Spent some time yesterday doing a spot of research in the towns funeral parlours.
Burying people is a business and you'd think it would be easy to find out what it cost. The first I visited, in the square, seemed amazed that I was asking questions. They either buried you or burnt you; which did I want? I said that depended on the cost. That in turn depends on many factors, non of which he was apparently willing to talk about. It could be that their head office in Couiza had a list of services but all he'd say was that a mid-range prospective maybe all-in funeral was a 100 short of 5 grand.*
The next, opposite le chapaire, was more forthcoming and made me two devis, one for an inhumation and one for a cremation. She also let me look at pictures of coffins. They don't do basket, organic coffins and to get one made of woven leaf-stuff would be very expensive which was a surprise, having seen them in London funerals. The other main surprise was that it was cheaper to be buried than to be burnt - 3,734.46E for burning, 3,507.70 E for a burial (plus around 150E for the passage to the church if a ceremony is to be held).* And of course the price of the land in the cemetery.
*Approx prices, of course -
Off to the town hall to ask for about a burial plot in the cemetery. And here's the clincher; there aren't any. It's full. What's a body to do, then? I was told to ask around other communes, see if they have any room.
Time to advertise my book again, available on Amazon.fr or any Amazon platform. The trick, clearly, is to stay alive.
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