Street Art in Beauvoisin

Since my earliest childhood, I have been hiking. I love it. Andreas fortunately too. On my big adventure trips, I was a lot on foot. Whether on Mount Kenya, through the steppes and deserts of Mongolia, among thousands of mosquitoes in the Amazon and, of course, in the Swiss mountains. Hiking frees the soul and opens my mind.
Our new home Vauvert and surroundings offers ideal conditions all year round. The terrain is also perfect for all people having had a knee or hip surgery to which we also count. It is hardly a height meter to overcome. No annoying descents with wobbly knees. Perfect for us and certainly for many of our future Envie de Sud guests.

Today I go on my own. I start directly from our door. I plan to walk a little along the Way of St. James. Vauvert is an area on the pilgrimage route Via Tolosana. I decide to go a bit in the opposite direction. I am not really pilgrim. My plan: walk through the Costières de Nîmes to the Franquevaux hamlet and from there follow the Canal de Rhône à Sète to Gallician and further on the Voie Verte back to Vauvert. In my estimation, this is about 20 km.
The only 80 meters of altitude, I pass immediately behind our house and I am already on the plateau of the Costières de Nîmes. Wonderful views. I am marching forward. I see the Pic St. Loup and the silhouette of the Cevennes. In the other direction, the concrete pyramids of La Grande Motte. On clear days in  winter times, you can see the Alps.
The vines become denser every day. I wander and wander. The sun is shining and my drinking bottle is getting lighter. It has long been clear that I have to adapt my hiking destination. No wonder. I have taken the liberty to ignore the signs. My stomach tells me that everything is fine. A premonition is in the air. I will immediately experience something unexpected. My instinct. When I see the village sign Beauvoisin a short time later, I am surprised. I am only about 5 km from the Envie de Sud in airline, but I walked almost 3 hours. Apparently zigzagged.

And then, the surprise emerges. Right at the village entrance, small stamp-like graffiti on the doorways of the house struck me. The motifs show typical symbols of the environment. A bull, a flamingo, a rider on a horse, an Arlésienne. They are always monochrome in red, black, green or blue. They all also wear a date. 2002. 1985. 2012. And the letters VLJ. According to the age, the pictures and letters are faded. I discover more and more motifs and now I want to know what it is all about. My neighbor Michel, with his 87 years, is a living history book and knows immediately what I am talking about while visiting him later.
Empègues are the names of these graffitis. They date far back. At the window of the “Les Aubades” restaurant, there is one of 1894. I will go back again. At the beginning of the 20th century, the young men celebrated this custom before entering the military service. Today it still lives. The military service as such is no longer there. But the custom still wants to be celebrated and also the girls join today. The letter VLJ means “Vive la Jeunesse. Long live the youth.” The boys who reach the adult age gather together a few days before the local fête votive and go from door to door to make a punt for the upcoming party or sell pastry. The grateful owners of the house receive a nice reception to the wall of the house. “The ones who have many, prove that they are generous. Visible to everyone. That is important.” Michel summarizes laughing.
Also in other places of the Petite Camargue this custom is visible. “In Vauvert, the classic empègues have been replaced by colorful stickers,” Michel explains. Some homeowners worry about the image of their façade and so the “Mairie” decided so a few years ago. “It’s a pity, as a big street art fan, the classic Empègues would be much better,” I say to Michel.
The season of fête votive in all places of the environment begins in mid-June. Every weekend, party is ongoing somewhere. Or in this case the bull. In summary, the traditional summer festival with local customs around bull and horse, music, dance, market and quite a lot of rosé. In Vauvert, this highlight of social life will take place from 12 to 20 August 2017.
Do not miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture. We look forward seeing you.
Sincerely
Ursula & Andreas