We will not know more about the origin of Duke Etienne’s name. “The boss got his old name back”whispers the waiter, before taking orders again. We’ll forgive him for his hasty reply: with the start of the university term, the foam pump at this pub, “Rock & Roll Beer since 1985”, according to the sign above the counter, is working at a brisk pace. Half a beer costs 3 euros and the terrace is packed. Located in the heart of Limoges, in the Boucherie district, a picturesque little corner full of cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, the Duc Etienne is an institution.
“Some of my college professors came here when they were high school students”explains Margaux Fujol, 24, a recent graduate of a master’s degree in language sciences. “It’s a left-wing bar, cheap, very welcoming. Right-wing youngsters often go to Les Artistes; we were insulted there during the general elections. Metalheads meet at Arkange. I used to like Bernard, Nanar for close friends, but since the royalists got involved it’s less pleasant.”explains Jolann Metry, 19, a second-year undergraduate student with an access to health option and president of UNEF Limoges.
Speaking about the political mapping of Limoges’ departure points, the 19-year-old, originally from Bordeaux, chose to do his higher studies in Limoges for his prizes. For several years, Limoges has been classified by UNEF as the cheapest student city in France, with a monthly cost of living of 1,011.75 euros, compared to 1,563.34 euros in Paris. Jolann Metry admits that he has long had bad prejudices about the city nicknamed “Sleeping Beauty” because of its phlegmatic character: “I imagined a boring place, lost in the diagonal of emptiness. It is quite the opposite.”
She mentions the various events that punctuate the life of the city – the Frairie des petits Ventres, a local food festival based on tripe, the Eclats d’émail jazz festival, the Urbaka street arts festival, etc. – and lists the nightlife and dance bars. Finally, she praises the taste of Bijou madeleines, an emblematic brand of cakes that can be found even in college vending machines: “It’s my breakfast.” For meals, it’s more like instant ramen. They’re totally underrated in my opinion. »
Between the merit scholarship, help from her parents and the APE, Jolann Metry has a monthly budget of about 600 euros and she manages, she says, “correctly. Nothing to do with my comrades who stayed in Bordeaux.” He stays in a 24 square metre studio for 400 euros, which he finds, he emphasises, very easily: “I visited five apartments in one day, the next day I made my choice and validated everything, I was even able to choose the date on which I wanted to start my rental contract. »
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