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!
