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Published: August 21st 2015
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Midi Pyrenees here we come, and the best way to get there is on the Peage! Our house swap is in the village of St Pierre Toirac about 4 hours from Bordeaux; along the way we stop in Brive and have a wonderful meal at the local Hotel, La Truffe Noire, and it's a find. As always 3 courses are better than 2, and this place has first class food, presentation and service! www.la-truffe-noire.com
Our hosts Giselle and Jacky are at the house to meet us and after a sharing a bottle of Rose they depart back to a village just outside of Albi where they live. The two bedroom cottage dates from the 16
th century and is charming; an added bonus it has Sky TV! The situation is perfect for our 10 day stay and will allow us to explore the Lot Valley and the many of the villages that hang from the side of cliffs.
We had been to Cahors in 2000, but don't remember walking over the fortified bridge. This time we do, and have the pictures to prove it. The town dates back
A Vendre Carjac
Caroline's favorite sign. to before the Romans and was built alongside a U-shaped bend in the river, again it's done for protection.. The fortified bridge was built in the 1300's around the time of the 100 years war, but the town was never occupied by the English. Cahors was also infamous for having bankers that charged interest on their loans. Usery (for you, Sue) was classed as a sin by the Church, therefore Cahors ranked right alongside Sodom in the eye of the Church. We walked all over the old quarter of Cahors before finally deciding on lunch. Lesson learned, have lunch early because all the good restaurants are full at 1.00pm
St Cirque La-Popie is built on the side of a cliff; it was obviously done for defensive reasons in times past. However, this does not deter the hordes of tourists that ascend to this village on a daily basis during the months of July and August. The village is built on a rocky outcrop about 100 meters above the river and is situated along the French pilgrimage route, Way of St James. Lessons learned, the best time to visit these Les Plus Beaux Villages
de France is before 10am in the morning.
Our next outing is to Rocamadour and around 1 ½ hours drive from St Pierre Toirac. Originally a village revered by pilgrims (all these villages have some kind of Christian pilgrimage connection). The Miracles of Our Lady of Rocamadour was written in 1172 and so the legend spread. The town also hangs from the side of a cliff above a tributary to the Dordogne river. We arrive shortly after 10am and think about the hike from carpark to the portal into town. Luckily for us there is a Petit Train ferrying tourists for the princely sum 7Euro for the two of us, return. Caroline and I take our seats and are soon walking the cobbled streets between the gift shops. All the tourists must have got up early, because this place is busy. We climb upwards through the town and eventually decide enough is enough, we're outta here! I do take the requisite photos from the other side of the valley as we make a hasty retreat.
To coincide with our Rocamadour excusion I had booked a lunch
at a one star Michelin Restaurant, Le Pont de l'Ouysee about 20 minutes up the road. An outstanding meal on a shaded veranda with a pastoral views across the valley. Definitely worth a visit if you are ever in this area. www.lepontdelouysse.com
Figeac for Saturday market, rather a dull, overcast day. But, we make the best of it and spend the morning perusing the goodies the outdoor market has to offer. Caroline makes a couple of purchases and we stock up on bread, fresh fruit and vegetables. The afternoon allows us to do something special and we visit a Foie Gras Farm. The tour is in French, it's free and very interesting, we are taken through the whole cycle from gosling to the final product and then, a tasting of three different pates. We purchase a tin of Foie Gras, a tin of pate and back to the cottage.
Sunday, August10. Our friends Ian Binks and Sue Royston from the UK are coming to stay for a couple of days. It's a rainy Sunday, so we dive to Bergerac, have lunch and pick them up at
3.15pm. Then, we slowly wend our way across the Dordogne valley back to St Pierre Toirac. Sue is staying with us, while Ian has found himself a rather nice bed and breakfast around 100 meters down the road.
Monday, 11 August. Roquefort, the champagne of the cheese world and a 100 minute drive. As the car passes a sign to Belcastel I murmur something about having some knowledge of this village. On through Rodez and finally across the Millau bridge we arrive in Roquefort. The first order of the day is lunch and then a tour of the caves, followed by a tasting. Only cheese in the Roquefort Valley can have the name, and the penicillinium now injected into the cheese is only found here. My thoughts are shattered, I had always imagined that the cheese was made by boutique cheese makers, however it's like the French equivalent of Fonterra.
Belcastel: all the way in I keep saying I know this village and yes, we had been there , a couple of years back when we visited Najac. A tour of the Plus Beau Village, a
beer and back in the car. We stop in Figeac for dinner before finally getting to bed around 11pm
Tuesday,the following day, is another long drive, only 90 minutes this time, but into the Dordogne Valley. Our first stop is Sarlat, the epicenter for Foie Gras. The place is packed - after all it's the height of summer, we spend several hours visiting before making our way to Les Eyzies. This town is the home of Font de Gaume cave and the 15,000 year old cave paintings, but we are not here to see them! A glass of wine and on to our real destination, Saint-Leon-Sur-Vezere. Chef, Nick Honeyman has a seasonal restaurant in this Plus Beau Village, which opens every summer for two months. Our party of four is slightly early for our dinner booking, but manage to spend time catching up with Chef William Lauder, a friend of ours. When we finally get to eat, the food is as good as the best we have tasted, beautifully cooked, presented and served. Our chef friend even sends out and added plate of Foie Gras for the table. Ian, who is closely linked
with restaurants in the UK is very impressed and has wonderful things to say. After, drinking 2 bottles of wine, we say our goodbyes and Caroline takes over duties as driver on the long and winding roads.
Wednesday, August 12 it's back to Bergerac to drop our friends at the airport for their 3.15 flight to Stansted.
August 13, It's been a wonderful 10 days, but our time in St Pierre Toirac is up, we drop the keys in at Gisella and Jacky on our way to Miradoux. Gisella has made a lovely lunch and we spend a pleasant two hours enjoying Champagne and home made pizzas.
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Ed
non-member comment
Geese beware!!
A frightening thought - Kev in the land of foie gras. Like putting a gazelle in with the crocodiles.