Tag: French villages

Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère, My Favourite French Village

Recently I’ve been contemplating what makes one French village more lovely and desirable than another and came to the conclusion that it all depended on the day, time and season of the visit. Maybe I was very fortunate on the day we visited Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère: the weather was warm, the day bus visitors had vanished for the season, and the lunch offerings were most appealing.

Around the village of Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère

The village of around 500 residents sits right on the Vezere river which flows like liquid molasses, gently and lazily around the village and nearby woods. Sparkling miniscule mites buzz in the golden rays, the warm air tinted with the colours of Autumn. A leaf strewn walk beside the river, a crunch through carmine and russet, provides a wild contrast to the benign and domestic village. St Leon’s tastefully restored church invites quiet reflection. The hardest part of my fascination with this village is sorting through the prolific amount of photos I took on the day. Come for a walk around Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère with me.

Late September is still warm in the Dordogne and the colours of Autumn paint the walls.
Glimpses of cottage gardens, ramshackled and stone-walled.
Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère has many picnic tables by the river, an unusual and rare gift in France.
Inviting tracks along the river.
Can I move in and tend your gardens?
The Immobilier( real estate agent), always high on Mr T’s list.
St Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère village church with a difference.
The castle is privately owned.

Next time I visit, I’l stay a while, hire a canoe, walk till the paths run out, and visit the cemetery. But then perhaps beautiful memories should not be tarnished through revisiting.