Letter from France: A time tunnel named Cluny {Gadling}

Jun 23rd 2010 7:56AM As a person who has been a voyager around the world and has read endless travel logs and blogs with all sorts of nonsense...I must say that this piece on Southern Burgundy and Cluny is beautifully written and optimistically (or realistically) portrays the pluses and minuses of this region and the town itself. Yet it makes the reader want to come and "check it out" for themselves without any excessive "hype".

The evolution and demographics of rural and small town France is what it is and the author seems to be able to keep his own sense of dignity about the reality of the changes underway and yet try and encourage the reader to be more "imaginative" in the way they look at any street, any shop that is struggling against the rise of national/global food chains, etc...to imagine what might be there behind that facade or that decrepit door.

Cluny, for me, comes together at the top of that "Cheese" Tower he talks about in this article...there you need little imagination indeed and can let your mind soar on "what once was" when monks roamed and the townsfolk were still content with their lot in life and the money the monks brought into the town from pilgrims and curiosity-seekers from all corners of Christendom.

Eric the World-Weary-Traveler