France - The Road Trip Week One Aveyron and Lot and Dordogne

Our road trip began in Beziers on a holiday Monday (apparently Whit Monday. who knew?) which of course meant that our rental pick-up was delayed so we ended up leaving Beziers a little late but no worries as we were soon making good time with Lisa at the wheel. 

Our first stop was the fortified medieval village of La Couvertoirade where we wandered about for a bit  enjoying the medieval vibe and purchased some post cards and other goodies for Christos' growing craft pack. 

After that it was on to the lovely small city of Rodez which was pretty much as quiet as could be given that it was a holiday Monday. 

Sadly no postcards etc were purchased even though we could see some wonderful ones in a store that was closed but we did manage a tour of the one thing open, the lovely and amazing cathedral. 

We would end up seeing quite a few amazing cathedrals on our drive through France!

Then it was back on the road arriving at the charming cottage we would call home for the next two nights located just outside of the town of Entraygues-Sur-Truyere which is a bit off the tourist path and just what we love. 

It is a small town at the confluence of the Lot and Truyere rivers right on the border between the departments of Aveyron and Cantal. The town possesses a lovely medieval core as well as a beautiful stone pedestrian bridge from the middle ages.

We dined at the delightful Quai West on the riverside, wandered around the old town for a bit and then hopped back in the car for the five minute drive to our place for an evening of late night television and wine in the yard and the summer heat. Quite lovely. 

The next day we took it easy with a trip in to town, lunch at the Quai West, a short hike along the river after lunch (but my it was hot) and some shopping for dinner. We picked up a lovely piece of steak at Bax-Gombert as well as some veggies and salad fixings before heading back to our cottage for some laundry and relaxing. 

We finally had the chance to make our own dinner after more than two weeks and it was a simple but wonderful meal of steak and veggies on the grill accompanied by a hearty leafy salad stuffed with lots of veggie goodness. 

If you order salad in a restaurant in France it inevitably comes with more than lettuce and veggies; the French seem to think a salad lacks substance if not anchored in a protein like chicken or cheese. We prefer ours as big wonderful veggie feasts. 

After dinner it was another evening of summer heat, white wine and a little television in the yard. Some sort of giant June bug joined us for TV, landing on one of the unoccupied chairs, and we decided it was best not to bother it and live and let live as it were.

After our two day break near Entraygues-Sur-Truyere it was time to head to our next stop, a bed and breakfast near the village of Cajarc. Off we went after a hearty self-made breakfast of egg on toast,  something we had been missing since our arrival in France!

On the road, we stopped at the amazing Conques, an ancient pilgrim stop on the Camino, to visit the Abbey Church of Sainte Foye as well as the Treasury with its hoard of wonderful reliquaries and other religious objects. 

So much gold and so many precious gems, all to hold some old bones!

After Conques, it was lunch time so we stopped in the town of Figeac for a snack and a quick tour of the old medieval core of the place. 

Finally in the late afternoon we arrived at our place of refuge in the countryside and were heartily welcomed by the two Irish owners. 

Our suite was on the top floor of the old manor house with our bathroom in the round tower. Very spacious and lovely although Christos did have to be aware of the beams in some places.

On our hosts' recommendation, we had dinner in town at a local restaurant, Le Nauti'c which did quite a good steak frites! 

The next day it was off for a tour of the local area with a visit to the town of Villefranche-De-Rouergue where a lunch of chicken, bread and fruit was procured at the farmer's market followed by a trip to the lovely village of Najac for a cold beverage, a tour of the small local museum and then a hike up to visit the remains of the Royal Castle. 

The Abbaye is a secluded medieval place which was almost destroyed during the revolution but had been saved and protected as a historic monument in 1942 and recently converted into a modern art gallery as well as amazing event space (the main hall of the Abbaye was a cavernous, vaulted wonder). 

When we returned  we had the luxury of lounging under the awning in the garden and watching TV as the rain came down until late in the night. Unlike the previous night, we were th eonly guests staying at the B&B that night.

A few other tourists were there including an annoying Instagram family as well as a bevy of French school children so when the castle opened at 3PM we made sure to stagger our visit behind theirs.

The castle was well maintained and well presented. After paying our entry fee, we clambered up staircases, through various rooms with their information placards and down a "secret" passage from one area of the castle to another all the while enjoying the amazing views of the village and valley from various spots within the castle and on the ramparts. 

Najac is definitely worth the visit and a medieval France highlight for us.

After a good hour or so tour (and much money spent on postcards etc) we hiked back down to the village, hopped back in the car and, after a bit of meandering, popped in to visit the Abbaye De Beaulieu-En-Rouergue. 

We finally made it back to the B&B in the late afternoon after a very full and wonderful day of touring the countryside in the summer heat. 

We tried to eat at the same place as the night before but it was fully booked so we had to settle at the last minute for another local place that was not as good. C'est la vie. 

For our second day of touring we opted for a less onerous voyage so after a lazy morning we started with a drive to the nearby small village of Espagnac St Eulalie for lunch at a local restaurant that our hosts had suggested and which was quite lovely. 

After lunch we visited the prehistoric caves at Pech Merle which had been adorned with images of animals by our ancestors more than 20,000 years ago before being sealed up until rediscovery by a trio of children in 1922. 

Only small guided groups can go in and the tour is 45 minutes and no more as only a few people can be in the cave at any one time in order to preserve the paintings. Quite an amazing visit.

Our next stop was the quaint and charming village of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie  which is wonderful to visit albeit a bit overrun by tourists and a bit too filled with artist studios hawking various wares for our liking. 

We returned in the mid-afternoon to the B&B and relaxed a bit before having a dinner of home made duck with a big lovely side salad and vegetables, all served in the garden of the B&B as there were now four other guests (it being Friday night). 

The next morning it was time to depart and as our next stop was a VRBO with a grill, we also had the job of provisioning on the way. 

Fortunately, we had done our homework and determined that the town of Cahors was not only on our way and worth a visit but also hosted a Saturday farmers' market. 

We stocked up on provisions as we planned to self cater for the next three days and toured the town for a bit under cloudy skies, making sure not to miss the famous medieval bridge at Cahors, before hopping back in the car to continue our drive to our next stop, a VRBO in the countryside just outside of the charming town of Sarlat.

Our spot near Sarlat was small but lovely. The hosts were nearby in the main building, far enough away that we had our privacy but close enough that if we needed anything it was not far to go. The converted barn was cozy and had just enough space for the two of us while outside we had a lovely garden with a view out across a valley into the woods. Every evening we would hear the animals (mostly birds) of the woods call out their bedtime songs before it would suddenly become silent with the darkness of night.

It was also lovely to be fully provisioned for three days with yummy steak and other goodies. We certainly love French food but restaurants can be hit or miss and cooking for ourselves really is a pleasure so long as good ingredients can be sourced and good tools are at hand. The BBQ at the VRBO was of the simple round charcoal variety but perfect for our needs. 

After settling in and cooking a wonderful BBQ dinner, we enjoyed the coming of night woodland avian symphony before heading to bed once darkness had fallen.

Our first full day in the Dordogne was a Sunday and it was rainy. As such we opted for a relaxing day with no touring but rather laundry, TV on the laptop, crafting and dining. By mid afternoon it had cleared up a bit and we could hang our laundry to dry as well as enjoying some cold beverages in our garden patio. 

Dinner was once more meat on the BBQ and as always accompanied by a giant salad. The evening was listening to the dusk symphony of the woods before a little laptop TV before bed.

The next morning started with a homemade breakfast of egg on toast and coffee accompanied by fruit before heading out for a full day of touring. We visited Sarlat, famed for its foie gras (and geese) and picturesque medieval core where we dropped off a bunch of mail for friends back home before a wander through the charming, but very touristy, town. 

After Sarlat we toured a trio of Les Plus Beaux Villages De France; Domme, La Roque Gageac and Castelnaud, each offering a different tourist treat.

Domme is a wonderful example of a fortified town, or bastide, created by royal decree in the middle ages to serve as an extension of royal power. Situated high on a hill, it offers wonderful views of the surrounding territory from the town ramparts as well as a picturesque small medieval core (with few modern buildings). Quite charming and done in less than an hour. 

Next on the list and a short drive away was a twenty minute stop and stroll at the lovely riverside village of La Roque-Gageac although we did pass on a climb up to old troglodyte caves above the village. Quite a lovely place carved into the side of a cliff and with the river running by.

Finally it was another short drive to visit Castelnaud, another small cute medieval village looking over the river and complete with a wonderful castle to tour. We spent a good hour at the castle and a quick wander through the village.

After a full day of touring, we were back at the VRBO in the late afternoon to enjoy some relaxing, crafting and dinner before a good night's sleep.

After three nights in Dordogne, it was time to head to our next destination, a VRBO near the town of St Junien in the Haute-Vienne department. 

As it was a drive of only around two hours we opted for some touring on the way with a visit to the village and Abbaye de Saint-Amand-de-Coly where we explored the lovely church (odd interior with second level galleries), bought some vegetables from a local farmer at an "honour pay" table and also purchased a small stemmed bowl from a local artisan we have decided to use as a salt cellar back home (it stayed safely wrapped for the trip). 

Then it was off to tour some more with a visit to the Chateau De Hautefort which lasted more than an hour. The Chateau is a lovely 17th century building overlain on an older medieval castle (traces of which remain) that offers a good tour as well as an excellent history of the chateau from its heyday in the 17th century under the Marquis de Hautefort, a favourite of Louis XIV, the tragic fire of 1968 that almost destroyed it and up to the modern day as setting for films such as Ever After, while still remaining in private hands and serving as a private residence (well a portion of it anyway). 

Our third stop on the way was the memory center and village of Oradour-sur-Glane where a heinous WW2 massacre was committed by the Nazi SS. It was a poignant and emotionally charged visit. After about an hour at the remembrance site we finished our day of travel and touring, arriving at the small VRBO cottage we had booked for the next two nights.