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LA CHATRE , about 60km southwest of Bourges, is dominated by the nineteenth-century novelist George Sand : every other place name is connected with her. The Musee George Sand et de la Vallee Noire , 71 rue Venose (daily: May, June & Sept 9am-noon & 2-7pm; July & Aug 9am-7pm; rest of year 9am-noon & 2-5pm; closed Jan; 20F/?3.05), dedicates a floor to the writer, with plenty of pictures, including George Sand's caricatures of her friends, a photo of Chopin, her son Maurice's illustrations for his mother's work and the doodles on her manuscripts. Apart from this, the town's most distinctive feature is the background noise of gentle tapping as competitors in the annual stone sculpture competition set to work each June. You can watch them at it and admire the results, which are displayed around the town. La Chatre's tourist office is on square George-Sand (daily 10am-12.30pm & 2-6pm; tel 02.54.48.22.64, fax 02.54.06.09.15). If you want to stay , try Le Paradis Breton , 4 rue Alphonse-Fleury (tel 02.54.48.02.87; under 160F/?24), a pleasant option with just five very cheap rooms. Le Lion d'Argent , 2 av Lion d'Argent (tel 02.54.48.11.69, www.hotel-lion-argent.com ; 220-300F/?34-46), is well equipped with a swimming pool and has bikes for rental; its restaurant (closed Sun out of season; menus from 75F/?11.43) serves generous helpings of traditional dishes and has a good wine selection. There's also a hostel by the River Indre on the east side of the town on rue du Moulin Borgnon (tel 02.54.06.00.55, fax 02.54.48.48.10; HI membership required), and a riverside campsite (tel 02.54.48.32.42; closed mid-Nov to mid-March) at Montgivray, 2.5km from La Chatre. The restaurant Jardin de la Poste , 10 rue Basse-Mouhet (tel 02.54.48.05.62; closed Sun evening, Mon & mid-Sept to Oct 5), should leave you feeling well satisfied for little more than 100F/?15.24.
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