In the thick of it ... again

We continue to be amazed at the number and variety of things to do in this little village and the surrounding area. Fran’s French teacher had told us of a string concert that was to be held in the church at the tiny village of Montcabrier, so we decided to attend. The musicians were from Paris and the local organiser was the grandfather of one of them. The music included Schonberg (La Nuit transfiguree opus 4) and Mendelssohn (a work for 8 stringed instruments in 4 movements). It was of the highest standard and probably was one of the best chamber music concerts we have ever attended. Afterwards, drinks (wine) were provided for the musicians and audience in the square outside the church, which had been lit up with coloured lights. On a balmy evening it was an unique experience and, as Adrian remarked, was the sort of thing we hoped to experience by coming to rural France instead of a big city. After that, we were invited to the home of one of the local councillors for some further drinks. Her house is located on the town square. She also runs a chambre d’hote and, according to her brochure, she is an art and design historian as well as speaking fluent French. She was a former Brit but has recently achieved French citizenship, having lived here since she fled from Margaret Thatcher’s England in 1991.

We knew that it was scheduled. It happens every year and is considered the piece de resistance of the annual Fete de Puy l’Eveque. If we were in any doubt that it was big, those doubts were soon dispelled when we saw the quantity of explosives being unloaded from vehicles and set up on the cale right outside our house. We wondered why they would set them up the day before the event and Fran was none too easy about sleeping in a room above what looked like giant sticks of dynamite. Our fears were compounded when we witnessed the organisers wandering nonchalantly past smoking their cigarettes and we were further worried when the weather turned nasty, with thunder and lightning buzzing around the sky during the night. The “security guards” on duty were more concerned about keeping dry than preventing fireworks theft or other mischief, and when we peeked through the curtains in the early hours of the morning we saw that they had deserted their posts and were fast asleep in their cars.

Fireworks day dawned but it was very wet … and it rained almost continuously all day. The event was postponed until the next day. Great!! - another night of nervous sleep on top of a potential explosion. But we did have security guards on patrol outside! Monday was a beautiful day and the organisers were busy early getting the show on the road. We had a birds-eye view of the activity. Also on that day, we had been invited to lunch at our landlords’ home in the country about 30 minutes’ drive away. The other guests were an English couple who, a few weeks previously, had cycled up to our window and introduced themselves to us. The food, wine and company were all very pleasant and when we arrived home at 6 p.m. we had to explain to a guard that we lived there and needed to get to our house. Access was granted, but not for our car which we had to park elsewhere.

We packed a picnic tea - bread, cheese, tomatoes, sausage with the customary bottle of vin and headed across the river to watch the spectacle pyrotechnique. The fireworks started at about 10:30 p.m. and were quite impressive, having a space theme and set to music from Star Wars and including a rocket launch countdown sequence and “One small step for Man, …” There was a large crowd all enthusiastically watching and applauding when the show finished. These photos will give you an idea. Most feature our house in the thick of it.

Afterwards we ventured to the main square where a band “Sahara” entertained the crowds with some good music. The singers and musicians were accompanied by four female dancers in numerous matching skimpy costumes, akin to the “go-go girls” from the 1960’s. Adrian reckoned that Kylie Minogue also has a lot to answer for. But to their credit, they were well rehearsed and incredibly fit. After tapping her feet for some time Fran persuaded Adrian to engage in some good old rock-n-roll, although the majority of people weren’t dancing.

Tuesday was the last day of the Festival and the main event was a bike race. We called it the Tour de Puy l’Eveque, because despite the fact that it was 89 km long, the circuit was only 3.2 km which the riders completed 28 times!! They were also incredibly fit as the ride up the Grand Rue is quite steep, with cobblestones adding an extra challenge. We watched the start and the first few laps, then retired home for a cuppa and a rest before returning for the thrilling finale.

We also checked out the “beach” at Cahors - Cahors Plage, where they dump a heap of sand along the river bank, and set up Tahitian thatched umbrellas to provide some shade. They also have an enclosed area set up for swimming, but most people seemed just to enjoy lying by the side of the river. Beach sports such as volleyball and football (soccer) are also part of this annual event. According to the local paper, the Cahors Plage cost 205, 000 euros to set up this year.

That night a Shakespeare play, As You Like It, was scheduled to be performed on the cale beside our house. We decided to “like it” from the comfort of our bedroom windows. We were, in effect, in le loge royale (the royal box). It drew a few laughs and looks from the crowds below as we took our places, complete with wine glasses, five minutes before the play started. One lady, on seeing our wine, shouted, "And it’s not even half-time yet!" The performance, in English, was very well done by a young group on tour from London. One of the players was an Aussie from Torrens in the ACT whom we’d met a few days earlier when he was swimming in the river near our house.

On Friday night we hosted a dinner party for our friends - Norah and Benoit. Fran had promised to make them some traditional Aussie fare … a pavlova. This was quite a challenge as the ingredients and equipment here are very different to Australia. But Fran managed OK and served up a 4-course meal. It was a really enjoyable evening with lots of cross-cultural communication and education on French and Australian ways. They are heading to Paris for work at about the same time that we leave Puy l’Eveque, in a little over two weeks.

Yesterday morning as we were driving around we discovered a Marche aux Puces at Montcabrier. We were keen to know what a puce was! It turned out to be a “trash and treasure” market (a puce is a flea) selling an amazing array of second hand stuff - anything from wooden chests, crockery, lamps and books, lots of old utensils, tired looking dolls, old farm equipment and what looked like the complete set of keys for the Bastille on a large iron ring. Our friends, Charlie and Craig (they know who they are), would have been in heaven.

Last night we went to Cahors to see a sound, light and images display with the 700 year old Pont Valentre as the centrepiece. The Pont Valentre has featured in an earlier blog entry. Whilst not overly spectacular (it's hard to compete with our village’s fireworks), it was eerily enthralling. As you walked on to the bridge the cobblestones were illuminated with the following words (obviously, in French):

Water; Stone; Devil; Faith, War; Life. These are the key words opening the doors to your imagination. Listen, watch and reconstruct my history.

Those 6 elements provided the themes for the sound and light display.