A Week Living in the French Countryside Near Villefranche de Rouergue

My first true French countryside experience didn’t go exactly the way I imagined in my head. Summer dresses, lounging by the pool, getting my tan on, biking to the nearby village...that was what I was anticipating. To my unpleasant surprise, I was greeted with one of the rainiest and coldest summers in France’s recent history, which meant no lounging by the pool, no biking, and no cute outfits. I only brought a few t-shirts, one pair of leggings, and one hoodie - which is pretty much what I wore every single day that week. Tragedy!

Gorgeous country house in the southwest of France - when weather was actually pleasant!

I did try to make the best of it though!

On the few occasions that it was clear outside, we played petanque. Petanque is a traditional French game especially popular in the Southwest of France where players score by trying to throw metal balls closest to the snitch. Much more difficult than it sounds. Apparently it’s so popular, especially among the old people that there are petanque tournaments all over the various villages!

Another activity we often did is take a drive to a nearby town or village to have a walk afterwards. Something I’ve noticed this time around in France is that there is a beautiful place to explore, whether it’s an Medieval cathedral or village or chateau, 30 minutes from wherever you are in the country.

A town that we went to a few times during my week stay at the country house was Villefranche de Rouergue. It’s about 20 minutes from our country house and the largest town near the greater vicinity. We also did our COVID-19 PCR test there prior to coming back to Hong Kong [Traveling Hong Kong to and from France during COVID-19 Times].

Villefranche de Rouergue

Town Center of Villefrance de Rouergue in Aveyron Region of France

A commune in the Aveyron Region of France, Villefranche is a town with about 11,000 in population (tiny I know! But I think it’s considered big in that general area…) The town center consists of a beautiful square with medieval buildings and a large cross of Jesus Christ. The main building of this square is of course the Notre-Dame Collegiate Church. With construction beginning in 1260, the Church was 15th century.

The town center has a few major pedestrian streets branching out from the town square. It’s filled with cute shops of local products and mom-and-pop clothing stores.

Clock Tower of Notre-Dame Collegiate Church, Villefranche de Rouergue

Interior of Notre-Dame Collegiate Church of Villefranche de Rouergue

Spotted This Little Orange Tabby in Villefranche de Rouergue

A little further down, there is an adorable bridge across the l’Aveyron River, a branch of the Garrone, overlooking the hills of this beautiful town. I hear that every Bastille Day on July 14th, the town puts on a spectacular fireworks show from on top of the hill. While we were walking across the bridge, we spotted a few adventurous kayakers paddling down.

Bridge in Villefranche de Rouergue over the Aveyron River

Horseback Riding

My sister-in-law is an avid horseback rider so she hooked us up with the nearby horse farm to do a countryside ride. Even though I have ridden a few times before, I haven’t done horseback riding in probably more than 8 years! So I felt a bit anxious at first.

The farm was in a nearby village and the owner had a sweet 14 year old daughter who helped us set up the horses. We got our horse out from the field, brushed them, set the saddles on and headed off to a wooded area with a horse-riding trail.

I was assigned a gentle sweetheart named DaKa. He wasn’t very obedient at first as he stopped every few minutes on the ride to eat random greenery he saw everywhere, but towards the middle of the ride he listened to my commands and behaved very appropriately!

We mostly had a slow leisure ride with occasional trotting. The owner of the farm led us on the ride and her farm dog followed us on the entire trail for the whole hour! We even found some wild mushrooms along the ride.

Horse riding in the French countryside babay!! With my sweet DaKa ;)

Horse riding trail in the in the southwest of France countryside

Visiting Farm Animals Next Door

In addition to the horses, we had plenty of large livestock nearby as our neighbors, who happen to be extended relatives, are cattle farmers. Next to the swimming pool was a one week old baby calf with his mother!

Baby calf and his mommy next door to our country house

Playing with Cats

And of course, this week by the French countryside wouldn’t have been completely without some quality time with the two cats!

What a beautiful cat Moumou is! Starring into my soul with these sharp eyes…

Beautiful Moumou starring into the French countryside distance…

Food Food Food

French countryside food is the best food! Hearty, delicious, and the best ingredients. From the weekly markets with fresh produce to the locally made foie gras, terrine, sausages, cheeses, the list goes on! And how can I not mention the amazing local bakeries with some of the best freshly baked breads - not just baguettes but also sour doughs! And something that keeps floating back to my memory is the incredible raspberry tarte we had at Grandma’s house made by the local baker.

Confit de Conard // Duck Confit - my favorite! And this particular duck confit is the best I have EVER had

Aligot, southwest of France specialty. It’s basically a very cheesy mashed potatoes!

I’m starting to think that next time I need to do a detailed blog about just the food - its history, ways of preparation, and taste to do it true justice!

And hopefully next time I go, the weather would be as cooperating and beautiful as the first time I’ve ever visited! Until next time~

XOXO