Cahors in chaos

Today was our trip to Cahors! And after morning work, Kev and I raced out the door to get on with ours days tasks!

First stop was to check the progress on the new (old) little French car, which has been in the garage for several months waiting for it’s facelift parts!

No it’s not this Landrover Junior (this one’s for you John!) just a teaser outside the garage! The mechanic assures Kevin he will be working weekends to have his ready in a couple of weeks, as up until now he has been very busy on this caddy….

Cute little village, as all are here in this area, houses lining the main roads and no parking….so a stroll through the town after finding a park at the other end!

Interesting wall hangings barely missed while navigating the narrow footpaths and avoiding the two way traffic on what is essentially a one way street!

Google maps then showed us the route of the Tour de France Female….which just happened to be departing Cahors at midday and circumnavigating a route in our direction! A stop at Prayssac for lunch to delay our journey until the mayhem had passed!

In the heart of the town, for all the kiwis who visit these remote villages, is the pukeko restaurant ! Apparently started by a New Zealander a few years ago! Menu boasting Fish and Chips and a great range of hamburgers! Feeling like a bit more French oriented eating…we chose a more Boulangerie option

My lunch for today….and just perfect! Until I decided I needed another Cafe crème (flat white) and confidently took my cup and reordered and paid for my coffee! Waiting….waiting……no coffee, the chap behind the counter thought I was just paying for my coffee (the already drunk one) and Kevin was paying for the balance! As Kevin and I have been taking turns with refreshments my limited knowledge of the language did not cover the ‘pay at the end bit’ So we actually left the refill (which wasn’t being made) and Kev settled the balance!

Rather focusing on the planter boxes – scattered around the town and heading back to the car to continue our journey to destination Cahors!

The warning signs were there a few Lycra clad indivuals and sporting like supporters cars with bikes on roofs and tow bars and there we were – smack bang in the middle of a country road traffic jam….

With roads still closed waiting for the straggling cyclists! Off we went on a detour!! Which took us through some beautiful even more country lanes and villages…

Underpassing one of the old railway bridges still supporting the main line from Paris to Cahors!

We did our business in the magazins (shops on the visit list) in the outskirts of Cahors…by this time 4pm and time to head back, on another little scenic route. The excursion into the city of Cahors aborted due to most roads in and out being closed half the day for this annual cycling event!

One last stop for a much needed beer and thirst quencher in another picturesque village high above the Lot river (same one that meanders through our village of a fumel)

Home to a shower of rain, and our evening happy hour!!! One more day before I head to the heatwaves of my other home in Malta!