I’m not sure how we wound up in the village of Cahors, but I think it is because Douglas wanted to see an old bridge [Ed. Actually, an earlier Airbnb host suggested that we visit Cahor, so we went on a ‘flyer’]. The weather still feels like autumn but the drive from Sarlat to Cahors was stunning. We are entering the mid-Pyrnees and there are tons of hikers- mainly older folks this time of the year.
Sometimes when you rent an Airbnb, the space is really the owner’s 2nd home or in-laws quarters. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3160925 In this case, as soon as we checked in to this spacious apartment in the middle of old town, the owners left for the weekend. They didn’t speak very much English and our French is a bit underwhelming to say the least, but they had little post-it cards explaining how things work in the apartment and we were good to go. There were two floors to the apartment with the bedroom and bath upstairs. I really liked their spice rack and the view from our bedroom window of the Cathedral.
It was quite a few stairs to get up to the 3rd floor apartment, so we left a couple of larger suitcases and an electric guitar in the car. Good Tip: if you are driving around France, make sure the car you rent or lease has a trunk or a hatchback with a cargo cover and then when you are only going to be at a place for a night or two, just put two days worth of clothes in a small overnight bag and leave the rest in your car.
We arrived on Saturday and it was sunny and we did some exploring and took a river cruise that went around a U-shaped bend in the River Lot that forms the peninsula that the city sits on. In order to traverse this part of the river, boats have to go through a series of locks. A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. You can also rent a boat, kinda like renting an RV, and use the river like you would use a road.
Considered one of Europe’s best Medieval monuments, The Pont Valentré bridge was built in 1308 to keep the English out of Cahors. It was the only way to cross the Lot river without a boat to reach the town. The trail at the end of the bridge was once part of the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain. Yep, this may be our pilgrimage tour after all.
Some of the best red wine is made in Cahors! They are said to have the darkest and richest red wines in the world. The history of Cahors winemaking goes back to ancient Rome with vines being planted in the area around 50 BC. This wine making region is sometimes referred to as “The Lot.” On a rainy Sunday morning, Douglas was elected to go out and get breakfast and took some of the rain photos above. He also went to a covered market, picked up some food, and came upon something he and Lisa had not seen before, a wine bottle or box or jug refilling station. You could bring your empty and have it filled with a local rose and it was a very popular vendor on this Sunday morning.
