Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from Lulu and Papa!

Photo taken at market in Prayssac, France. 

Fois Gras Market

This morning over breakfast, I asked the other couple staying at the bed and breakfast overnight about their plans for the day.  It seems they came to Lombez overnight from La Rochelle, to go to the fois gras market in Samatan, 2 km down the road.  Seemed a good idea for us to go too!  Samatan was teaming with vendors, everything from mattresses to fruits and vegetables to underwear to winter coats.  Thousands of people were at the market with their market baskets and everyone was buying all kinds of things.  We got apples, grapes, and more patisseries.

Across the river in Samatan, were two large market halls, so we went to check them out.  First we went in the hall with live chickens, ducks, pheasants, and other birds.  Farmers were trying to sell their animals, with everyone having a great time.  We walked all around, then outside to check out the other large hall.  Hundreds of people were gathering in front of the doorways, chatting, smiling, enjoying a beautiful morning.  At 10 a.m. sharp a whistle blew, the doors opened, and we all flowed inside.  There were thousands of dead, skinned geese (and ducks) everywhere, displayed in an orderly manner.  The farmers were making deals and the buyers would take their purchases to a scale, then to the checkout.  I've never seen anything like this fois gras market!

After a couple of hours at the fois gras market, we got back on the road south toward the Pyrenees.  We were so close that they were visible all day.  Rolling hills joined a large valley rolling up into the foothills of the Pyrenees.  Our first stop was at St. Bertrand de Comminges, with its cathedral and cloisters high on a hill.  We drove on to St. Gaudens for lunch.  It was such a beautiful day, we ate on the patio of a restaurant adjacent to the large centre ville cathedral.

Our next stop was in St. Lizier, where the cathedral was started in the 1100's with a beautiful cloister adjacent.  We walked to the top of the town to the Bishop's Palace for a terrific view of the Pyrenees.  We are staying in St. Girons, 1 km from St. Lizier.  We are staying in the Chateau de Beauregard, a former chateau turned hotel.  Tonight is their last night open until spring, so we have the chateau to ourselves.

Such a fun day we've had!  And we've experienced a fois gras market! 

Driving South

Tony served another wonderful breakfast at La Theroniere this morning.  We chatted for a bit, then got on the road by 10 a.m.  We drove south to Montcuq, where we walked through their Sunday market.  We bought four cannelles, our new favorite pastry.  A castle tower hovers over Montcuq, the only piece of the castle left after the rest was destroyed in 1229.  The countryside south of Montcuq is farmed with seasonal crops.

On to Auvillar, a pretty brick town with a triangular market square.  There is a round market hall in the center of the triangle.  A small local Sunday market was underway and it was obvious that most people knew each other.

Our next stop was in Lectoure, where we visited the cathedral, while so many people were out and about.  From there we drove through more rolling countryside punctuated with trees of gold and centuries old farmhouses.  Just beautiful!

On to Condom, with a beautiful cathedral and adjacent cloisters.  The cathedral was quite ornate.  The city is built of a cream colored stone with many wrought iron balconies. 

The next little town of Larresingle is fortified and seemed quite a tourist attraction, so we passed on.  We stopped in Montreal, a bastide town with an arcaded town square.  And we drove on, struck by all the farming and grape growing, with still more chateaux, beautifully built farm houses, and more churches and cathedrals than one can count.  We arrived in Lombez to spend the night at Le Parc de la Partrarque, a city house with large garden in back on the Rue de Notre Dame, just down the street from the large cathedral.  It's a solid well built home with so many nice features and beautiful furniture.  We've been lucky with our accommodations!

Walk in the Country

We woke up to a hearty breakfast served by Tony at La Theroniere.  He gave us quite specific directions for a walk nearby.  We took off with directions and camera in hand, up a hill, turn next to a house on the left, past a chateau... to a little chapel in the woods.  Then downhill, to the left, and on and on.  The sun started to peak through the fog of morning and the hillsides and fields covered in vineyards sparkled.  It was beautiful!

We drove to Cahors for their Saturday market, just as it was near to closing at noon.  We got in the longest line to pick up some lunch and had fresh pizza, then we picked up more pastries.  We discovered a little treat, cannelle, apple cakes that get crunchy on the outside with a moist morsel of apple inside.  Yum!  We peaked inside the old cathedral, St. Etienne, on the market square.  St. Etienne was built in the 10th century and had theater boxes.  Interesting.  We walked to Pont Velantre across the Lot and the most photographed bridge in France. 

We drove the long way back to La Theroniere, along the south side of the Lot, stopping in Luzech with it's ruined castle and 13th century eglise.  Then to Albas, high above the river.  We could hear a group of children and then we saw them briefly, marching down the street in Halloween costumes.  We hiked up to the cathedral and saw a man dressed as a witch, waiting for the children to come by for goodies.  It was a village party.

We stopped at Belaye, with it's castle ruin atop a hill.  Belaye has quite incredible views above a turn in the Lot, and vineyards as far as the eye can see.

Down below Belaye, we saw a castle ruin that intrigued us.  It's too far deteriorated for us to tackle, but what fun it would be! We found out from Tony that it was a Gestapo headquarters during WWII.

We came back to La Theroniere by 5 and enjoyed chatting with Tony and Caren over coffee.  It's interesting to hear their views about the state of the world.  Actually, quite close to ours.   

Bonaguil Again!

We stayed in a very nice bed and breakfast, Maison Delmas, overnight, with four poster bed in a very old town house in Puy L'Eveque.  We woke up to a hearty breakfast served in the sitting room.  Soon after, we left for Prayssac and it's Wednesday market.  Prayssac was humming!  We did our laundry at a lavarie and shopped in between loads.  We found a wonderful boulangerie on the corner and went back over and over!  We picked up croque monsieur and pastries for a picnic. 

On to Bonaguil!  We drove to Chateaux Bonaguil, about 30 km away and walked all around.  There were only a couple other people there, so we felt we had the chateaux to ourselves.  It is a fairytale chateau ruin.  We had our picnic and I reminisced about finding Bonaguil with Whitney 7 years ago.  So happy to visit a second time!

We next visited Monflanquin, a bastide town with a center market square.  There were photos from the late 1800's/early 1900's posted around town in the spots where the photos were taken.  It was quite fun to see how the same site looks in 2011 vs. 100 years ago. 

We drove through Villeneuve sur Lot to Pujols, a top of the hill town quite spiffed for visitors.  We continued our drove to Penne d'Agenais, another medieval hilltop city started by the Romans.  Richard the Lionheart built a large ornate Notre Dame on the very top of the hill, with a quite simple town around.  We hiked to the church and enjoyed the views all around. 

Much of the driving we've done has been on country roads, lined with trees festooned with leaves of red, gold, and orange.  Fall is a beautiful time of year to see so many historic places!

We came to La Theroniere for two nights, just outside Prayssac.  La Theroniere is a bed and breakfast run by British expats, Tony and Karen.  It is a former diplomat's home, built in the mid 1800's, and now surrounded by vineyards.  We walked about the property with Tony and chatted for some time over coffee.  Love this place!

More Castles and Chateaux

Papa and I left our B and B on the Dordogne this morning and drove about a mile past Castelnaud, high on a rock over the Dordogne.  We turned down a country lane and drove past Castle Fayrac, owned by a wealthy Texan, then to Milandes, formerly owned by Josephine Baker, an African American entertainer from the US who bought Chateau Milandes in 1945 and spent her life's fortune renovating it.  After she went broke, many people came to her aid, setting up a foundation to take care of the chateaux in the future and Josephine Baker went on to live with Princess Grace in Monaco for many years.

We drove to Belves and walked around.  It is a pretty little village, very quiet this morning.  We crossed the Dordogne and stopped at Limeuil, with steep streets, all torn up for sewer reconstruction.  We went on to Tremolat, a beautiful village nearby.  We stopped for gas and the attendant was anxious to use his English.  We walked around a bit, enjoying Tremolat.  There is a Le Relaix and Chateaux property in the center of the village.

Our next stop was in Cadouin, famous for it's abbey, started because a "shroud of Christ" was passed down in a family, then sold and got the attention of the Catholic Church which ordered an abbey built in Cadouin in the 1100's, to display it.  Pilgrims came to Cadouin for hundreds of years, until the 1960's when carbon dating was done on the "shroud" and it was determined to be from the 700's and Islamic, rather than Christian.  So much for the pilgrims!  We had a wonderful four course lunch in Cadouin. 

From Cadouin, we drove to nearby St. Avit Senieur, another 11th century abbey, this one built on Roman ruins.  Back on the road to Beaumont de Perigord, a cute town, then we stopped in Monpazier.  Monpazier was my favorite village thus far on the trip.  It is a bastide town, built in a square with all streets flowing out from the main square, a market square.  The surrounding buildings have vaulted and arched porches, so that shopkeepers sell their wares under the porches.  Monpazier is beautiful! 

Just down the road from Monpazier we stopped at Chateau de Biron, the largest chateau of the Dordogne region.  It is impressive!  It was built over several centuries, so the style of architecture changed somewhat.  Very interesting!  We are staying in a B and B in Puy L'Eveque tonight, quite nice with a four poster bed and large sitting room.  Papa has a hard time walking by patisseries without stopping, so we are having a snack of pastries from numerous stops throughout the day.  Having fun!

From Sarlat to Rocamadour

After breakfast this morning, we drove directly to Sarlat, to the Wednesday food market held in the medieval center.  Everything was presented in an artful, French way.  We tasted cheeses, macarons, and more.  We walked through the public gardens of Sarlat.  We liked Sarlat!  It is large enough that there is lots of commerce going on.  Soon we set off toward Rocamadour.  We drove through Carlux with a chateau being renovated, then to Chateau Fenelon which is well maintained and impressive.  We had lunch in Soulliac, and drove on to Martel, where we walked around the village.  Martel is beautiful and historic, with Charlemagne's grandfather, Charles Martel founding the city in the 700's.

Martel

Not far from Martel, as we were driving through the countryside, a huge castle appeared ahead of us.  We saw it for miles and tried unsuccessfully to drive directly to it.  The castle was Castelnau-Bretenoux, the oldest in the Dordogne, built of red stone on a bluff.  We drove through another village before we saw a sign pointing toward it.  We drove near it and took photos. 

Chateau de Castelnau - Bretenoux

When we got to St. Cere, we were in need of patisserie!  We found a patisserie open (not as easy as one might think!) and bought several sweets.  We visited the local office of tourism for maps and directions, then set off for Rocamadour.  We drove much of the day on single lane roads with colorful autumn leaves blowing in the wind.  Just beautiful!  We at last came to Rocamadour, a castle, cathedral, and village houses built on the side of a rock outcropping, appearing to hang on the rocks.  It was breathtaking!  Rocamadour is the 2nd most visited site in France after Mont Saint Michel.  Alas, we are visiting in October and no place is overrun by tourists.   We hiked around and were awed by all the work done on such a steep site so many hundreds of years ago. 

Rocamadour

It was late in the day as we drove away from Rocamadour, so we headed back toward our B and B on the Dordogne.  We made stops in Domme and La Roche Gageac.  We had a busy day!

Day 4, Deja' Vu

We woke up to a wonderful breakfast of freshly made crepes, fresh yogurt, bread, jams, and cafe au lait at La Bastide de Chapduil.  We ate with a Parisian couple and struggled with our broken French and their broken English.  After breakfast, we drove about 6 miles to Bordeilles and walked around the village with an ancient castle and chateau.  The morning was beautiful and it was nice to be out!

We drove from Bordeilles to Brantome and walked again along the river and by the abbey for a few photos with sunshine rather than rain (as we had the day before).  Brantome is almost too perfect, without even a leaf out of place.  On to Villars where we visited Chateau Puygilhem and Abbey de Boschaud.  The abbey is a ruin, open to the sky, built on Roman ruins, and now in a cornfield.  It is still majestic and beautiful in its odd setting.

We stopped in St. Jean de Cole and walked around the village, considered a Plus Beaux Village by France.  Renovations are being done on the large chateau in the village center, which sits on a river.  Another beautiful setting!  Then on to Excideuil, where we had a nice lunch of chicken and frites and picked up a patisserie for dessert.  A cold wind with dark clouds moved over us while we ate, and then we had rain over the next half hour or so.  The rain was pouring when we came to the village of Hautefort, with a large chateau in the center.  I took photos from the car, as it was too miserable to get out.  Soon, the rain passed and the sun was out again.  

We came to the town of Badefois d' Aris, with a chateau that was burned in 1944 after the Germans took the Count and imprisoned him.  Badefois is a pretty town with quite a sad story.  Our next stop was at St. Amand de Coly, with an ancient abbey.  It is a tiny hamlet, picture postcard perfect at the end of a lane.  We backtracked to the main road and drove through Sarlat to Vezac, where we have reservations at a bed and breakfast for two nights, on the Dordogne River. After checking in, we took the foot path along the river to Beynac Chateau.  Deja' Vu!  I came here 7 years ago with Whitney!  From the top of the Chateau, which is quite a climb, the view over the Dordogne River Valley is like a movie setting, with several castles in view, cultivated farm land, and autumn leaves ablaze.  Just beautiful! 

Loire Valley to Dronne River Valley

We had an incredible breakfast at Les Fontaines.  Marie outdid herself, serving fresh croissants, fresh bread with homemade jam, jambon and cheese, fresh fruit, fresh local apple juice, and more.  We left soon after breakfast to drive south, through Montreuil-Bellay, a pretty town with a large cathedral and chateau, then Thouars, with a 15th century chateau now used as a high school.  We drove to Parthenay and walked around the ancient chateau walls.  On to Melle where we walked around a bit and couldn't find anything open.  Everything was closed everywhere!  Banks, stores, patisseries!  Seems things are closed on Sundays and Mondays in France!  We drove on to Brantome, the Venice of the Perigord, where we walked around the ancient abbey.  Its a beautiful town on the Dronne River.  From Brantome, we drove to Bourdeilles, with a castle and a chateau, then got on a one lane road for miles to find our bed and breakfast.  La Bastide de Chapduil is remote and they are happy to have Americans, only their second American family in five years!  The owners served us coffee and cake, with almond pastry from her hometown, Aix-en-Provence.  We had cloudy, then rainy weather today.  We're hoping to get out and walk around more tomorrow.  Loving all the chateaux!