Les Allées Fénelon

Cahors could, one suspects, happily continue to watch the world go by. It's the capital city of one of the poorest départements of France, with a population of 20,000. But the cabal currently in power at la Mairie has decided to drag the city struggling into the 21st century. Various civic construction projects have been lauded in the glossy magazines dropped in the mailboxes of all residents, the latest being the construction of an underground parking garage in the centre of the city.

Les Allées Fénelon used to be a large central parking lot, almost entirely free. Now, at great expense, the site is to be converted to a parking garage underneath a new green space. There will be about 40 additional parking spots, but no free parking any more. None of the residents I have spoken to thinks this is a great idea (particularly as the entire parking lot will be out of action throughout 2006); cynics note that construction companies with connections to local government will no doubt do very well from the project. Maybe a few of the many local unemployed will benefit too.

At present, all we have is a huge hole in the ground. Archaeologists have been called in to document the discoveries: a 12th century fragment here, a 14th century fragment there. When you consider that there are Roman walls and arches casually standing around within the city, you might feel that this is simply time for a work break during cold weather.