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St. Céré, Lot, France
Saint Céré
Saint Céré is a small market town in the Lot (département 46), in the Midi-Pyrénées region of South West France. Phew. Quite a description. Let’s put it this way… I am deep, deep inside France profonde, about as far away from either of the big ponds (Atlantic and Mediteranean) as you can get and a long, long way from the hustle and bustle of London town, I can tell you!
Why?
So why am I here. Damn good question, for which there is no quick answer. I attempted it once (see this explanation in the About page, but I am not really sure if that really answers the oft asked question… why here, why, of all the places in this world, have you ended up here in nowhere-ville, St. Céré, France. But for now, it will have to do… because maybe that is why I started this blog… to explore and to share what it really means to be an expat Anglais in deepest France. Without the rose-tinted glasses. Without the false joi de vivre gushed by many bloggers who have chosen to settle here in france. And, definitely, without the constraints of upsetting either the local French or my erstwhile fellow compatriots!
Not that I set out to offend. Particularly the French who, I suspect, are ever so slightly mad. I mean, that would be difficult to do, upset the local French. Because so few of them speak any English! Joy!
Upset the other expats around here. Moi? Not likely. At least they all know they are slightly mad.
You’d have to be to live in France in the first place.
At least, that is what I am setting out to find out in this blog.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
In the meantime, write and tell me stuff, if you too have succumbed and have settled here in La Belle République, this hexagon of contrasts, land of castles and foi gras and faires, and things French, where nothing goes bump in the middle of the night; where it is the nightingale song not the traffic that keeps you awake; where a bottle of good plonk costs less than an a half-pint of Youngs Ordinary (not that you’d ever buy just a half pint of that!); where there is little or no crime, where for the price of a Barrett house on a new build estate, you can get several acres and a nightmare renovation job; where kids are polite and the grandparents are not only still alive, but rule the family; where ….
No… still can’t quite put my finger on the reasons I am here.
Help me find out… follow me here and help me to solve this ever so pressing problem.
Chris McCready
editor
www.st-cere.com
St. Céré in English – you know, it makes sense!
PS Living in France can be funny. To prove it, take a look at some of these books!
I can’t promise an ice tea, but next time (in the very near future-hopefully), I am allowed to sit in the sun with an ice cold beer at a café in St. Céré, I will raise my glass and toast you.
Thanks for getting in touch.
Chris
Hi Chris ~ Magic! At last I’ve found a website about my most favourite place on this Earth! I spent a lot of time in St Cere a few years ago staying with my step-daughter and her husband, Benoit Pancou, who owns the jewellery shop at 25 Rue de la Republique.
Sadly they are now divorced and I really miss that beautiful town. It was the one place where I felt I could spend the rest of my days, but it was not to be. I often play my videos that I made and wish I was there. I found the people were a credit to France inasmuch they accepted my partner and myself as if they had known us forever!
I’d give anything to be enjoying a glass of iced tea in the bar/cafe in Rue de la Republique right now.