AZERTY vs QWERTY with a Trio of Day Trips on the Side

FRENCH TYPING = Nightmare.

What’s wrong with this picture?

The French AZERTY keyboard.

OK. Look harder.

The QWERTY keyboard.

We Anglo-Saxons all just type away automatically on a QWERTY keyboard without even THINKING about the keys, unless you’re a “hunt and peck”-type. I mean, who has even looked at the keyboard since 9th grade typing class? (I know, it’s not called that anymore. I’m old.)

The French AZERTY keyboard is only used in France and Belgium. (Of course. Another WTF – “Welcome to France.”) The A and Q are switched, as are the Z and W, and the M is transferred to the end of the middle row, rather than at the end of the bottom. You also have to shift to use a period!

So, IN ADDITION TO HAVING TO READ and WRITE in a foreign language, mon mari also has to use a French keyboard at work! And a US keyboard at home. C’est horrible! That would make me absolutely nuts. Don’t know how he does it…that is SO HARD!

And from the travel journal –

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France is a coveted designation for villages that have been officially recognized as the most beautiful. I have a list – we’ll see how many we can see in our time here! In the last two months, we’ve been to Issoire, Charroux, and Chateau de Val in Lanobre.

So definitely put Charroux en Bourbonnais on your travel plan. Only 50 minutes away from Clermont Ferrand, it’s a tiny medieval village of 350 permanent residents, except in the summer when many artisans call it home.

Charroux is known among gastrophiles for their special and VERY POTENT mustard. This cobblestoned village should definitely be on your list of stops to make, but only with your most sturdy shoes!

Issoire, France – worth a visit to see one of the most remarkable Romanesque abbeys in France, built during the 12th century. St. Austremoine d’Auvergne is a beautiful abbey (both a monastery and a church). It has unusual astronomy carvings of the zodiac around the outside, as well as highly decorative columns and arches. A nice small town. With cheerleaders. WAIT. WHAT?

Coat of arms at Chateau de Villeneuve-Lembron, near Charroux

Hellfire and Brimstone depicted in a mural done in the 15th century (the gallery was closed at the time)

St. Austremoine of Issoire, depicted as a black saint

Yes, cheerleaders! France doesn’t have sports in the public schools at all – students are usually off on Wednesdays, which is the day for club sports, or music lessons, or dance activities, etc. But on that Saturday afternoon in Issoire, there was clearly a gaggle of mini-cheerleaders, pom poms and all, going down the street!

And although the Chateau de Val in Labobre isn’t on the list of Les Plus Villages, it did make a nice mid-week day trip! You may have already seen some of these, but worth repeating.