|
Welcome Activities About Us Photo Gallery Conditions LargerMap Contact Our Ethos Booking Publications/Links Testemonials paintAdvert
Our EthosOur VillageLavardac is a timeless village. Although not far from the Dordogne, it is not yet on the tourist trail, which is a good thing for those of us looking for a calm and picturesque place, but not so good for local people, who are struggling to maintain their economic independance.Employment is scarce, especially since the "Lavardacais" doesn't like working outside the village.The "Lavardacais" are Gascons home to the original mousquetaires, jolly and always ready to organise festivities, with music, fancy dress and good wine. A great number of villagers are involved in voluntary work, through running committes, some double as firemen too. Everyone works tirelessly to maintain the village. I can think of three festivities which come back every summer.The International Championship of bottle openersInternational by name, although, only Lavardacais participate. It is set up at the Cafe des Sport, you have four men lining up, in front of a row of wine bottles, surrounded and cheered by the whole village. On the whistle start, each one of them races to open the most bottles. Later on in the evening, one of them will be presented with the trophy.St Mary' s Parade 15th of AugustThe statue of the Virgin is carried from the city hall to the river, a few hundred yards away. In the last few years for some strange reason, we have an addition to the parade of three brazilian dancers (in their g.strings). Most peculiar, if you can visualise the samba dancers, the father, the statue of the Virgin Mary, followed by everyone dressed in Mediaeval and sometimes Star Trek costumes. Marvellous with all dance to the samba music to the river where it ends in a beautifull firework on the water.Last but not least,every year on the first weekend of October, the whole village dresses up in country western outfits, from the youngest to the oldest, and I have even spotted a couple of pets with their cowboys scarves. For three days, the village lives to the "country western" beat.When they are not celebrating, the villagers life is quiet, which brings me to talk about the importance that Le Centre - a member of Responsible Travel Agency, places in working in harmony socially and ecologically speaking.The social aspect is one with the ecological balance. At Le Centre everyone is very special. Working with the environment begins by working in our heart with respect and care of each other. Being unpleasant to someone is like leaving a greasy paper on a beautifull lawn.I am big on noise pollution - there is no T.V or radio, everyone is required to give a rest to their mobile phone, or use it outside.When I arrived in the village six years ago, I received an invitation to visit Monsieur le Maire. Everyone knows everybody else, wonderfull to live on a human scale. I know Boris couldn't do it. His concern was the preservation of the 'village peace'. At first, people were nervous of the type of visitors Le Centre was going to attract to the village.We use local produce - I had to relearn what is in season and what's not. Asking for a melon once, I was told "but they have just been seeded." I will know better next time. I always buy at the market, from elderly people who brings their garden' produce. Fruits and vegetables always come in a weird shapes, gone is the cartoonish aspect of the Tesco carrot.Visitors bring so much needed trade, be it in the shops or restaurants.The house is maintained by local tradesmen, I wouldn't dream of calling someone from another village. The good part of being a small community, is that you never have a cowboy builder, each artisan will give you their best, and maintain their reputation.The house doesn't use much energy, being closed in the winter months. Double flush toilets and showers keep the water comsumption low. It's not a hotel so guests are in charge of their room. A village lady helps with cooking and cleaning. Sheets are changed weekly, the laundry is done by the dry cleaner in the village. She has an industrial machine which uses less energy and water than if I were going to wash it in my small machine at home.We do a couple of trips to the recycling booths, which are within walking distance - a good excuse to stop at the Cafe on the way back.We encourage travellers to save energy, we use ecologically friendly products.Our group is of maximum ten people, so we also feel that it is on a human scale. I admire the villagers in Lavardac, trying to preserve a way of life at all cost. I wonder whether we should all downsize, for a better life. "Probably not," the finance expert will say, that "this microcosm model wouldn't work on a worldwide scale !" I know, that in a conversation on this topic, I would probably agree and cave in, because I wouldn't be able to back up my argument, with sufficient international financial knowledge. But secretly, I still wonde, and believe that living on a human scale would make us happier.Jocelyne. About Us Le Centre (Le Centre Centres Around You) Our Ethos This website was created using MAGIX Website Maker You will need the current version of Adobe Flash Player to view it. Further information can be found at magix.info - the Multimedia Knowledge Community by MAGIX, the market leader for music, photo, and video software. |