Rural France
Anyone who has read the novels of Marcel Pagnol, such as Jean de Florette or Manon des Sources will have sampled the taste of real France.
Graham Greene once said of the Malgudi books of RK Narayan he has taught me what it is like to be Indian. I. know exactly what Greene meant and Pagnol does the same thing for France.
Although set in Provence I feel they could apply as readily to the Auvergne, it is a France that is essentially agrarian, wedded to the church and rooted in the local community.
In Bertignat today locals were chatting outside the Mairie, others were paying their respects at the statue of the Virgin. Life is unhurried and cheerful.
It has a great deal to recommend it!Just as at home French youngsters’ heads (and not a few adults) are buried in the latest Harry Potter.
This has been sent via a blackberry, so please excuse any typo errors!
