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HOUSE ON THE HILL FRANCE
UPDATED
18 AUGUST 2007
CHAMBRES
D'HÔTES
The
A62 - la route entre les deux mers (the road between the two seas).
On a map, run your finger along the main road link between Bordeaux
and Toulouse and stop halfway. For a moment you may wish to forget
that you are pointing to the A62, a fast, convenient and modern
motorway between two great French cities. Instead, shut your eyes
and imagine you are breathing in the beautiful, crisp, clean air
of the Aquitaine. You are enjoying a long and sumptuous lunch
washed down with a fine bottle of Mézinais wine and the
warm sunshine of South West France is making you sleepy...
A
few more kilometres and you'll be in Mézin.
Need
somewhere to stay?
Stay with us. We have lived in France since December 2004 and
we offer bed and breakfast and a warm welcome at St. Simon, a
comfortable house perched on a hill above the medieval town of
Mézin. The views from St. Simon are breathtaking; the bright
colours of the patchwork of fields, the dark green of the Landes
forests and, on a clear day, the Pyrénées.

Corks
and Presidents.
Mézin is delightful. Once in a while this sleepy French
town stirs, yawns and opens one eye to remind herself of her proud
history, before smiling and gently drifting back into a deep sleep.
Once Mézin was an important centre for the cork industry.
Today we still see signs of the wealth the industry brought to
the town and the Musée du Liège (Cork Museum) reminds
us all of times gone by.

Stroll
back
through the market square (not too quickly!) and you may find
yourself standing on the Rue D'Armand Fallières. If you
are thinking "Ah yes, Clément Armand Fallières,
he was the President of the French Republic between 1906 and 1913"
then you would be absolutely right. He was born in this very town.
Each afternoon and evening the locals gather in the square, next
to the bandstand, to play petanque. And nearby, outside the Hotel
de Ville, a bust of Armand Fallières looks down on the
scene to enjoy this time-honoured tradition and to ensure fair
play.
I
would love to come and stay. What do I need to do?
Freewheeling
and free-form.
The
beautiful landscapes, winding country lanes and ambience provide
the perfect setting for walkers, cyclists, nature lovers, artists
and writers alike. The local bird life is a delight and, of course,
your next opportunity to sample the wonderful foods and wines
of the region is never too many hours away!
There's
something here for all of you.
Read
on
©
Copyright David Coleman.
ISSUE
05: AUGUST 2007.
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