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Tag Archives: Tarn
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
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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
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
Vaour and the Templars
Situated on the edge of the former royal Forêt de Grésigne, the town of Vaour conveys a strong sense of history. This is not surprising, since traces of Neolithic tombs and later occupation can be found in the forest. … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Commanderie de Vaour, Crusades, fôret de Grésigne, SW France, Tarn, Templar commanderie, Templars, Vaour
18 Comments
Every Château Tells a Story: #9 Le Château de Mayragues
Time for another château. This time it’s one that has been brought back from oblivion by its current owners and in my view is an absolute gem. Le Château de Mayragues is not in our immediate neighbourhood; in fact, it’s … Continue reading
Singing at Puycelsi
Last weekend, we took part in one of our favourite events of the year: two days of rehearsals followed by a choral concert at the hilltop village of Puycelsi in the Tarn. This was the ninth year that these concerts … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged choral singing, church restoration, Eglise Saint-Corneille, Mark Opstad, Nicholas O'Neill, Puycelsi, Puycelsi concert, singing, SW France, Tarn
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Thunder and Lightning at Puycelsi
We have adopted Puycelsi in the Tarn, since we go there to sing at least once a year in a temporary choir that comes together for a weekend or less. This delightful – and apparently impregnable – hilltop village … Continue reading
Things to Do in Southwest France 2015
We’ve lived here since 1997, but many things remain that we haven’t seen or done. As I have often remarked, once you get settled in a place, daily life tends to take over and you are no longer a … Continue reading
Weather for Walks: October 2014 Weather in SW France
We took advantage of the continuing spell of glorious weather last weekend to do one of our favourite walks, along part of the Viaur Valley. I mentioned this in my previous post. It’s a walk that’s best done on … Continue reading
Posted in Aveyron, Places, Walking in France, Weather
Tagged Aveyron, Lagarde-Viaur, rainfall, River Viaur, SW France, SW France weather, Tarn, Viaur Valley, Weather
8 Comments
Trip Along the River Aveyron
I went to the hilltop village of Puycelsi in the Tarn département on Friday to interview some victims for one of my magazine articles. It’s about 50 minutes’ drive from here but the route is one of the most spectacular … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places, World War I & II
Tagged Bruniquel, Gorges de l'Aveyron, patrimoine, Penne-du-Tarn, Plus beaux villages de France, Puycelsi, River Aveyron, rural life, SW France, Tarn
16 Comments
Open-air Concerts at the Château de Mayragues
One of the pleasures of summer life in SW France is the range of events that take place outdoors (weather permitting, of course). For almost the whole of July so far the weather has permitted and, having been starved of … Continue reading
Walking the Viaur Valley
After a weekend of cold winds and low temperatures – I was picking walnuts wearing a woolly hat and a jacket on Sunday – the weather turned again on Monday. A cloudless blue sky and temperatures in the mid-20s … Continue reading
Posted in Aveyron, French life, Nature, Places, Walking in France
Tagged Aveyron, Lagarde-Viaur, River Viaur, rural life, Ségala, SW France, sweet chestnuts, Tarn, Viaur Valley, walking
14 Comments
Rainy Day in Albi
It’s not supposed to rain in southwest France in the summer. The odd thunderstorm is acceptable but when the weather is persistently dreary for 10 days you feel cheated. Our visitors from Sweden must have felt especially cheated when they … Continue reading
Posted in History, Places
Tagged Albi, Cathédrale Saint-Cécile, France, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, SW France, Tarn, World Heritage site
6 Comments
Pastel Night in Albi
It was an action-packed weekend in southwest France. The vide-greniers (jumble sale) season got off to a flying start with a bumper edition in Caylus on Sunday. The SF was delighted with his purchase of an old computer screen to go … Continue reading
Posted in French life, History, Personalities, Places
Tagged Albi, France, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, living in France, Musée Toulouse-Lautrec, SW France, Tarn
12 Comments
Asking for the moon: finding our house in France, part 4
We had already seen La Lune, our present house, after a couple of days and following our encounters with Uncle Fester and assorted fauna of southwest France (notably snakes and fleas). However, we were committed to spending a further … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged Aveyron, France, French property, living in France, Lot, rural life, SW France, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne
8 Comments
Asking for the moon: finding our house in France, part 3
During our property-hunting visit to southwest France, it was rapidly becoming apparent that what looked perfect on paper was invariably flawed in reality. In part 2 (see also part 1), we spent the first of two days with an English … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged Aveyron, France, French property, living in France, Lot, SW France, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne
10 Comments
Asking for the moon: finding our house in France, part 2
Before you ask, this isn’t our house. At the end of Part 1, we were arriving at Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val to spend a couple of days visiting properties with an English estate agent. He ran a gîte at his house a … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged Aveyron, France, French property, living in France, Lot, SW France, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne
9 Comments
Asking for the moon: finding our house in France, part 1
‘Don’t let’s ask for the moon; we already have the stars.’ This is the final line in the film ‘Now, Voyager’ with Claude Rains (born in Camberwell but often played Frenchmen) and Bette Davis. I always think of it when … Continue reading
Posted in French life, Places
Tagged Aveyron, France, French property, living in France, Lot, SW France, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne
7 Comments
A delightful château and memorable concerts
Sorry for the short notice, but if you like classical music and are anywhere around Gaillac in the Tarn Département on Tuesday 6th July, then book now for an oboe and harp recital at the magical Château de Mayragues, near … Continue reading
Posted in French life, History, Places
Tagged blogs about France, Chateau de Mayragues, Classical music, Concerts, France, living in France, SW France, Tarn
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French seasonal treats: répountsous (asparagus alternative)
Strangely bent figures can be seen at this time of year patrolling the grass verges, heads bowed in concentration, oblivious to the juggernauts thundering past. What are they doing?
Posted in Aveyron, Food/drink/recipes, French life, Nature
Tagged asparagus, Aveyron, food, France, recipes, repountsous, rural life, SW France, Tarn, Tarn-et-Garonne
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