We continue to wander the French countryside from Larche near Brive-la-Gaillarde to Rodez

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The day is starting out with a thick fog which is probably made worse by the large lake below where our cabin is located.And there is absolutely no wind to blow the fog away so we will hope that once we get on the road and away from the water the fog may lift.
The road away from Larche wanders through a mix of empty farmland and forest for a good distance until we crossed over the top of A20 which runs from Paris to Barcelona.
We then went onto the D840 and took a break in Martel,another medieval town with a large church dominating the skyline.The church wasn't that intricate inside although the way the statues of Jesus on the Cross and St Bernadette were lit up were eye catching.The buildings in the town had been well preserved.There was a small market going on in the square and the locals gave us a sideways look as we suppose we looked a bit out of place.We haven't really noticed locals looking at us in other places we have stopped and taken the camera and video out.It was then onto the D703 and through Vayrac and Bretenoux where we came across another sizeable river,the Cere,which eventually took us onto the St- Cere where there was a market in progress.As it was lunchtime we took a break and after parking OO a good distance from the square we walked back to the boulangerie we had spotted on the way in.
We also brought our dinner for tonight here from the charcuterie (sort of a butcher/deli).We will be dining on a pastry filled with escargot(snails),another pastry with scallops and a piece of rather delicious fish in a white sauce.It all looks very local so we divvy it up so we both to get to try the local flavours.We figured out that if we try snails with some pastry then the taste may be somewhat muted although we have no idea what to expect or know whether the pastry is actually muting the flavour.
It’s not that you can’t buy escargot in NZ either from a deli or have them from a menu in a French style restaurant but at least we will know that here in France they will be fresh.
The market was in the process of closing up as it was now after 12.30pm and the locals had deserted it to go back to their homes to do whatever they do until life and business resumes in the mid to late afternoon.The market didn’t look that interesting as there didn’t seem to be much in the way of local produce and there were more than enough clothes stalls to satisfy the small population of the town.
By now the sun had broken through the fog thankfully and it actually warmed up quite nicely to nearly 20C as we headed further south on the D940 and the D840 to Figeac.
Above the medieval village of Aynac,which was located beside a river,stood a very majestic looking chateau dating back to the 12th century.It looked like it had either been very well maintained or restored from where we were on the road below it.We toyed with the idea of driving up to get a closer look but decided we had more potential places to see before we reached our destination and the afternoon was moving on.
After Figeac(notice how many of the towns and villages end in ‘eac’ or ‘rac’)we kept going south on the D922 and stopped in at Villeneuve,attracted by the tall tower at one of the village that stood out above every other building including the church spire.
The tower was built in 1486 as part of the wall that still surrounded the old town.To enter the town you had to pass through a portal in the tower which had a portcullis in place.It would not have been the original by the look of the state of the timber used in its construction but it’s presence made the entrance look original along with the cobbled streets.
We were again foiled by getting into the rather old looking church because it was undergoing some renovation work. But outside was a statue to Joan of Arc which had an inscription in French that seemed to refer to the presence of Joan of Arc in the town in 1053 when there was a monastery on the site now occupied by the church.
We had come down the D922 because we were drawn by a town called Villefranche-de-Rouergue,a name that sounded like it would have a lot of history surrounding it.
Well the town was a disappointment as it was actually larger and far more commercial than the size that was indicated in the road map/atlas and it may have had an old centre but it was not apparent from the direction signs as we passed through the town.
We were now on the run into Rodez and looking for our Balladins Hotel which we found and it turned out to be a Fasthotel with just a different name as the construction and layout and even the colour of the building was the same.
We had our daily trip to the supermarket for the few things we needed to keep us going and to add to tonight’s dinner.Supermarket shopping has been an experience and the huge variety of different choices is something else we have enjoyed in France.We did however stuff up in the supermarket again by getting in the lane that was reserved for cardholder customers only.And the cashiers are quite definite about it.If you don’t have a card then they cannot serve you and you have to pick up your goods and trudge off to join the longer queue at the non card check out.
Our dinner of escargot in pastry had quite an earthy taste although we guess we should have expected that.Perhaps it wasn’t the best way to get the true flavour and we might yet try them from their shells perhaps when we get to Paris and won’t have the microwave and will need to find a restaurant for the 4 nights we are there.The scallops and fish were tasty too!!
It has been another casual day cruising the countryside in very little traffic which has made it all the more pleasant taking in the sights of the medieval towns and villages,the churches,old walls etc etc.

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Comments

[anonymous]

This is a photograph of St. Therese of Liseaux not St. Bernadette

[Whiskers]

Sorry for the mistake
Sorry for the mistake