Aveyron

It's been a busy and slightly strange few weeks as it feels like the end of the year abroad has suddenly crept up on me. I'm always excited to come home, but given that this time I'm not coming back here it's also mixed with sadness and a desperate rush to do anything I haven't already done so I don't go home with regrets.

We had a two week Easter break which separated the exams so I decided to go home for a week and take home some luggage in advance. It was lovely to be back in Fleet and London and catch up with people, and it also meant I got to be home for Mum's birthday which was really nice. I didn't want to go home for too long though, since I'll be back so soon anyway.

Luckily I have an amazing marraine with a lovely family, and was invited to go away with them for the bank holiday weekend. We stayed in part of an old farm house in the countryside, just outside the village of Espalion in Aveyron. In France there is an official list of 'Les Plus Beaux Villages', and Pauline's dad has decided that he wants to go and visit some of them. Aveyron is a gorgeous and mostly rural region, so there are quite a few 'Plus Beaux Villages' near to each other.

Unfortunately the weather wasn't great a lot of the time (it picked up just as we left!), but the villages were absolutely stunning. We went to Laguiole first, which is famous for it's quality knives, and went for a local steak. I also tried aligot, which is a cheese and potato garlicy mix that is a local speciality. After Laguiole we went to look round Espalion and settled into the house. Pauline's mum is a really good cook and we got spoiled with hot lunches and dinners (and fresh bread from the boulangerie every day!)

Day two we looked round St. Eulalie d'Olt, St. Geniez d'Olt, and St. Come d'Olt. My favourite was probably St. Eulalie d'Olt as there were so many lovely old buildings and the whole aesthetic was nice, there were lots of flowers and even the street signs were pretty. All three villages are set on the River Lot, contrary to what their names might suggest!

Day three we went to Estaing, Conques, Bozouls, briefly to Rodez, and to see a waterfall. All three villages were stunning, but in different ways. Estaing was also set by the river and the different levels, and the way the buildings and roads all seemed to merge into one another, made it into a unique and pretty village. Conques is apparently a particularly popular stop on the St. Jacques de Compostelle pilgrimage/walk, which passes through Aveyron. It's easy to see why as it's a beautiful, consistently medieval, town, which is mostly pedestrian and set among hills and forests. We saw less of Bozouls, but the thing that is really striking about it is it's location; the ground suddenly cuts away and the village is in a valley surrounded by cliffs.

It was a lovely trip and I feel very lucky and grateful to Pauline's parents as I know I never would have thought to or been able to make that trip without them. It was great to speak a block of French as well, as my French still leaves a lot to be desired and I'd just been back in England so was a bit rusty.

Espalion

St. Eulalie d'Olt

St. Eulalie d'Olt

St. Eulalie d'Olt

St. Eulalie D'Olt

St. Geniez D'Olt

St. Geniez D'Olt

St. Geniez D'Olt

Estaing

Estaing

Conques

Conques

Conques

Waterfall in Salle-la-Source

Rodez

Bozouls

Bozouls

Bozouls

Villandry adventures

Last week was less eventful as it's nearly the end of term and deadlines are looming. I made another presentation, (which we got good feedback for so fingers crossed!) and had two exams, and then I had another exam today. However, as we have a three day weekend this term, Eilish and I decided we could spare a day to visit the château in Villandry on Saturday.

Villandry is known for it's immaculate gardens, and luckily it was a gorgeous sunny day so we really got to make the most of them. The hedges are grown in square and triangular formations around pretty flowers and herb gardens, and extremely well maintained. There was also a maze, or 'labyrinthe' in French, which was slightly too short for us but we did regardless! 

After we'd looked round the château, which is fairly small but nicely decorated with some more modern touches, we walked up the hill behind it for a nice view of the gardens. Two swans were circling around the pond together all day which just added to the elegance of the place.

We spent a long time looking round the gardens as we'd taken the bus there and there wasn't a bus back until 18h31- or so we thought. Although the filbleu website had given us this bus time, it turned out that buses back from Villandry only start in May, which we discovered after waiting there a good half an hour. Villandry's not too far from Tours so we decided to try and walk back along the 'Tours a Velo' path, which was very scenic and pleasant but also, it turns out, about 3 and a half hours long! By the time we reached a village called Berthenay (accidental detour) it was almost 10pm so we had a change of plan and went into the village's one restaurant to ask them for a taxi number, and had a drink there while we waited. En route we saw donkeys, rabbits, sheep, lizards, lots and lots of cats, and lots of pretty views of the Loire. But we also saw aggressive dogs, aggressive men (even in the countryside - that's one thing I won't miss about France!), and confusing signs. So all in all we were quite pleased when we finally made it home at 11h30, 12 hours after we set out for Villandry, even if the taxi price was painful.

Here's Villandry from an unnecessary number of angles:

View from up the hill

The Loire

Savonnières

Poitiers and a busy week

It's only two weeks until the Easter holidays, and I've not got long left in Tours now. Luckily there's still just about time to fit in cultural activities in between end of term revision and presentations. I can't even remember how many presentations I've made in French now. The first couple were terrifying, and they're still nerve-racking but I've got more used to them now. I'm hoping that making presentations in English will seem a lot less daunting after this year.

Monday was jam-packed as usual and on Tuesday I went out for drinks with Erasmus friends as Marie-Luise was back visiting from Germany. On Wednesday Chloe, Eilish and I went out for a Japanese meal in Tours as an almost-end-of-term-really-there's-no-excuse-for-this treat. I've never tried Japanese food before and it was great, although my favourite parts were definitely the tea and the desserts. It was a good pick-me-up for all of us, and it's nice to try something a little different. Thursday we had a film night, and then Friday morning we started work on our next presentation and in the afternoon I met up with Pauline and went to the Château de Tours.

I've been meaning to go to the Château de Tours for ages as there is a free art exhibition showcasing the photography of Vivian Maier, a French-American photographer. Maier seems to have lived a very interesting and rich life, which is reflected in the variety of people and places that she photographed. I particularly liked her street photography in Chicago as it seems to capture America in the 50s and 60s. The château originates from the 11th century, although most of it is a lot more modern. It's really nice that it's being maintained and put to good use. France seems to be quite good for museums and galleries, Tours isn't an enormous place but there's lots of choice, and there are always lots of cultural events arranged through the uni or local groups.

On Saturday a group of us went to Poitiers, which is a small but historic city about an hour away from Tours by train. The main draw is the beautiful architecture and old churches but we also walked around the Parc de Blossac and and stopped for mid-afternoon patisserie. As well as the Early Gothic 12th century Cathedral, we also saw the 11th century Romanesque Église Notre-Dame la Grande, and the oldest church in France- Bapistère Saint-Jean (4th century). Notre-Dame la Grande was probably my favourite, as it was so different from others that I've seen and the ceilings and inside walls were painted. The Baptistère was tiny, but almost unimaginably old. Definitely a city worth visiting for history/architecture enthusiasts!
In the afternoon we went for a drink in the square by the Hôtel de Ville (similar to the one in Tours, but more subtle). I think this must have been when I showcased by incredible British sun-burning talents and burned on a 15 degree cloudy day. There was a local music event which was nice for a bit but turned into a French rap-battle of dubious quality so we headed off to the Parc at that point.

In other news- Me and Chloe have just booked flights to Porto, Portugal for after the end of exams in May. I'm so excited! And it should be great motivation during the exam period. Flights from Tours airport to Porto are so cheap at the moment- come with us!

Château de Tours

Poitiers

Palais de Justice de Poitiers

Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Poitiers

Baptistère Saint-Jean

Église Notre-Dame la Grande

Église Notre-Dame la Grande

Église Notre-Dame la Grande

Église Notre-Dame la Grande

Eilish, me, Nikki, and Kristen in the Parc de Blossac