Friday, January 02, 2015

Wandering the backroads of Aveyron -- a New Year's resolution I just may keep


Such roads will, henceforth, be taken 

Like so many, I make New Year's resolutions. I usually write them down in a notebook and, being on Christmas break, it seems that I will easily be able to find the time to keep said resolutions.

Then I go back to my teaching job and, well...you all know how these things go.

But in June 2015, I will have lived in Aveyron for 20 years. And yet there are so many roads, even close to my home, that I have never driven on, and so many villages I have never even set foot in.

So I do think that in 2015, I will be hitting the back roads of Aveyron more: all by my lonesome and off the beaten track.


Such roads may or may not be taken, for reasons I will explain below

In my area, though, it's a bit délicat to get too far off the beaten track. How can you know if a signpost is leading you to a "public" hamlet, or a farm that is private property?

You can't. 

As I have already found out, tiny roads like the one above, despite bearing a sign indicating they are leading "somewhere," often end up pretty much in the private courtyard between a farmer's house and his or her barns.

Oops. Quickly backing up and out can be a bit embarrassing when toute une famille is watching you suspiciously - and hopefully not taking down any license plate numbers.

Yet I will not be deterred. 

Here's to exploring France's 5th largest département -- that would be in surface area, of course, not population -- in 2015!


9 comments:

Susan said...

Pretend you don't speak French. They'll just think you are a tourist who doesn't know any better.

Betty Carlson said...

Good idea, but I think my pride might get in my way.

Also, I'm not sure how many tourists with "12" (Aveyron) license plates are toodling around the area in the dead of winter...

But I might try it, someday, just for fun.

Aussie in France said...

Do the people really react badly when you end up in their backyard or are just wondering why you are there? Maybe you could have a little standard response such as "Uh oh, je me suis trompée ! toutes mes excuses !". Anyway good luck with exploring the Aveyron on your own!

Betty Carlson said...

No, Aussie, noboday has actually "reacted badly." But "looked suspiciously" is correct. This hasn't happened to me that much, though, since I have just recently started this in-depth exploring!

I have, though, been truly lost before and people are always very helpful.

Clara said...

It looks so beautiful there! I lived in Moon-sur-Elle (near Rennes) for a while about 15 years ago. I was dubbed the "one who gets lost" as I'd just randomly go down roads just to see where they went. My french was not so good but the conversations were a delight.
Enjoy your 2015 adventures!

Katie Zeller said...

That's one of the reasons I like walking with my neighbor. She knows all the little roads and public tracks.

bookworm said...

I have never been to Europe. If I did, I would want to explore the less well known places. I've enjoyed your pictures of the rural roads of your part of France. I've never seen anything quite like the mossy (stone fence?). There are a lot of stone fences from times past where I live, but they don't tend to be right along the roadsides. Alana

Betty Carlson said...

bookworm -- Yes, those are stone "fences", almost like small walls, covered with moss. I took a few close-ups on the same outing. They are all over here.

Thank you for your comment!

Perpetua said...

That sounds like a resolution well worth making and keeping. France is so big and has so many wonderful hidden corners. Even in tiny Britain it's easy to get lost exploring if you're not careful.