July 5, 2017

July 5, 2017

We had breakfast at Chateau Ladausse outdoors on the terrace. The weather is turning nicer as we move north.

This morning we drove up the Lot River valley to Cahors. It is an ancient town sitting on an easily defensible tight turn of the river. Its premier site is Pont Valentre, a medieval fortified bridge in excellent condition. The Middle Ages must have been terrifying. Virtually every town had to build significant defenses to protect themselves from their neighbors.

Our next stop is further upriver at St. Cirq Lapopie, another of the Most Beautiful Villages of France. The vertical town hugs the steep cliff-side of the Lot. We parked at the top and walked down through the narrow lanes. The town is amazingly well preserved. Virtually every building looks medieval. And the river views are just as outstanding.

The downside of visiting a town hugging a cliff-lined river is getting away. Our one lane exit route hugs the river edge and crosses the narrowest bridge I have ever driven. From St Cirq we drive a short distance north to Pech Merle. We signed up for a guided tour of this cave a month ago. We are an hour early and the museum is closed for lunch so Aimee and I have to sit tight.

We normally aren’t into cave tours but the ones in this area are special. They contain amazing art by Cro-Magnon humans that inhabited France 25,000 years ago. I can’t imagine a Stone Age human wandering down a dark narrow cave let alone painting pictures far from the entrance. Two art panels stand out. One displays a black line drawing of horses, oxen, and mammoths. The second is of two horses with colorful spots. What is even more incredible is that the paintings exhibit real talent. These aren’t stick figure drawings; they remind me of the Impressionist art we saw yesterday with Toulouse-Latrec.

Our next destination is the Dordogne River valley. The journey turns out to be a drive from hell. It was 90 minutes of one lane winding roads. I have two GPS units going simultaneously. I needed both to avoid narrow cliff-huggers. We eventually made it to the Dordogne River and our home for the next three days in La Roque Gageac.