… ear to the river… is a geolocated soundwalk along the river Garbet at Aulus-les-Bains, available in situ or from anywhere else via the Echoes app.

DOWNSTREAM
It’s like a purring, like music.
Humans settle near rivers because they are a source of water.
The river is fantastic.
This sound of the river? It’s simply the Garbet.

TOWNSIDE
It used to be a mining site.
Then, people resettled around the church, which must be even older than the village.
There was only one solid house in those days. All the others were shepherds’ cabins.
So it’s really a shepherd town.
Water, in general terms, led to the spa.
And the most recent activity, let’s say during the 20th century, is fishing.
It’s a place with a lot of history.

UPSTREAM
As if you go elsewhere.
I’ve heard it in the hills, in the mountains over there.
There was a storm. It was loud, loud, loud, it was so high.
It’s like a small ocean, actually, that’s what I like about it.

MOUNTAINSIDE
Sparrows.
There are blackbirds, too.
There are two chickadees.
The owls, we hear them around 11:30 pm.
While walking through Aulus, I’ve come across some squirrels.
There are bears, sometimes, in the mountains.
Make sure you don’t run into a bear when you go up to the mountains.
I prefer to respect the fish in the water.
These fish… seeing them swim reassures me.