Cabrerets Day #4 ……… a day trip to Saint Cirq Lapopie

October 12th

This morning as usual is foggy and cool and following breakfast Annie and I head out to do chores: recharge the phone minutes and find a bar with decent WIFI….mission accomplished we head back taking in a viewpoint:

….and are back to the house by noon. Lunch is on the terrace at Chez Nous:

and then we drive to Saint Cirq Lapopie, a mercifully short drive of some 20 minutes. The village clings to a cliff overhanging the valley of the Lot River. An important center in the Middle Ages for three feudal dynasties resulting in several castles and strongholds making up the fortress of Lapopie. Many old houses have been preserved with their half-timbered facades dating back to the 13th through the 16th centuries. And in the 20th century it became a haven for painters and writers. Today there are some 217 inhabitants, with various artisan workshops and of course the requisite gites and restos, keeping in mind that over 400,000 visitors come here each year.

We climb to the top of a small hill taking in the views across the Lot Valley:

 

……..and then stroll around the village stopping in some of the shops which had some nice locally produced products for sale and not just the made in China French souvenirs:

….some modern-day pilgrims:

……a short drive “home”, where some of the horsey set canters by:

and finally snoozing time……a nice day, though yours truly is gimping with a sore foot (again).