L'AUVERGNE

I love the Auvergne region of France, where I was staying last week. Perhaps because when I first moved to France it was the area where I lived and so holds many memories. Quite a few members of my ex-family live there, although they are not originally auvergnat. I was staying in the Haute Loire, a département which reminds me of western Scotland - the countryside is lovely although in winter the 'plateaux' can be bleak and windswept. The villages are not beautiful and the houses are practical, solid and frugal, in keeping with the auvergnat mentality of economy and prudence. Despite its rather poor image, do not be fooled - the Auvergne is a rich region in every sense of the word. Although isolated for many years the region has benefited from heavy investments that have come their way from various Presidents and ministers, the roads are good, the viaduct de Millau has speeded up access to the coast and the villages and towns have invested heavily in schools, sports centres, libraries etc. in order to stabalise the population.

On our way to one of the sports centres the other day, we drove through the village of Vorey ... having dropped off the swimmers at the pool which was heaving with screaming children on their Easter holidays, I drove back to Voray to photograph the church, as for once I had actually thought to take my camera. There are some wonderful churches in the Auvergne and it is on the chemin de St. Jacques de Compostelle. The church in Voray is not particularly interesting architecturally, but it is painted this deep terracotta colour on the outside. What do you think? Personally I think it is very effective. The church of course was locked, bolted and barred and not even a notice to saw that someone held the key, so I couldn't go inside to visit and probably find out why it had been painted. And no-one around apart from a few barking dogs (and a few twitching curtains!).



So from the painted church, onto the painted Monument aux Morts fifty yards away. Normally rather depressing things, put up rapidly after the War and lacking in any artistic charm...but this one is glorious!



The only other people around were a couple of pilgrims on their way to St. Jacques and they too had their camera out; neither they nor I knew of other painted monuments, but they probably exist. The rooster on the top is a very fine chap, who apparently got knocked off his perch a few years ago during repainting by the local cantonier and being in fonte was extremely difficult to solder together again, so a very attractive young man with the most gorgeous blue eyes (Vorey is decidedly colourful!) stopped to tell me as I was clicking away with my camera.





So, while the others were packed like sardines in the swimming pool, I spent a lovely afternoon going from village to village, visiting the churches.