This week brought a highlight -- my first overseas Thanksgiving celebration! I've been abroad once before for what is one of my favourite holidays, but this marked my first overseas celebration, pumpkin pie and all; And I didn't even have to bake the pie! For a bit more than a week now, I've been staying with a very welcoming family in the French Pyrenee mountain range, as part of a helpx exchange -- basically, I help out a few hours a day with gardening or other household tasks, in exchange for lodging and delicious meals. My hosts are both great cooks and Deb, the mom, was the pie baker -- see the lovely family pictured below, with our delicious pies showcased on the table.
Aside from being with the family, I've gone on a walks up the mountain each morning and managed a few other adventures. One day, I was wandering up a hill on the other side of the village of Bedeilhac and noticed a strong goat smell; I was thinking there must be a local farm producing goat cheese. But when I turned the next corner, I came across 8 or 10 giant goats with large curved horns -- one of the local groups of mountain goats.
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| A view of the village of Bedeilhac; I am staying just at the base of the hill known as Calames |
On another day, Deb was driving the two of us to a garden site she maintains just outside of the village, when I was surprised to notice a growing backlog of traffic on the usually quiet road. By the time there were 20 or more vehicles lined up facing us, and a similar number behind our car, I realized that the cause was a pack of cows! The cows hadn't gotten loose, though -- they were being carefully shepherded down the valley as part of the "transhumance", when livestock are moved from their summer feeding ground in the hills down into the valley to the winter pasture. A few animals did make us nervous by coming up on the very edge of the road beside Deb's vehicle, with one bull tapping the outside mirror with its horn. I witnessed the transhumance again in a neighbouring valley a few days later -- quite a spectacle!
Another highlight was my visit to the Grotte de Bedeilhac, a cave which features prehistoric cave paintings and drawings. It was an awe-striking experience. I was disappointed that I couldn't take pictures inside, but photographs likely wouldn't do it justice. Our guide, a passionate historian of perhaps seventy years of age, scrambled easily over the slippery limestone cave floor while regaling us with his strongly held views on archaeological debates. The paintings and drawings were quite striking -- many bison and horses. All of these have been dated going back to between 10,000 and 14,000 years ago. Beyond the prehistoric significance, the geology of the cave was amazing, too -- you can see the size of the cave mouth, but there were inner chambers even broader than this, with huge pillars formed by stalactites and stalagmites. In places, we had to crouch down while making our way by the light from our flashlights, while in other locations, the cave roof soared high above us. This is just one of the many limestone caves in southern France, and far from the most famous, but I was very impressed all the same!
Tomorrow, my travels will take me to the castle in the regional centre of Foix...
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