The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
A place in the sun with mum
Diana Anyakwo travelled to the Auvergne with her mother looking for a dream B&B to buy – they failed, but did find something much better
In my 20s and early 30s I often went on holidays with my mum. This time has always been very special to me and it’s not until now that I realised why.
It hit me as I compiled photos for my mother’s funeral – there were so many old pictures of my family on holiday, beaming happily into the camera in various places… but someone is always missing – me.
I’m the youngest of four, with a big age gap between me and my three siblings. They often talk fondly of childhood holidays, whole summers spent in America, Switzerland, England and Ireland. It irks me that I was never part of this network of memories.
My parents had me late in life; Mum was 44 and Dad was 51. Mum was Irish and Dad Nigerian, and we lived in Lagos, Nigeria. My father was chronically ill and, a few years after I was born, his illness took over his life. There was no time or money for family holidays. It was later, when I had grown up and after my father had died, that Mum and I decided to explore the world together. It was a way of compensating for those lost holidays of my childhood. One of my favourites was our trip to the Auvergne.
At the time I had just turned 30, I had broken up with a long-term boyfriend, I hated my job, and felt an outsider in England. So Mum and I decided to go to France with the intention of buying a property to turn into a B&B. Neither of us had any experience in that field, but we had watched hundreds of episodes of A Place in the Sun, and, once we had fixed on the Auvergne as offering the best value, we made excited plans.
The first stop on our adventure was Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of the region. The gothic descriptions of the city on the tourist board website had appealed to me, particularly its magnificent twin-turreted cathedral that dates back to the 12th century.
As I stood before it in reality, I felt a shiver and I wondered if all the souls who had passed through its doors were somehow still there, their collective energy lingering in the air. We explored the old town, following winding pathways, and took in the elaborate flower arrangements in the town square, the pretty 18th-century
Sometimes you set out on one path and find yourself on another without even realising it
houses, the many fountains, carved from the same volcanic stone, featuring chubby-looking cherubs and animals.
Next stop was the Puy de Dôme, the highest volcano in the region. I remember our walk to the summit on a bright sunny day. The sky was a piercing shade of blue and the sunlight threw everything into sharp relief. An undulating green landscape stretched out below and the Massif Central mountain range rose up in front of us.
I still remember the feeling that came over me then, something I can only describe as intense joy. Like the great open expanse of the landscape, my body suddenly felt freer as though up until then everything inside that had been tightly coiled was released. I turned to look at Mum and she smiled and we felt on top of the world.
The following day we set off for Vichy, a spa town with grand palaces, pretty riverside parks, and healing spring water. Entering the lobby of our hotel, with its twinkling crystal chandelier, wood-panelled walls and deep red decorations, was like stepping back in time. I held my breath as the old-fashioned lift wheezed shakily upwards.
We spent the day strolling in the park by the Allier river. We came back and enjoyed a sumptuous dinner while listening to Edith Piaf on a gramophone, feeling totally pampered and relaxed.
It was the perfect ending to our little trip. We never did go in search of properties to buy. Instead, I think my mother focused on distracting me from my anxieties. I returned from that holiday feeling more hopeful and refreshed.
Sometimes you set out on one path and find yourself on another. Getting away from home had helped me put my world into perspective. And the memories still help – those holidays with my mum are what sustain me even now.
Chameleon,
My Life as a