Winding Down...

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Our trip is nearing the end. Tomorrow we will drive to Toulouse and spend the night to be ready for an early morning flight back home.

We have spent the past several days visiting more villages. Four days ago we visited Castelnau-M., a beautiful bastide town and had a great lunch at a cafe on the square. It is a very neat and tidy medieval village with all the shutters freshly painted. A lovely place.

Three days ago we visited the beautiful town of Sarlat. We enjoyed a great lunch on the patio by the street in glorious sunshine, the weather was spectacular. We met a British couple sitting next to us who were looking for a gite to buy in the area (our version of a B&B without the second B). They own another gite on the coast of southern France which works very well for them. We had an interesting talk about many subjects, including the current immigrant crisis and the possibility of the end of the EU, which they think is very likely. It was lovely day topped off with some fun shopping.

The day before yesterday we drove to Moissac and toured a very old abbey and church. We also had a near horrific car crash as a very aggressive driver from the rear in a 30 mph zone on the edge of town decided to pass going up a hill and around a curve. A split second later, a large tour bus was coming the other way. I had to slam on the brakes and he made it by millimeters. But after a long deep breath we mustered the strength to take a long walk along the Tarn river and then the adjacent canal where many private boats are moored. We walk quite a bit around each town which helps - somewhat - to counteract all the piggy eating ?

Earlier in the week we spent the afternoon we hiking Le Chemin de St. Jacques and found a pretty little pond along the way. It was another beautiful day with temperatures in the low 70s. We have been very lucky with the weather. Yesterday, it finally rained, which was actually in our favor as it gave us a reason to just sit at home and relax! Later in the afternoon, the sun came out and we walked for a few hours around the perimeter of the little community here. This is a big black truffle area and there are small fields of oak trees where the truffles are grown and harvested later in the season. They are sniffed out by dogs and then carefully raked up. They are incredibly expensive but loved by many. The other big item here - other than the ubiquitous wine, which is cheaper than soda - is duck and goose fois gras. It is everywhere. There were probably 5 fois gras shops on every block in Sarlat. One wonders how much they can all sell. I guess a lot!

So today is essentially our last day before we leave. It looks a little cloudy but we may take a short last trip of exploration and then pack. This has been a fabulous trip, carefully planned by Cameron. He made a list of all the places he thought would be interesting and worthy of interest and we have been to just about every one of them. The weather has been fabulous and our little "Fifi," our Fiat has literally gone above and beyond the call. We have now driven 3,300 km and still counting.

I think I finally have the hang of this blog, only to come to the end. I will post a few more pictures and then soon, we will see most of you in person. For my East Coast friends, perhaps you will visit someday soon!

A bientot. Xox

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Photos

Relaxing at our gite
The main building

Oh my!
Guess what Cameron is doing on the streets of Moissac!!

Enjoying Sarlat-la-Caneda
Cafes abound in every town

Comments

[Dave Nelson]

Thank you so much for sharing your trip. I enjoyed all of it.