Initiative #2 : Anères and its Café du Village (France)

I would never have thought, when I sent a message to Françoise on Warmshower at the last minute, that my path would stop in a village like Anères. Lost in the middle of the Hautes Pyrénées, not far from Lannemezan, it is a small village, very quiet, bordered by the Neste. While waiting for Francoise to arrive, she advised us to go and have a drink at the Café du Village. Once the van is parked, we discover a colourful place, where the pig is king, and where the consumer, by the simple fact of paying his drink in one of the piggy banks, becomes a member and volunteer of the association.

As you will have understood, the Café du Village is an associative café, managed by Remue-méninges. Here, everyone pays a free price, according to their consumption, their pleasure and their means. The Café is composed of an outdoor courtyard, a sheltered area and a courtyard quarry, where there is a dry toilet. Over a hot chocolate and a local beer, we discover that Françoise is one of the founders of this place, and that this village hosts an original event every year: the Festival d'Anères, silent film and talking piano, and this since 1998! Initially small in scale, this festival, unique in its kind, has acquired a national and international reputation over the years. In 20 years, more than 400 silent films have been shown. It should be noted, however, that Anères is a very small village with barely 180 inhabitants. Through their will and joie de vivre, the volunteers transform this village to make it more alive than ever for these few days. I was very impressed by the commitment of the people we met that day in the Café, and by the atmosphere full of joyful memories that this place gave off. If the wind blows you to the Hautes-Pyrénées, I strongly advise you to visit this charming little village and its Café. Thanks again to Françoise and Angélique for their welcome and their kindness!

To know more about the Café du Village and Remue-méninges : https://remuemeningesaneres.org/

Learn more about the silent film festival : : http://www.festival-aneres.fr/