Category: Aveyron

Conques is known as one of the most beautiful villages in France. The village is located at the confluence of the Dourdou and Ouche rivers in northern Aveyron.

It sits on the edge of the steep gorge and preserves old narrow streets, so no vehicle can go into its medieval center, where the Abbey Church of Saint Foy is located. The centuries-old abbey is along the way of St. James and was a popular pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages.

We came to this picturesque small village to see highlights of cultural history of southern France.

The village is quite small so you can see almost everything in just one day! We arrived there in the morning, parked our car in the paid parking lot de la Salesse, and took a short walk to the heart of the village.

There were a couple of private galleries of local artists at the entrance to the village. We visited every single gallery and spent an hour or two enjoying the artworks.

Then we came to the Abbey church to see its Romanesque architecture and stained glass windows that we’d learned at le musée Pierre Soulages in Rodez 2 days before.

The church was surrounded by beautiful terraced gardens and had the small treasury museum next to it. The museum displayed Saint Foy’s skullcap and other medieval goldsmiths’ works. The collection was as stunning as the Romanesque church. But taking pictures was not allowed in the museum.

After visiting the Abbey and the treasury museum, we had authentic crêpe Française for lunch.

And we walked though the village in the afternoon. Conques was a small but really beautiful town with a lot of offer!

We heard there was a pleasant lakefront restaurant in northern Aveyron and came to a lesser-known beach on the Monnès Dam lake. The temperature was a little low in the early hours of the morning. But everything else was perfect. The sky was clear. The beach was secluded. The leaves blew gently in the summer breeze. We felt as if we were alone in this world.

We spent a few lazy hours and went to the restaurant for lunch. The restaurateur welcomed us with tasty beef steak and Belgian fruit beer. There we hung around for another couple of hours. Well, it’s not unusual to take such long lunch breaks in France.

After lunch, we went for a walk in the woods. There was a beautiful hiking trail with waterfalls in Montézic. The trail is called le Saut du Chien, the jumping dog, because there is a sharp, steep gorge with a dog-head shaped rock in the river Truyère. And you can enjoy stunning views over the gorge.

We came back to the beach in the evening. A handful of people were playing in the water. That reminded me that France has really long summer days. In Japan, daylight can last as long as 14.5 hours on the summer solstice, while it can last almost 16 hours in France. Time goes by so slowly for those who live here. It’s literally the perfect place to spend the summer holidays.

Mes vacances d’été à la montagne ont commencé en Rodez!

Rodez is the largest city and the only city in Aveyron. Seen from a distance, it appeared to be a huge city wrapping around me. Since it was built on a hill, I could easily get a view of the whole city.

I came by train and arrived at the railway station under the hill. It was located on the northern outskirts and a little bit further away from the city center.

Luckily I didn’t have to walk up l’avenue de Paris to le centre-ville. On the platform, I met the girl I love the most. She’d been waiting for me there. After picking me up, she drove her car up to la place d’Armes. It seemed particularly hard to drive in this small and crowded city with lots of slopes and one-way streets.

We had lunch together and visited le musée Soulages. The museum has a number of artworks of Pierre Soulages and hosts temporary exhibitions. Its exhibits range from painted works to stained glass windows.

When we visited, the art museum also displayed drawings and photographs of Gutai Bijutsu Kyokai. Honestly, I didn’t expect to encounter Japanese things on my very first day in Aveyron. And I didn’t know anything about the artist group that was dissolved nearly half a century ago. When asked about them and their works, I could barely explain what they really did. Almost nothing but titles. Quel dommage!

Then we came to la cathédrale Notre-Dame. Although I’m not that religious but do like history and the view from the top of the cathedral tower. My favorite is the view from Berliner Dom. From its rooftop, you can see Rotes Rathaus, Fernsehturm, Schloßplatz and many other things. Since my arrival a couple of hours ago, I’d been thinking to climb the tower and catch a view of the hilltop city of Rodez! I tried to find a viewpoint but the upward stairways were closed. Instead, I learned a little about this house of worship and a brief history of the region.

We spent all afternoon in the city center and went up north in the evening. In northern Aveyron, there exist lovely small villages, beautiful valleys and gorges of la Truyère and a volcanic and granitic pleateau of l’Aubrac. Que les vacances commencent!