So tonight we ventured out into the village bar as there was a band playing there ............... the band wasn't bad for a local ho-down but those assembled who were rural locals with a smattering of scruffy Brits and all were the scruffiest bunch I've ever seen on a Saturday night. After one drink and half an hour there I'd seen and had enough. I've slummed it in some rough places around the world but this was the 'pits' and worse it was sooooooooo boring. I said to the wife I'd rather sit back there in the local graveyard it's probably more exciting even at 10.00pm at night. Anyways, we quit the 'great' village event and went to the next village to visit a bar which reputedly was good and lively .............. hmmmm, we arrived and the place was in darkness ......... not good ............... probably shut up and gone on vacation or just forgotten to open up for the night, very French, .......... on a Saturday night So drove the Paj around the back lanes and then went home ............. what a diabolical waste of time.

 

What is the population of these..."villages" you speak of ? Maybe everyone is watching american college football..... which starts today

 

Hi Senormac, these are 'one dog' villages with populations of around 250-350 people and still shrinking for some reason. They have declined in population since the 1970's probably due to insufficient work and opportunities for the younger generations. Rural France is an odd place as most have shuttered their windows and gone to bed by 10pm. Unlike me who is still up and around to 2am they seem to scamper indoors and the places a dead by 6pm in the evenings particularly after September. You can drive through most French rural villages at 8pm and you won't see another soul anywhere and everything is closed. It's quite eerie after the being in the UK.

PS. mention American college football and they wouldn't have a clue what you talking about as most have very restricted horizons generally confined to only French speaking places. Most rarely leave France during their lifetime.

 

That's pretty small. I'm surprised. You have altered my vision. I got the impression you were expecting a good band and a bunch of night life.... like maybe 250 - 300 people, but that would be the entire population of one of those villages. What is your nationality ORF ?

I've been wanting for years and years to go over to Ireland during Willie Clancy week. Have you ever heard of it or been to? Just hanging out with a pint and a bunch of Gaelic music going on in the background.....ahhhh.

willie clancy week

 

Hi Senormac, as I said, a 'one dog' village. Outside of the large towns and cities France is dead, stone dead 24/7. I am English and worked in Paris some years ago and have owned houses here as vacation homes since 1988 both in the north, Mayenne, and where we are now when we bought in 2003 and moved here permanently in 2009. Around here you have to appreciate the average age is about 60 and unemployment here is very high and even higher than the French national average which is also very high.

I've never seen the Willie Clancy band, not really my type of music, but went to the Guinness Jazz Festival some years ago when working for an American company, FWEL (Foster Wheeler).

The nearest towns/cities to us with any life are Bordeaux, Royan and Angouleme, they are all between 25 minutes and a one hour drive from here. Paris is a 4 hour drive to the north east. As is said on another post, a move to the US is still a possible on our agenda even at my tender age of 69. I like quietness and isolitude BUT within reach of some life if I choose but that is very lacking here but I don't like city life as a permanent place - spent too much time in big cities over my lifetime.


Cork Guinness Jazz Festival 2014

 

Offroad We had a wonderful time in southern Spain . Very reasonable , easy to get around. Weather is nice most of the year. Lots of brit ex-pats so no language problems. Went to some nightlife places , mostly young and noisy but every now and then we found a good spot. We liked the Flamenco in granada touistybut fun. Have you vacationed there? I would like to go back and stay for a couple months. I agree about rual france, not much to talk about, its pretty and scenic but not much to do. We visited Gorges du Verdon, there were things to do there very nice drive around the gorge.
Just rattling on I guess.

 

Hi Slabrat, yep, I like some of Spain most the far south (don't do the regular costas myself), Granada, Seville, Cordoba area up to the Portuguse border and also northern Spain, from San Sebastian along the northern rugged coastline. San Sebastian is defo worth a visit for a few days, a very civilised place.

The Verdon Gorge is fantastic and great motor biking country and at the end you have the beautiful lake St Croix. Along the Verdon Gorge there are places for bungee jumping, canoeing etc - it's a real playground for the adventurous cycling around there is also good as there are so many sights to see. We been promising ourselves a return visit for sometime.

France is a very beautiful country but very little to do in the evenings or off season outside of the towns and cities unlike Spain or Portugal.

 

Willie Clancy Week is not a band my friend, it's a week long festival of fiddlers, pipe and accordion players, as well as dancers, who converge on the town of Miltown Malbay Ireland every spring. People from all over the world land there and they rock the traditional Irish / Gaelic sound for a week.

I see that jazz is your music of choice eh ?

 

It's a bit like the Guiness Jazz Festival but for Gaelic musicians. Good music but I'm not criticising it but not my type or choice of music. I'm a jazz fan but like a lot of different music, now Motown floats my boat not that keen on heavy rock/metal and dislike rap music immensely. I even like some classical but very selectively. But modern jazz is defo my bag. I must do New Orleans sometime as that is where some of the worlds best jazz is played.

 

Im trying to get ticks to a Winton Marsalis concert here at Western Kentucky University. They are free just need to find a way I hope.. best thing to happen around here in awhile musicwise anyway..