The houses in the village are being bought and renovated by local people rather than outsiders. The old ruin where Anja and I picked blackberries has been demolished and there are new bungalows on the site. The village primary school has a full intake and the happy sound of children’s voices in the playground can be heard throughout the village. There is a zebra crossing on the road outside the school – protection for the children, but somehow out of place across a road that has no pavements and only sees one or two vehicles an hour drive slowly past.
Down on the main road in the valley is some light industry, relieving the local economy’s complete reliance on farming. There is even a boulangerie for the workers. When I was there Marie-Jeanne baked her own bread, and other people depended on the bread van coming round every other day, with a limited selection of loaves. Now the Péguilhanais have only a twenty-minute walk or a five-minute drive to the boulangerie. Some workers from the factories come up to the Auberge for a hearty lunch. This is home-grown prosperity: their Gascon way of life will go on.
Revisiting the Auberge was the inspiration for me to begin exploring the rest of Gascony. I have travelled throughout the region since then, from the cirques of the Pyrenees to the wide, open beaches and Atlantic breakers of the côte d’argent; from the vineyards of Armagnac to the oyster beds of the Bassin d’Arcachon; from the plum orchards of the Agenais to the pine forests of the Landes. I have seen marsh shepherds walking on stilts and animal-friendly bullfights, where teams of people acrobatically dodge cows instead of bulls and no cows get hurt. They use the same cows year on year, and so the second or third time round the animals have wised up to the game. Throughout my travels, I have consistently chosen not to have my photo taken next to the road sign at Condom.
Some things are changing. In the Gers in central Gascony, British second-homers have found an alternative to Provence and the Dordogne and are buying up and restoring any ramshackle farmhouse, barn or cowshed the locals are happy to sell to them. In the larger markets, in Condom, Auch and Eauze, English voices are frequently heard. There’s a curious parallel between the current influx of home buyers from abroad looking for the good life in the sun, and the settlers in the Middle Ages who came from all over Europe to make new lives for themselves in the bastides.
There have been changes to farming as well. Sadly, the sheep have gone from the hills: they are no longer economically viable. On the other hand, more Gascon cows have been introduced in an attempt at re-establishing the breed. Profitable crops of maize now cover more land than ever. The vineyards are benefiting from greater investment and the wines are becoming known and appreciated farther afield. Even though two-thirds of all the Armagnac produced never leaves Gascony, more is now being exported, to the rest of France and abroad, bringing in revenue and broadening its appeal.
Of all the ancient provinces of France, Gascony is among those that have best preserved their distinctive traits and still have a recognisable face. Life there has a deep sense of coherence and civility. People come and go about their business quietly and steadily. Nothing is pretentious or contrived. The people know the value of balancing the exploitation of the land with the need to respect it. The houses, farmsteads, fields, trees, even the colour of the soil and the Gascon cows, all blend together naturally. The peaceful, gentle valleys convey a timeless, restful quality. At sunset in summer, the western sky turns melting shades of soft amber and purple. All seems settled and at ease with itself. This is a land where you have to remind yourself – if you want to – that the outside world exists. Like strong, tannic Madiran wine, the feeling for Gascony improves with keeping.
In London one time, with my head full of thoughts of Gascony, I called in at the Comptoir Gascon to buy some Madiran. They had a couple of bottles of vintage Château Vézac, from the very year I’d gone with Old Georges to see the vineyards. The wine seller assured me this was a good year, une très bonne année. How could I disagree? I bought a bottle to take home.
Opening the Madiran was like letting the genie out of the bottle. It was as if the essence of Gascony – the sights and smells, the characters and places – was contained in the wine. As I drank, I remembered the visit to Château Vézac, Old Georges, Monsieur Vézac and the barrel maker. Then I thought about the Auberge, the farm, Jacques-Henri, Marie-Jeanne, Paul, Bruno, Nicolas, Pattes and Anja. The smell of the soil, the colour of the earth, the shape of the hills, the golden sunshine, the warmth of the people, the noise of the bandas – all of them were condensed in the Madiran. Rich, full, fruity and mellow, the wine expressed my love for Gascony. I thought about the years that had passed and resolved to write down my experiences of that summer, lest I forget them for good.
SUMMER WORK IN GASCONY
For those interested in following in my footsteps, these are some useful websites:
• www.anpe.fr (French national employment agency with 600 regional offices, useful for grape-picking and other agricultural work, indicates times of harvests)
• www.apcon.nl (grape-picking work, Netherlands based)
• www.wwoof.org (organic farming organisation)
• www.agriplanete.com (stagiaire posts on farms throughout France)
• www.anjoumyrtilles.fr (soft fruit picking)
• www.soldive.fr (agricultural labour)
• www.lhotellerie.fr (jobs in hotel and catering)
• www.cidj.com (youth information centres)
• www.hennessy-cognac.com (employs English-speaking guides)
And a selection of books:
• Summer Jobs Abroad, edited by David Woodward & Victoria Pybus, updated annually, published by Vacation Work, distributed in USA by Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, Connecticut. General information, advice and direct contact details of potential employers arranged by sector. An updated version of the list on which the stagiaire posts at the Auberge in Péguilhan were first advertised, compiled by Vacation Work Ltd in Oxford.
• Live and Work in France, by Victoria Pybus, published by Vacation Work, fifth edition 2005, distributed in USA by Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, Connecticut. Comprehensive guide to life in France; useful cultural, legal and finance information.
• Studying and Working in France: A Student Guide, by Russell Cousins, Ron Hallmark & Ian Pickup, Manchester University Press, second edition, 2007. An overview for EU and US students.
The ability to communicate in French is an advantage.
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Can this relationship with Southern Italy possibly survive or will the sweet life turn sour?
Chris Harrison is a London-based journalist and English teacher. He has written for many publications, including the Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Courier Mail and Sports Illustrated. A keen sportsman, he is also a qualified aerobatics pilot. Head Over Heel is the winner of the Grollo Ruzzene Foundation Prize. Visit www.chrisharrisonwriting.com.
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A Summer In Gascony Page 20