Cahors

Our second stop over during our Month in France in June was Cahors, a town known for its red wine.

Cahors sits on a loop in the River Lot and is surrounded by limestone hills. One of the 13 departments of the Occitanie region its history dates back to Roman times.

Our first evening we strolled along the Lot, caught a glimpse of the Pont Valentré and the Roman town walls.

The next morning on our walk into Cahors we passed the Barbican which protected the Barre Gate into the town. An impressive structure not least because of the staircase hidden in the open sided tower.

Cahors Cathedral, dedicated to Saint Étienne, is a national monument with Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Located in the city centre this Roman Catholic Cathedral was built in the 1100s with its facade renovated in the 1300s.

The portal entrance is a beautiful set of arches with rose designs. It is almost hidden in a small side street as is the entrance now used for visitors on the opposite side. The main doors below a stunning rose window face onto the open square but once inside these door are above the Cathedral floor and are reached by a wide staircase.

As we wandered round this beautiful building it was interesting to see the difference architectural influences, especially the Roman styles.

Inside was beautiful, not overwhelmingly decorated as some Roman Catholic churches are but in a dedicated artistic way. The wall panels were so intricately painted with the arched roof design leading to a stunning circular design.

It was quite bright inside but I managed to darken my camera to capture the beautiful windows.

We ventured through a small doorway and to our amazement discovered cloister. It was such a surprise as in the city there didn't seem any room for an outer courtyard. The Gothic style cloister was built in 1504, it was so peaceful.

After visiting the Cathedral we wandered to the edge of the city to look over the east loop of the Lot, back through Cahors streets and visited the indoor market with many food and wine sellers.

After lunch in one of the many bars and restaurants we walked to the west side of Cahors to the Pont Valentré, an important river crossing used by pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela.

The bridge with its six spans was built in the 14th Century. It took 70 years to build the bridge and to hurry the work along it is said that the foreman made a pact with the Devil who agreed to use his skills to speed up the work in return for the foreman's soul.

As the bridge was built on time to save his soul the foreman sent the Devil to collect water using a sieve. The Devil, realising he had been tricked, sent a demon each night to loosen the final stone in the central tower, thus ensuring the bridge was never finished and needed daily repairs.

However when the bridge was restored in 1878 a sculpture of an imp was put on the central tower, thus confusing the Devil who thinks the imp is doing his work. 

Cahors is an interesting city with a variety of historic buildings. Being a wine appellation there are quite a few Cahors wine bars and shops but to learn more it's probably better to visit one of the vineyards. 

It's a super stopover location, one we would use again if travelling south.

Loches

The first mini break of our French holiday was in Loches, a town we have visited before and always wanted to visit again. Nestled in the Indre-et-Loire Loches is actually a Royal City steeped in history.

Loches' history includes being fought over by the French and English in the 12th and 13th centuries, and being used as a state prison by Louis XI. Joan of Arc visited Loches in 1429 when she met Charles VII at the Royal Keep.

On our previous visit I had seen some riverside apartments, the perfect location for a stay. I was thrilled to discover they are Pierre et Vacances holiday accommodation and we booked a one bedroom apartment with beautiful riverside views which was ideal for our two night stay.

We were in the corner of this beautiful old water mill, although partly hidden by a lovely willow we had a super view of Loches.

To my absolute delight, when we awoke the next day to explore this citadel town, it's medieval castle keep and royal residence, the town was bustling as it was market day. 

It's been quite a few years since I've enjoyed wandering along French streets lined with market stalls. My home town Nuneaton has a street market twice a week, always a busy time but it's not quite the same feeling, especially as in France our coffee stop included a glass of wine!

High on the skyline of Loches is the medieval citadel and Royal keep. Fortified in the 6th century by 2km of walls it contains the Collegiale Saint-Ours dating back to the 11th century, the 15th century Royal Lodge, and a ruined fortress.

We had a lovely stroll around the outer walls. At times the walls towered above us, at others they were at road level and have been built on. There were some very ornate down pipes, I almost hoped it would rain to see the effect.

We didn't go in the chateau but we did visit the 

Collegiate Saint-Ours. The outer door arch shows signs of how ornate it had been in the past. Inside the walls were now plain but would have once been painted. It was a fairly small church with a very quiet and peaceful feel.

After our lengthy walk including the steep slopes to the church and keep we returned to the bar we visited earlier. A very different atmosphere to the busy market morning but the refreshments as good as before.

On our way through Loches I noticed an old well. A little further on there was a museum to Emmanual Lansyer, an unknown artist to me but very famous in France.

Emmanuel was born in 1835 and his father wanted him to become an architect but he pursued his love of painting. He exhibited at the Paris Salon and across Brittany and the Vendee. After his death in 1893 he left his artwork and house to the town of Loches where he is buried.

I was so surprised to see his painting of the well, it was nice to see how it used to look.

We had a great time in Loches, especially sitting on our terrace with a lovely bottle of Jules Larose Blanc de Blanc overlooking the town which looked amazing lit up.

 

Our month in France

A month in France... my kind of holiday especially as our son and daughter, along with their other halves were joining us for a week or so. 

After a slight change in our ferry plans due to French port strikes we arrived at one of my favourite overnight stops ... Honfleur.

I love strolling round the Vieux Port lined with restaurants and bars, everyone enjoying a bit of blue sky if still a bit nippy. 

In hindsight we should have eaten at one of the said restaurants as Honfleur is renowned for moules et frites and it turned out to be a long wait for this French must have meal. 

As we had eaten on the boat crossing over we decided to go buffet style in our room. Supplies purchased we enjoyed quite a spread in our Ibis hotel room, bringing back memories of many such meals with my late Dad and our children when they were small.

Hubby and I love a road trip, for me the route planning is as much fun as the holiday. We are never in a rush and happy to take the rue nationales instead of the toll autoroutes. Our first journey was through Normandy and on through the Loire, it's amazing to see how the house styles change from area to area.

For each of our mini breaks and days out I'll be writing a separate post, this post is an over view of our travels, highlighting our wine and food delights.

Our first mini break was in Loches in a Pierre and Vacances self catering apartment. Many years ago we visited Loches and I always wanted to return. Our ground floor apartment overlooked the town with a running river alongside, the building was once a water mill.

It was so relaxing on the terrace especially with a bottle of Jules Larose Blanc de Blanc demi-sec and a few Lays crisps.

After a few nights in Loches it was time to hit the road again. A long journey but made easier with a long stretch of the A20 being toll free. Again the houses and countryside changed as we drove past Limoges to Cahors.

Built on the meander loop of the Lot river Cahors is an Occitanie town known for its wine appellation. Surprisingly we did not visit many wine shops but we did enjoy a tasting at Quercy Saveurs Chai Marco discovering the wide variations of this wine appellation.

Cahors wine is predominantly Malbec but can also include Merlot and Tannat. From our tastings we chose a wine that had already caught my eye with it's quirky label. 'Mainentant ou jamais' produced by Chateau Ponzac means now or never which I think is a great name for a wine, it was delicious too.

We really enjoyed our two mini breaks as we journeyed to the South of France but we were really looking forward to our two weeks in our villa. After a very precarious journey through the Montange Noire, thankfully we didn't go that way again, we arrived in Felines Minervois.

Our villa was far more than we expected, lovely inside but especially outside. We had four large bedrooms, two were en-suite so plenty of room for all of us. The kitchen was well equipped for cooking for six with plenty of glassware for our wines and beers, even a range of plastic ones for by the pool.

The views were stunning and the stillness so relaxing. There was sound from neighbours and cars occassionally passing through the village but it was nothing like living in a town with constant traffic and train noise. I could have sat on the terrace for ever and I certainly miss being there.

Earlier this year I discovered a superb white sangria whilst on our cruise. It was made with Triple Sec which surprisingly I couldn't find in France. I altered the recipe and made it with vodka and orange strop... so delicious, there were many made during our time by the pool.

Our villa also had a Boulodome so Hubby and I got in a bit of practice before the others arrived, with refreshments of course

Our son and his girlfriend arrived first, we picked them up from Carcassonne airport. Unfortunately the first few days were quite wet but we still enjoyed days out.

We visited a Roman villa with amazing mosaic floors. Each room had a different design, beautiful artwork from so many years ago.

We did pop to a small harbour town but as the rain poured down we only stayed long enough for a quick photo.

Our village had a well stocked epicerie where a few days I ordered fresh croissants and baguettes. The locals all seemed to meet at the shop every morning for a coffee and a chat. The dogs joined in too, barking until the shop owner gave them some sausage. 

Whilst we were there the shop was painted so I have a before and after photo. I was just showing off my new bag from Olonzac market and trying to look French.

Our daughter and her husband joined us a few days later, they flew into Toulouse which was a little further away. The weather began to improve and brought with it more wildlife, this cricket was huge and we had to rescue it from the pool. 

The warmer, drier weather meant we could finally use the plancha, similar to a bbq but a flat plate heated by gas. Hubby soon had our dinner sizzling away, what a location for a bbq

One of our days out was a visit to Rennes-le-Chateau. It's a small hilltop village made famous by Berenger Sauniere, a poor priest who discovered a secret that made him very rich. He used the money to renovate the church, build a villa, an orangery and dominant tower over looking the valley below. Dan Brown based some of Da Vinci Code novel on his intriguing life. 

We have visited here before when our children were quite young, they enjoyed returning and sharing stories with their other halves. It is a little bit commercialised with many Rennes-le-Chateau products; we participated as tourists and bought a bottle of wine to bring home.

With the weather warming up and soon rising to the mid 30s the youngsters enjoyed a cooling off in the pool. Unfortunately there was only the ladder to get in and out so I didn't join them. Hubby and I looked after the beer and wine supplies along with poolside music choices.

The Boulodome being in the shade was very welcome for our petanque tournament. I'm not sure we played the correct rules and at times it became quite competitive but it was great fun.

Our two weeks passed in a flash. Our son and girlfriend flew back from Carcassonne and we dropped our daughter and son-in-law in Toulouse on our way back north. They went on to enjoy a mini break in the city joining in the rugby celebrations as Stade Toulousain won the Top 14. 

We travelled a little further north and stayed in Montauban. Of all our stops this was a bit disappointing but we did have a lovely time in the city centre. The Place Nationale had a wide choice of restaurants and bars, we had tapas in a Spanish bar followed by dessert and beer in an Irish bar whilst watching the Euro football. 

It was a lovely setting for morning coffee too with the central water feature changing from fountain to mist. As our day here was a Sunday it was very quiet, we did explore the city with it's medieval history but it isn't somewhere we'll visit again. 

Food is a big part of French life and we did enjoy a few French meals too whilst away. In a nearby village to our villa we had a set menu, my chouce was poke bowl starter, cuttle fish and prawn main with a delicious caramel pave dessert. 

Beer and wine is also a big part of enjoying a holiday, especially in France. We have enjoyed many refreshing beers in some lovely bars, always appreciated after a day sightseeing.

Our hotel, its location and food were a delight at our next overnight stay in Rocamadour. We stayed at a Logis Hotel instead of a travel chain, it was a lovely hotel with stunning views of the cliff hugging buildings of Rocamadour. 

Our meal was superb, accompanied by a delicious local rose wine. I didn't want my duck burger to end, Hubby felt the same with his confit duck. 

It was the only hotel we breakfasted at. There was a huge array of hams, cheeses, breads, pastries, yogurts and fruits. A super way to start our penultimate drive northwards.

Our travels nearly over we stayed one final night in the Loire just outside Blois. This was a travel break stop with the purpose of doing done wine and beer shopping the next morning before taking the overnight ferry back to England.

All our time in France in many cities, towns and villages I hadn't seen moules et frites on any menu, mainly because we stayed in country areas. Finally on our last night we did and they were well worth the wait. 

I also had one of my favourite desserts, floating island but wow it was huge, good job the meringue was fluffy and light.

Well what an amazing time, it was so so good to be all together in my favourite country. We had some superb days out and great times at our villa.

Hubby and I definitely enjoyed our road trip. It's been a few years since we travelled through France and this trip highlighted where we prefer to visit and which hotel chains we would stay with again. We certainly enjoyed being away for a longer time although it flew by.

Our journey home was from Le Havre, a port we haven't used before. Our ferry was also a new experience, still Brittany Ferries but their smaller ship Cotentin. My favourite ship is Normandie which we travelled out on, it's much bigger having three decks for eating, drinking and shopping. I was very pleased we booked an outward cabin even though it was a day crossing as the Normandie was very popular with school parties.

The Cotentin has just one deck with a small bar, a self-service restaurant and small lounge area, a lovely quiet crossing. It was a mixed pleasure to enjoy a glass of Sancerre as we set sail.

 

A trip to France isn't complete without a glass of Cellier des Dauphins. The mini bottles on board were perfect to take to our cabin as we settled in for our overnight sailing home.

Arriving home after a long journey from Portsmouth we had clocked over 2000 miles ... a superb time with fantastic memories made!