True to form
Caussade I find, is one of those true French towns, and just not a tourist “gimmick”. That is perhaps why I have grown to love it. All year round you will find it bustling and alive with activity, festivals and markets, unlike a lot of the other local villages and towns which seem to be “open” just for the summer and once the second week of September arrives, everything closes. It has everything you need and great transport links including the train station. There is even the big “Parc de la Lère” for the hot summer days where you can take a family picnic and watch the gaggle of geese chattering in the lakes, as the sun sets on another fun-packed holiday.
What to do?
As I have mentioned in another article, the farmer’s market all year round is second to none. You can drift across the market that seems to encompass the whole town, the livestock at the far end near “La Halle”, the fruit and vegetables around the amazing church, cooked food up behind the Mairie and the general bric-a-brac on the main square. You can even find clothes, antiques, furniture or plants. The list is endless. It is the time when most shops are open and the little cafes around the main square teem with life, as they all people-watch or drink their “café” in the morning air. But what else can you do in Caussade? After looking at a few historical sites and buildings, you can also potter over to the local swimming pool, tennis courts and even the climbing wall in the local sports hall. You can do fitness training in one of the three local gyms or take up a class on language, sport or even crafts. There are summer camps for the children and a local lake at Monclar-de-Quercy to swim in the summer. Of course you have the festivals, the most well-known being “Les Estivales du Chapeau”, “Tractomania”, “Salon de l’Aquarelle” and the “Festival Bleu Trompette”.
Straw hats
In the nineteenth century, Caussade gained a huge reputation for their production of straw hats. It all came about through a farmer’s wife who, not sure what to do with her free time, started to create hats from the straw while her husband produced. Her production increased and the types of products multiplied to the point that in 1796 she started her first hat workshop in Septfonds (where we now live). She diversified from straw, starting to use wool, leather, felt and fabric in her creations. Little did she know at that point her industry would later become a symbol of the region, but that Caussade would host the internationally-renown “Les Estivales du Chapeau”, a hat-making festival, each year in the summer.
Tractors
At the opposite end of the scale, if you are ever in Caussade on holiday and are obsessed with old or classic vehicles, particularly tractors, then “Tractomania” is the place to be. The village fills up with enthusiasts from all over the region to get the “sprocket” that goes into the “grunat” for that wee tractor on the drive. I have to say I have no idea about the mechanics of a car, let alone tractors, but I have had friends that wait diligently for this time of year where they can buy this one important part they have been missing or searching for. It is also a time where like-minded enthusiasts can chat together in the overflowing bars, or the children can stare in awe at the classic cars and steam-operated tractors. There is also a parade of all the tractors. Until living in the region, I must admit I didn’t realise that a tractor fetish existed!
Watercolours
If tractors or hats are not your thing, then the “Salon de l’Aquarelle” is worth a visit. I have on the odd year wandered around the exhibition, looking at the work which talented people have created. It occurs every two years and around thirty artists are chosen to represent their work at the exhibition. They come from all over France and abroad, exhibiting around three hundred originals for the general public to view. Definitely worth a visit on a relaxed afternoon if you appreciate this sort of thing.
Festival Bleu Trompette
Last but not least is the “Festival Bleu Trompette”, a few minutes from the centre of Caussade in Montpezat-de-Quercy. If you are into jazz, then this is the place to be. Usually they have four free open-air concerts starting in June and finishing in October. Depending on the evening, there could be a “gourmand” food market, activities during the day, or even a meal in the evening in association with a local wine domain. The jazz passes through the ages and genres from that of the deep south to the modern. The program is easily found on the internet so you can make the choice as to which evening would suit your musical tastes the best.
Final curtain call
If you have timed your visit to coincide with the music festival on the 21st June each year you will find the main part of Caussade closed with tables out in the road as bands play into the night. At the end of the day, perhaps a stop at the “La Bonne Pizz’” (which has obtained many international food awards for it’s pizzas) can calm those stomach grumbles, followed by a visit just a couple of minutes by foot to the “Irish Pub” for a tankard of Guinness will finish the day off nicely!
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