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Tag Archives: Villefranche de Rouergue
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
A Little-Known World War II Incident: the Croat Mutiny in Villefranche-de-Rouergue
Our local Médiathèque (library) is a hive of literary activity. In addition to the literary festival that takes place every October, there’s a series of author talks throughout the year. On Saturday, we heard Adrian Weale, a former UK army … Continue reading
French Flavours E and F: Two Aveyronnais Specialities
Time for another instalment of my French flavours series. I realise I have only got to ‘E’ and we’ll never get to the end at this rate, so this week I’ll do ‘F’ as well and you get two for … Continue reading
Posted in Food/drink/recipes
Tagged Aveyron, Aveyron recipes, Estofinado, Les Farçous, River Lot, rural life, Stockfish, SW France, Villefranche de Rouergue
7 Comments
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
Grist to the mill: Peugeot from crinolines to cars (and pepper mills)
I always thought the Peugeot brand was associated just with cars and cycles. That is, until the trusty Perspex salt and pepper mills that have accompanied me for more than 30 years gave up the ghost. We toddled off to … Continue reading
Parisot Choir Concerts in March
We have been without an internet connection for much of this week, so I’m posting this a bit late in the day. However, the Choeur de Parisot is giving two concerts over the next week under the baton of maestro … Continue reading
To Crèche or Not To Crèche
Political correctness sometimes verges on the downright barmy. France is a secular society, which is fair enough. Public employees in France are not permitted to display ostentatious symbols of religious affiliation, such as foulards (headscarves) or large crucifixes. These issues … Continue reading
Posted in Customs, French life, Places, Rants
Tagged Christmas, creche, French customs, laicité, Parisot, SNCF, SNCF at Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Villefranche de Rouergue
11 Comments
An Opportunity to Meet French Schoolchildren
We attended a rather nice event last Friday at a school in Villefranche-de-Rouergue. Le Lycée Beauregard, a secondary school, invited local English speakers to meet the students and talk to them – in English.
Posted in French life, Language
Tagged English, Expat, French, Language, language learning, Lycée Beauregard, Villefranche de Rouergue
4 Comments
Villefranche-de-Rouergue Market
One of my favourite markets, indeed one of my favourite towns, in the region is Villefranche-de-Rouergue. A sub-prefecture of Aveyron, it has great historical significance in the region. Like other towns in the region, despite its picturesque features, it is … Continue reading
Posted in Aveyron, History, Places
Tagged Alphonse de Poitiers, French markets, market, SW France, Villefranche de Rouergue
13 Comments
When the Plague Came to Southwest France
Don’t worry; it happened several hundred years ago. But for people at the time it must have seemed like the end of the world. I thought about this recently while wandering around Villefranche-de-Rouergue with time to kill between a routine … Continue reading
Posted in Aveyron, History, Places
Tagged Black Death, Bubonic plague, Plague pandemic 1348, Pneumonic plague, SW France, Villefranche de Rouergue
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Villefranche de Rouergue: Past Glories
It’s amazing how much you learn about a place you thought you knew, simply by taking the time to walk around it. We live about 25 kilometres from Villefranche de Rouergue in Aveyron and have shopped there regularly for 14 years. … Continue reading
Posted in Aveyron, History, Places
Tagged Aveyron, France, market, Rouergue, SW France, Villefranche de Rouergue
9 Comments