Cahors…

Today dawned bright and sunny, clear blue skies and a forecast for temperatures of 23’… love a tan but can’t be bothered sitting in the sun to get one!

First things first… the boulangerie, for fresh bread and croissants! The lady is English and Paul has his own story of their first meeting 😊. He uses his whole vocabulary to ask for bread etc, she launches into a whole explanation, in French, about croissants only to turn around and realise he speaks English!!!!

Then there was the laundry…. we have a washing machine here and a drier, but not all our clothes go in the drier! No line, air drier, radiators…. anyway, let’s get it washed first!!

Washing done and hung over the back of chairs we hit the road, roof down, for Cahors. The guide books have been very split on the town… you have to see it; you have to see the bridge; you can give it a miss!

On the way we pass two memorials….

The first was a memorial to the Resistance – I think this is a fancinating time and wonder in every village we pass what their involvement was in the war. Read more here… http://archives.quercy.net/qhistorique/resistance/index.html

Not much further up the road was a statue to the 3rd Millénaire and a huge concrete structure which is full of artifacts of Lot society through the years. A celebration to the year 2000. It sits on a triangle formed by the national 20, the highway of the same name and the ancient Roman road. Some of the contents brought a smile to us.

And then on to Cahors…
Cahors is a town on the Lot river in the Occitanie region of southern France. It’s known for its deep red wine, elaborate municipal gardens and the Pont Valentré, a medieval bridge with 3 towers. The old town features half-timbered houses and narrow alleyways. Imposing Cathédrale St-Étienne (Cahors Cathedral) was built in Gothic and Romanesque styles, with large domes and centuries-old frescoes.

I wasn’t that fussed on it!!! It just lacked something…. The Old Town wasn’t as pretty as some we have experienced the last few weeks. The River Lot was nice and we got to watch a boat through a lock!! Lunch was good…. It wouldn’t be top of my list to revisit in this area.

River Lot

The most famous landmark in Cahors is the Pont Valentré, a 14th century six-span fortified stone arch bridge crossing the river Lot. It took 70 years to build!

In local folklore it is said that the foreman, exasperated by the slow pace of the work, signed a pact with the Devil. In the pact the Devil promised to use his skills expedite the work and, if he carries out all of the foreman’s orders, then his (the foreman’s) soul would be forfeit.

Having seen the bridge built on time, the foreman regrets his decision and issues a final order to the devil to go and collect water for the other workers using a sieve. In revenge for having been tricked, the Devil sends a demon each night to loosen the final stone in the central tower (known as the Devil’s Tower) to ensure that the bridge is never finished and must be repaired each day

During the restoration of the bridge in 1879, the architect Paul Gout inserted a stone bearing the sculpted image of an imp into the central tower. As a result, according to the updated legend, every time the Devil checks to see that his vandalism has been carried out he is confused into thinking that the stone image is one of his demons tasked with dismantling the bridge..

 

The Lot is one of the longest canalised rivers in France. Navigation extended over a distance of no less than 260km from the Garonne at Nicole (near Aiguillon) to the village of Livinhac, a few kilometres from the industrial centre of Decazeville.

Like all the other river navigations in south-west France, the Lot was abandoned following the decline in commercial traffic due to railway competition. The river was removed from the list of navigable waterways in 1926.

Its revival as a cruising waterway has been one of the most spectacular devel­opments on French waterways, starting in 1985. A first 64 km length of the river was restored in 1990, from Luzech to Crégols. This section, centred on the town of Cahors, was a great success as a cruising holiday destination, despite some difficulties due to the river’s capricious flow. We were in our element watching a cruiser go through the lock – reminded us of the 120+ last year on the Avon & Somerset canal!!!

 

The cathedral in Cahors dates to the 11th century though it has undergone modifications over the centuries. Its design combines that from the late Romanesque period with the Gothic. It has two large Byzantine domes, over 30 metres in height, above the nave which contain original 14th century frescoes.

 

Also at the Cathedral we came upon this bronze statue, L’Ange de Lazaret, rather grotesque but still fascinating.

 

I liked the Courts of Justice… Can’t find any history on it though!!

And every town has its… Hotel de Ville

The mechanical clock situated in the heart of the old town area of Cahors. This interesting time piece drops balls through a series of chutes and cogs making the mechanism go round and keep perfect time.

This is the first place that I was conscious of graffiti about the place. Firstly on some derilect buildings on the way in to the town and then in the streets and alleyways. It was very clear where we had lunch the efforts to remove it.

And since I’ve mentioned it…. Lunch was in Auberge du Vieux Cahors. Entrees, fois gras crème brûlée style and the most amazing fish terrine, followed by Maigret Cunard for one and pan fried hake with lime and herb butter served with garlic potatoes for the other… delicious!

And then it was back to the house to get the washing out in the sun! Result, had it dried in an hour and ironed while watching Pretty Woman…. the old movies are the best!

Move on tomorrow to Adriers and a poke about the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region as we continue on our journey.