We are 100% convinced that the true beauty, the true essence of France is far from its cities, far from its historical sites, and far from its beaches… The pulsing heart of it instead lies in its provincial villages where the well kept heritage remains. We were grateful to get to spend four weeks in such villages, and even more grateful that two of those weeks were living with local friends, expats from the States, who helped us understand the community, the language and the culture in Mur-de-Barrez, population 800, and other places in the Aveyron region. Thank you immensely to Laura & Aleksey for your tremendous hospitality! 

Above, arriving to the slate and stone stunner of medieval Mur-de-Barrez feels like living in a fairy tale. Most of the rooftops are 45 degrees or more. Not an easy place to be a roofer!

We were lucky enough to arrive the day before Bastille Day, July 13, which was our first in France. The French National Day is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, which was a major event of the French Revolution as well as the Fête de la Fédération that celebrated the unity of the French people on July 14, 1790. And also lucky for us, Bastille Day happened to coincide with a lively festival in the town square of Mur-de-Barrez.

Laura mentioned…she hoped we were ready to party as she rolled out the flashy party poster, which she got the privilege of plastering all over the village as part of her committee duties.

Based on the size of the event, it was hard to believe this tiny village only holds 800 people! But apparently, people from all over the area come to party including a small sea of camper vans. The party bumped all night long and was kicked off by an animated announcement from the town’s 27-year-old mayor and a very fit and perky Zumba instructor, which Mandy and Aleksey clearly hated. 

Buying food tickets. Laura and Aleksey were on the food planning committee, so she advised us not to waste 15 euros on the pile of meat and potatoes we would have received. Yay! More money for wine!

Mandy and Aleksey getting ready to Zumba. 

Greg and Laura preparing to watch ?

We couldn’t believe how many people were here for such a small, quiet village! 

You can even have the chance to win a giant stuffed animal by forking over 5€! Whoohoo!!! 

Even with the carnies, the setting was incredible!

The 27-year-old mayor on the right. No wonder the party went all night. 

Mandy and Aleksey wiggling to the music! 

While it may appear that Aleksey and Laura are closing the place down, in fact it was 10:06 and the party was just beginning. (For some people ?) The event staff bustled around the two twinkle toes as they maneuvered the tables to create a bigger dance floor.

After the party was over it was back to tranquility. Mur-de-Barrez is built at the north end of the Barrez basalt plateau resulting from the basalt flows of the Cantal volcano and at 800 meters above sea level, Although we have yet to go to Tuscany, the rolling hills surrounding felt a bit reminiscent.

The same central square that was jam-packed for the festival. The restaurant in foreground is one of a handful and owned by a Portuguese woman named Marie. We went there frequently to indulge in drinks, pizza (12€) and really good ice cream (3€.) We were surprised to find that living in France has been about 20 % cheaper than living in the States. 

The view outside Laura and Aleksey’s front door was pretty crappy….(ha). Steps away lies Monaco Tower, named after a 17th Century prince from Monaco because Mur-de-Barrez was a former fiefdom to the princes. At right, the walkway through the tower of Monaco makes you feel as you’re stepping back in time.

Inside Laura and Aleksey’s five story townhouse, which they purchased for 26,000 euros and did a lot of renovating to, we were honored to be bestowed with charming Dora’s company, who is very sociable and cuddly. Everyday (third photo), like any modern child, you can see she gets one hour of designated “screen time” by the open window. That said, she’s an explorer in the inside sense, but not really known to be a street cat. 

Unlike these two. Mandy and Laura, both very much sharing the Explorer Gene, being silly during our first morning stroll of the village. It was hot in Mur-de-Barrez! Low to mid 30’s all week. (90+) Fortunately their gorgeous stone home kept us pretty cool and cozy despite there not being A/C.

A local market. The village also offered two regular well-stocked supermarkets. The peaches and tomatoes were some of the best we’ve ever had and every Thursday, there was also a town market, like in other French villages. It felt a bit overpriced to us, but we were able to score some delicious Cambodian food, from a Cambodian expat who’d relocated to the area with her French husband.

One of the main pedestrian thoroughfares. Laura’s hairdresser is on the left.

Every village, no matter the size, evidently has an office of tourism.

One of our favorite houses in town happened to belong to Laura & Aleksey’s friends. Not surprisingly, many of their friends are British expats.

There were two bakeries, both sadly in danger of closing. Greg made sure to chug lots of gluten enzymes so he could offer daily contributions to keeping them afloat.

One of the other restaurants in the square. Evidently, Aleksey and Laura felt brand loyal to the other restaurant because they knew the owner better.

Little town…little quiet village ? Can’t get the song out of our heads….Argh!

We frequented the local park often where Greg would run and Mandy could continue her therapy. It featured fun play structures like a zip line and playhouse for the kids.

And, notably, even a progressive “playground” for seniors to work on their agility, coordination and balance. Mandy, currently senior-like, “hopped” right on the balance exercise called Lilypad.

This exercise is designed to test cognitive coordination. You’re supposed to read the word (not color) and place it in the correct slot.

But our favorite part of the park was the lay down benches, which were ideal for reading and napping.

A group of locals playing in a Petanque competition. Petanque is a French game similar to Bocce Ball. Not sure of the appeal considering the ridiculously heavy metal balls they seem to lug around in their backpacks.

One night Laura and Aleksey took us to a local bar with live music that was absolutely destined for us.

The view was unbelievably bucolic!

And an idyllic spot to watch a sunset.

Our pile of French-ness. Oh boy did the boys…and the bees…love it…

By the end of week two, now up to 2000 steps with shoes, Mandy was ready to “summit” the highest point in the village of 820 meters. Hilly and rough surfaces were still quite challenging but she was undoubtedly getting there! 

We also met some other locals along the way! They may have been there for a few hundred years, including a damsel in dunce.

Greg at the top of the wooden tower. This marks the spot where the tower once was. They didn’t actually live in sticks.

Another peek at those to-die-for rooftops.

We didn’t eat out often, but we indulged once on a delicious four course lunch out at Chez Mimi for 15€ each. Melon soup, Mandy’s goat cheese main course (seriously?), Greg’s steak and frites and a creme de caramel dessert.

When we weren’t eating out, we were eating just as healthy at home. In fact, if you’ve ever wanted to try potato taffy, head to the Aveyron region so you can stick your fork in some Aligot…a fondue-like dish made from cheese which is blended into mashed potatoes. End result….a creamy, heavy, stringy and piping hot pile of deliciousness. Et…oui…we were nearly ready for our French detox.

Another part of Mur-de-Barrez that Greg got to appreciate was the trail network. Like many small towns and villages in rural France, a fantastic network of well marked and maintained long distance trails can be easily accessed from the town central square. Often these trails connect to others coming from all directions, making it easy (and tempting!) to walk to just about anywhere in France or further afield.

In Mur-de-Barrez, a red trail (GR 465) conveniently branches out northward to the nearby village of Raulhac or southwest to Taussac. Greg took a day each to venture on foot to explore the trails using our friendly Mapy.cz app.

We’ll undoubtedly be back. Mur-de-Barrez is the kind of gem meant for multiple returns.