Aurillac - September 14th 2018

This morning I had a bath in the spa bath but didn’t turn on the bubbles. Jim had a shower upstairs. I finished unpacking and then we set off for the supermarket in Aurillac. Olivier had mentioned Leclerc so we went there first. We got most of what we wanted. Then we went to the Intermarche which is better for meat we think. We came home and had lunch of the things that had been left for us. Then we went back into Aurillac to the tourist office where we got lots of information. We did a tour of the town following (or trying to!) the map we had been given.

Aurillac is the capital of Cantal and is only 5 minutes drive from our home exchange in Arpajon. It is the home of the umbrella, producing more than half of the umbrellas used in France. I saw some of the most beautiful umbrellas but they were horrendously expensive! That did not stop me longing to have one and I looked yearningly in the umbrella shop windows but Jim's forbidding expression kept my desires under control

This is the Fountain of Human Rights. It depicts a woman in a toga holding a spear in one hand and brandishing a kind of flash in which one can read Droits des Hommes (Rights of Man).

The Palais de Justice.

Statue de Gerbert. This evokes the memory of the monk Gerbert of Aurillac who became the first French Pope, Sylvester 11 in 999.

The Cheese Market. It is the last surviving building for this specific trade in Europe and the symbol of the cheese-making industry in the Cantal, the only French department that can boast 5 quality-guaranteed cheeses - Cantal,Salers, Bleu d'Auvergne, Saint-Nectaire, Fourme d'Ambert.

The Church of Saint Geraud

In the square opposite the church this man had set up his drum kit in the (dry) fountain! He proceeded to entertain us.

Volcanic rocks.

The green hills that cushion the town of Aurillac have a more violent history. They are the remnants of the largest stratovolcano in Europe.

Notre Dame aux Neiges Church.

No town can manage without its Irish pub!

The monument to General Delzons. The pedestal is decorated with 3 bronze bas-reliefs representing the life of the general.

The Coat of Arms of Aurillac.

Back home I made a version of chili con carne and then we walked 600metres to a pub. It was hardly worth the walk as there was no one there and so no atmosphere. Back home we had dinner, then planned tomorrow, then Netflix. It got a bit cold during the night so I had to close over the window. Then it got too warm!