Faire La Fête

 

For such a small village what a turn out!.... Such a great evening.... Music, dancing, food and lots of great company. Missed Erin and Milton but great to catch up with everyone else!

Of course the following day was La Fête nationale française or Bastille Day.  

The Flags of the Minervoir which usually fly on the Tour and pretty much everywhere else are taken down and the French flag raised.  It's a much more sober affair although they did serve wine and raclette at 1.00am!!!  It was actually very moving to here the Maire speak and we all sang La Marseillaise led by four primary students and of course led by the local brass band.  It was strangely moving.  Especially as Jessica Servet is so vibrant.  The pompiers (fire brigade) stood bravely in the 38 degree sun in their heavy uniforms while Jessica acknowledged each one of them for their efforts to quell the horrendous fires we have had. 

We were supposed to walk to the cemitiere to honour those who died in the war (like anzac day) but it (like many other events) was cancelled because of the intense heat.

So with a shower of 'Bonne fête nationale !' and 'Joyeux 14 Juillet !' we made our escape to air con.  For us it was sad as we were not sure when or where we would see everyone again...Oz, UK, France?  Who knows.  Our trips are always such a flurry of hellos and goodbyes!

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Les petits villages de France sont pleins de fantaisie.

 There's no doubt the little villages of france are quirky.  Here are a few examples.

Villages love displaying residents' views and artworks on their walls.  These are from one of our favourite villages Siran...about ten minutes from where we are staying.  I particularly like the one of the nun that is posted on the convent wall... unfortunately brings back memories for me!

Dogs that wee on the gardens are not popular here unlike Australians who are usually welcomed. with a certain awe! How do you cope with snakes, sharks, spiders, crocodiles and of course rampaging kangaroos.  A Paul Hogan smile is I guess the only answer.

30 Degrees and a Stroll Through Time

It’s hard to imagine that we were last here in 2013! It is such a shock to be back in tourist France after the last two weeks in a rural village. It is so beautiful and only 30 degrees! We were able to walk along the canal under the shade of the trees... tempted to do another canal trip.

Our last canal trip was in Wales. We took Mum, who was in her nineties and very spritely. Caleb dropped in on his European gap year and helped us with heavy locks. The locks here are automated, but the boats are big and the locks are deep—very deep. Caleb, what are you doing next year?

Crazy to think the Canal du Midi was dug out by hand back in the 1600s! An amazing project although it pushed its creator to bankruptcy and took 14 years, it was built by the incredible hands of 12,000 men and women.

What makes the Canal du Midi uniquely progressive for its time is that a substantial number of these workers were women. Riquet specifically hired women from the Pyrenees who possessed ancient Roman engineering knowledge of hydraulics and water management.

Even better, Riquet was a remarkably progressive employer. He paid his workers, both men and women (unheard of) flat monthly wages that were still paid out even if they were sick or if the weather was too poor to dig.

Lots of very burnt people loudly enjoying their hire boats on the canal.

Once we’d had our fill of the canal, cafes, and markets, we escaped the crowds for a quiet stroll through the old town. There, we met the artist Kathleen Burlumi. Originally from England, she settled in Trèbes with her husband and young son back in 1989. She took us around to show us the fascinating historical photographs displayed on the ancient stone walls.

I just love how beautifully the French preserve their history, though Kathleen shared that it isn't always easy. She told us about the struggles the local association faced trying to protect some of the old, abandoned houses that were destined to be bulldozed for a car park. In the end, it was only by appealing to the patrimoine (heritage authorities) that they were successfully saved.

It is wonderful to study the old photos—to see how people dressed and the proud, formal poses they struck for the camera. (Check out the wedding photo!)

With fresh baguettes and pains aux raisins in hand, we headed home, winding along the sunflower-lined roads back to Trausse.

Boulangeries, Britten, and Book Art

Every village is different. Sure, there will be old houses, a church, an épicerie if you are lucky, and definitely a boulangerie for a baguette or pain au chocolat. BUT there is always something quirky.

In Rieux, it was a couple of things. The church, for one. 

It is a Roman church dating back to the 12th century, beautifully set in the round beneath a grand cupola. The caretaker let us in with a huge, old key and simply said, 'Switch the light off when you leave!'

I did a quick try out of the acoustics.  They were amazing - though not quite as spectacular as when I sang at Notre Dame de Cros! Oh and yes I could have done with a tuning fork! Have a listen below.

Copy of Rieux July by Julie Howard 

It is ironic that my music arrived today. I really must start learning it. I have never sung Benjamin Britten before!

 

The second surprising thing we stumbled across was a collection of book art... such fun!

Mussels, Nuns and Medieval Walls: A Visit to Azille

A favourite spot of ours is Azille. It's only ten kilometres away. We love the Monastère Mater Dei. It was founded in 1361 by the Clarisses (Poor Clares) who were totally isolated from the community. In 2008 though, a different order, the Chanoinesses Régulières de la Mère de Dieu moved in. They are known locally for their liturgical music and for producing artisanal honey, syrups, and regional rosé wine. They even run an online business for their products.

When we arrived, Mass was in progress and the nuns were seated behind the altar, mostly out of our view. I was hoping to hear them sing... but not this time! I couldn't take a photo, but found this on the net.

People have lived in the town for thousands of years, evolving from a prehistoric settlement into a highly fortified medieval stronghold. I love how people have integrated the walls of the ramparts and the fort into their houses... a back wall here... a side wall there!

The town has tiny streets that wind through the fortifications, with the centre protected by the original walls and an outer wall added later. It has a café with a tiny épicerie and a terrific boulangerie. We've been lucky that each time we visit, there has been a camion ambulant.

The first time, there was the refrigerated camion du boucher/charcutier. Incredible! 

Milton had told us what fantastic butchers Icher & Fils were and that we should buy all our meat from them. Ha! We saw the signs and we wove through the tiny streets of Caunes-Minervois, but we just couldn't find the shop. One day we finally got there, but of course, in the true French tradition, it was closed. But now, here it was right in front of us - the side of the van opened up to display their fabulous meat and deli items!

On other days, there was a camion du crémier / fromager packed with delicious cheeses. A local speciality is la bougnette—a softball-sized ball made of minced pork belly mixed heavily with eggs and rassis (stale) breadcrumbs. The whole thing is wrapped in caul fat and then fried or baked until it has a caramel-coloured outer crust. It is incredibly hearty and a beloved staple of local village charcuteries. It tastes so much better than it sounds!

Pâtés en croûte are another local delicacy. One slice with salad for lunch keeps us both satisfied!

The last time we were in Azille, there was a man enthusiastically selling shellfish - mussels, oysters, lobster and prawns. When I asked if he had fish... he looked horrified. He declared, "Je suis écailler, pas poissonnier!" Mmmm, so a seller of shellfish is rated more highly than someone selling fish. Got it!

Then I asked locals which trucks came on which days, a Gallic shrug was the response! Ah well, it makes for interesting lunches and dinners.

Why? Where? What or Pourquoi? Où? Quoi ?

Hey, I love that you are enjoying the blog and that you have questions. I especially love "Where are you?" It's a question we have asked ourselves a few times this holiday! That and why on earth are we driving a manual car with a dodgy sat-nav!!!!! Always happy to answer more questions, hear your comments and find out about what you are doing.

Where are you?

This little map shows some of the places we have visited. Trausse is very close to Carcassonne, sitting roughly 25 kilometre directly northeast of the famous medieval walled city. It's tucked into the southern foothills of the Montagne Noire. Toulouse is the major regional hub, situated much further to the west-northwest. Trausse is about 115 kilometres east-southeast of Toulouse.

Why do we do home exchange?

We love home exchange because it is so much more than a holiday. You actually become part of the community. I love the fact that our exchangees are having so much fun and our place is not empty.

Our neighbour Lynn kindly welcomed Jill from the UK and settled her into our apartment (Bravo, Lynn!). Jill has really embraced Sydney life, making full use of the ferries, buses, and metro to explore music, theatre, markets and to celebrate Christmas in July.

Jill has been invited to join our friends for dinner, so she will get to know even more about life in Oz. We will meet up with her in Yorkshire in August and hear all about her adventures!

Our friends Erin and Milton are off sketching in Ireland while we housesit for them here in Trausse. They made sure we had great contacts in the village so we can join in with lots of social events while we are here. We will meet up with them when they visit Sydney later this year.

Is it true that you can order a coffee at the bar and bring your cake from the pâtisserie? 

Absolument ! Quite often cafés/bars will serve hot and cold drinks, but they will send you across the road to buy something special from the pâtisserie to have with your drink!

 

Tchin-tchin!

Finally caught up with Patrick and Louise before they left the chateau to returnto Kent.  So fantastic to cool off in the pool, eat delicious apéritif and of course sample the local wine, catch up with the English news and talk all things French!

Bon Voyage.... maybe see you again in Oz sometime soon!

What a lovely surprise - a delivery of local wines from you both. Tchin-tchin!