Intense questioning in the rue Tête de bœuf, in the heart of Draguignan.
“Is that this way? What number are we on here?”
Gaétan, 11, and his older sister, Amélie, 13, try to find their way.
The two young tourists, from Seine-et-Marne, take part in a fun course set up by the town hall and the Var orienteering committee.
Equipped with a map of the city center, they must match dots with photos on the back of the sheet.
“Only fifteen minutes and our family is already lost”, laughs Olivier, the dad.
A little behind, he happily follows his children, with Florence, his wife.
“It’s nice. It allows you to wander around the center. It gives them a goal. Otherwise, the children would never have agreed to walk so long.”, he explains.
This Monday morning, around forty children, the vast majority of whom come from the Marie-Curie leisure center, are participating in the activity.
“The objective is to make discover the city, including to its inhabitants. We are working on priority districts. In Draguignan it is the city center”, explains Raphaël Pham, who is an employee of the Var orienteering committee and welcomed Monday at the start of the course, in front of the porch of the Joseph Collomp center.
Reclaiming the city
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photo">The Porte Aiguières, vestige of the medieval ramparts.Photo by Philippe Arnassan.
Anyone can come, without a reservation.
The operation will also continue every Monday morning, until the end of summer, before resuming more sporadically at the start of the school year.
“Participants are asked to show us places they found beautiful or interesting, and which are not part of the program, explains Raphaël Pham; from this feedback, we build new courses. It is also a way of reclaiming the city. “.
The children are delighted.
“It’s great, although I would have liked to do it while running”, smiles Juliette, surrounded by her friends, all come with the airy center.
Several routes available
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The children of the day center try to recognize the sites and monuments printed on the back of the map.Photo by Philippe Arnassan.
There are about ten of them busy around the map.
“We are taking advantage of being able to go out, because the Covid-19 has somewhat limited activities”, rejoices Camille, animator at the Marie-Curie leisure center.
In about twenty minutes the group had found all the points on the map.
“It’s a bit of cheating, we made them do almost the same, for a treasure hunt, last week”, confides Camille.
But once the group has returned to the starting point, Raphaël Pham has the solution.
“We have several courses, we are going to give them a more difficult one!”
Immediate reaction of one of the children: “There, it will heat up!”
Know + Free course and without reservation. Every Monday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. until August 30. Departure from the porch of the annexed town hall, Place René Cassin.
