How do you do the Lot Valley justice in just one day? Fran, Toni and I set off in the rental car thinking we would do St. Cirq Lapopie, lunch in the middle somewhere and then try to add in yet another department by going to Conques. (Jean very gently said that she thought we were being way too ambitious by trying to squeeze in the Belgian Cross, and might never make it to dinner at her house later that evening for 7pm.) I began re-evaluating the day, once I saw my visitors attempt every photo opportunity between Cajarc and Tour de Faure-sometimes stopping-sometimes rolling. (It was those shots while the driver was driving and shooting that made me just a little nervous.) Stopping in to see Isabelle at the patisserie in Tour de Faure for a "must have" bagette and pastry paper-Conques was off the list, lunch in St. Cirq Lapopie was on, and then I thought a drive by of Chateau Cenevieres, visit to Calvignac, and a pass along the river in Saujac in the Aveyron were doable.
We parked at the parking lot at the top of the St. Cirq Lapopie and walked down along the outskirts to the Porte de Rocamadour and then worked our way back up through the village. Off-season is wonderful-the silence-the feel of ancient times-sharing the awe of your friends for the place you love that pulled you to the Lot...and not stepping over the 100,000 or so other tourists that show up in August. We were looking for something light for lunch and ended up at the restaurant Lou Bolat where we each had the warm cabecou cheese salad with walnuts and raspberry dressing.
We were the first ones in and almost the last ones out.
And light, we didn't do a very good job of sticking to that. We did rationalize this crepe with vanilla ice cream, cassis and chantilly, by splitting it between the three of us.
We left very happy women and decided that we would take a drive to the beginning of the tow path and walk in part of the way, since we wouldn't have time for even the abbreviated hike. My re-evaluated goal for the rest of the afternoon was met with time to spare. Leaving the tow path I thought: The next pretty day I'm going to make that long hike on my own and have my picnic up there on the look-out! Hopefully, that's a day I'll be able to share with you soon!
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