Lost In Limoges

From the sheep-dotted pastures of France's underpopulated Southwest, Limoges rises in all its grey glory. The city's claim to fame: fine porcelain. The half-timbered houses of the Medieval center are surrounded by strip malls and McDo. Land-hungry Brits descend with flailing pocketbooks (thanks, RyanAir). The weather is remarkably cool year-round. Sure, I live on rue de Nice, but this is NOT the Cote d'Azur. Welcome to Limoges, "the middle of nowhere"-- or as Pierre says "everywhere"-- France.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Lost in the Limousin: Lac Vassiviere and the Millevaches Plateau


Exploring the Millevaches Plateau is like stepping back in time: a remote, rural idyll of rolling pastures and lots of toffee-colored Limousine cows. Everything is remarkably green. Villages consist of a few modest stone houses hugging a country road; tractors are parked in the barn; an elderly couple walks hand in hand down the narrow lane. There are no major highways. Just total quiet.


"It's mythical, MW." My friends tried to explain the vision conjured in the minds of most French folks when they think about this mysterious, underpopulated plateau in central France, where many of the inhabitants live the way they've lived for centuries. Here, the rural way of life has been preserved. Geographically, the plateau hugs the western edge of the Massif Central and is marked by the higher mountainous altitudes (1,000 meters). The name itself seems appropriate; the Limousin is known for its cattle and there are easily more than a "thousand cows" roaming these parts. But get this: the word "Millevaches" is apparently Celtic in origin, and means "a thousand sources"-- as the region, known for its rivers, streams, and lakes, is the source for the Vézère, Corrèze and Vienne rivers (and provides the water supply for the Garonne region).

The landscape is beautiful: a carpet of green dotted with wildflowers, bordered by lakes, peat bogs, and dense forest. Our Parisian friends made the comparison with Quebec. Indeed, this spot is known as "the Canada of France." We picnicked by Lac de Vassivière, one of the largest lakes in Europe, where little Henri was smitten with the donkeys.


After a day in the country, we returned to Limoges, after the requisite stop at the boucherie (pictured) to choose some fresh steaks for dinner. (This is the Limousin, after all!)

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home