A to Z in April! Azat le Ris

A to Z Challenge HERE

Azat le Ris (pronounced azah le ree) is a small French farming town that is slowing turning into a British vacation town. It was dying until the Brits decided to buy there. Houses here run ridiculously inexpensive, because as you can see from the map, it’s in the middle of nowhere.








Even with the Brits, it has lost its stores and relies on a van that comes through once a week, selling bread, eggs, some veggies and treats.

View down the street where I stayed

The Van and the bar

There is one bar in town owned by the same family since at least the 1940’s. Locals frequent it, and it’s the kind of place where if the proprietor isn’t there, just serve yourself and leave the pay on the table by the door on your way out!

 

But it hasn’t lost its church, Saint-Genest, a registered historical monument, which is 12^th century, so that says how long this little community has been around in some form.

A "tractor" path between fields

Its surrounding countryside is beautiful farmland, fields and wooded copses, perfect for walking and bike riding. I spent three weeks walking the fields, lovely “tractor” paths, and long country roads whenever I needed a break from writing.
For me, it was heaven; low on noise, high on peace and quiet, nature and plant life.

It also has a river, Le Salleron, running through it with a park.

A field near the park on the outskirts of the village

A man-made pond next to an abandoned farm

Sheep, sheep, lots of sheep

One of the many roads to meander...

The Chateau Du Puy-Mesnil is the local privately owned “Chateau” and situated on the southeastern edge of town, but there are more in the area.

Chateau Du Puy-Mesnil today

Chateau Du Puy-Mesnil in the past

Domaine Le Chiron off season

If you’re looking for a quiet place to visit, this is a nice day journey from Limoges or Poitiers. There’s also a ultra-light flight school a mile down the road in a community called La Courandiere, with a lovely chateau that offers rooms, a “chambres d’hôtes” called Domaine Le Chiron.

For a village in the middle of “nowhere” there is a lot happening in and around this sleepy little hamlet.

A little video walking with my hosts through the countryside and village of Azat-le-Ris...

And, don't forget, today is April 1st! April Fools Day. Read about what it means in French "Poisson D'Avril" (Fish of April).

Bien Venu en France! Welcome to France Everyone!

Bonjour mes amis. It is too early to be awake, but that’s jet lag for you. I arrived in France two days ago on Wednesday the 17^th of January after a very easy flight across the “pond.” My parents in law were there at the airport in Toulouse (Blagnac) to greet me, even though my plane had been delayed an hour.

Coming back to France is like coming home. I feel not only welcome here, but at ease and happy to be back. I’ve fallen into the pace, the music of life here with no regrets, no fears. France, in large part because of my extended family here, has reawakened a part of my heart that sleeps when I’m in the States. My head hurts from the abrupt shift to French all the time but I know that will pass. Just working out “muscles” that haven’t been used in awhile and once they’ve worked out enough they won’t be sore anymore. In spite of that, it all came back so easily. French is probably my first favorite part of being in France. I can’t exaggerate how much I adore “la langue française,” not one bit. I won’t even go into the food yet, but will post some photos!

Foix gras to begin with...

Rose champagne...

I head out next week to visit with friends between Poitier and Limoges and I can’t wait! That will be the true beginning of the “Do-It-Yourself” writer’s retreat for me. A couple of weeks in the middle of nowhere with few distractions and enough time to dive in and see where I will begin, which story calls to me first to revise. Oh, so much to do, and enough time to do it. What a dream my life is becoming.

I’ve been reading what I call the “Bruno” books, police mysteries set in the Périgueux/Périgord region of France and I’m excited to think about going there even though I’ve been there before. But I hadn’t read the Bruno books then and the thought of going there now and seeing it through Martin Walker’s eyes lends a new importance to the area. I’ll be close when staying near Poitier and Limoges. (Bruno, Chief of Police is the first in the series by Martin Walker)

À bientôt et bonne journée mes amis!

http://www.brunochiefofpolice.com/

https://www.la-croix.com/Culture/Livres-Idees/Livres/Martin-Walker-l-ambassadeur-du-Perigord-2015-07-30-1339653