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by Soviet troops. The unspeakable horror of these places has been described in memoirs and contemporary film footage. But very few survivors remain and it is … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places, World War I & II
Tagged Auschwitz, Deportation of Jews, German occupation of France, Holocaust, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Liberation of Auschwitz, Moissac, Montauban, Righteous Among the Nations, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, SW France, Tarn-et-Garonne, Vichy France, World War II
12 Comments
The Little Free Library Inaugurated at Saint-Antonin
So many words have poured out in the past few days, and no doubt will continue to do so, about the horrific events in Paris this week. I can’t add anything to them that isn’t trite or obvious. So … Continue reading
Posted in Books/writing, French life, Places
Tagged books, Expat, library, Little Free Library, living in France, reading, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, street library, SW France
10 Comments
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
Hollywood Comes to Southwest France
Some places just lend themselves to being film sets. Picturesque, atmospheric, even scary, they have a certain je ne sais quoi that other locations seem to lack. Or that the camera can enhance beyond their everyday familiarity. Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val beneath the … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged film location, Helen Mirren, Hollywood, Hundred-Foot Journey film, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, SW France
20 Comments
A Walk Back in Time on the Saint-Antonin Causse
Last Saturday night’s thunderstorm caused us little bother – except for water seeping under the kitchen door as usual – and cleared the air. In parts of Aveyron, we hear, the damage was considerable and a church spire is reported … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places, Walking in France
Tagged causse, Espinas, le chemin de lou finot, nature, Occitan, patrimoine, rural life, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, SW France
6 Comments
Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val: Haunting and Historic Town
Winter here – especially this winter – is not greatly conducive to getting out and exploring. It’s all too easy to sit in front of the fire and make a promise that we’ll do it next week. But I do … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged canoeing, Charlotte Grey, Maison Romane, patrimoine, River Aveyron, Saint-Antonin market, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, SW France
22 Comments
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
All fêted out
So much has been going on in this area during the past few weeks that I scarcely know where to begin. This is typical summer in rural France. For a couple of months there is a plethora of cultural events, … Continue reading
Posted in Customs, French life, History, Places
Tagged country fêtes, Espinas, farming, Fête des battages, Fenaison à l'ancienne, France, rural life, Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, social customs, SW France
6 Comments
