Leaving Toulouse (Friday morning) on the regional train with all our luggage, the first ride was uneventful…until we arrived at Agen, the station where we change to the little train to Monsempron libos and back to Fumel familiarity, for me at least! Carolyn’s first foray into France and out the windows were the fields of, now ready for harvesting, tournesols (sunflowers) ….. bending their drying out heads in the still slightly overcast day. I still cannot imagine how sunflower oil is extracted from these dry old seeds!
So after a seamless, on time, two hour train ride we disembarked in Agen, and (due to line maintenance) our little train for the final leg was cancelled! Lucky I am aware that if this happens (as it can do quite often) a bus is put on as replacement… however no one at the train station could provide any information as to which bus or where it exactly left from. So we hung around the bus terminal for a hour with a number of other confused passengers…asking every bus (driver) that pulled in if they were going to Monsempron-Libos…. Eventually we struck gold and along with three other passengers, boarded the full size coach….taking a very scenic (longer) route to our destination…
Seeing the other side(from the road) of the train stations, this was the war memorial at Penne station….the one that tripped me up on my way to Malta a couple of months ago…when the homeless man disrupted the journey!
Well….by the time we arrived in Monsempron-Libos….we were the only two passengers on this massive bus….our fellow travelers having left en route!
We were pleased to arrive at Kevin and Rols house for a late lunch and settle into our abode for the week….
Yesterday, there was a planned road trip…..Gourdon in the Dordogne area, north of the Lot region, is a small city that originated during the Middle Ages ….and, as with all medieval villages, built on a hilltop! Kevin and Rols dropped us (Carolyn and I) in the centre of town while they zoomed off to check out some car parts….
First stop was to find the pubic loos (signposted as WCs)…. Which were a steep climb up through cobbled streets and were rather unsavory…but needs must…we then relaxed and wandered around the town…
Fascinated by the local wares, none of which we needed, until we stumbled on the Saturday street market…eureka!
Carolyn having a poke around in one of the many handmade jewellery stalls…as we wandered the closed streets…then the second half of the market was local produce….cheese, bread, fruit and veges, condiments….and many other unfamiliar eating options…again nothing we really needed (mindful of the heavy bag journey ahead of us at the end of the week!)
We had just sat down for a (very nasty push button machine made) cappuccino when the boys contacted us to say they were back…so we met up and explored a bit more of the older town…
Church doors…very old ones!
And of course a church…another very old one!
Tall fortresses…yes you guessed it old!
Narrow streets…donkeys are smaller than cars!
Not so narrow streets (to accomodate the more modern vehicular transport mode) and finally lunch on the market street at one of the many cafes!
Our hosts….post lunch, enjoying the trip to this town that they also had not visited before..quite amazing where old car part hunting takes you really!
Back to the car and home for an afternoon siesta, as the temps rose to the mid thirties! Roland was off to work in the evening and us three: Kev, Carolyn and Sue enjoyed the evening in garden chewing the fat …. Actually sipping cool drinks!
As the sun went down around 9.30pm…
Waking up this morning to another glorious summer day (cool morning) , breakfast done, washing done, Rols off to work and the terrific three went to Le Clerc (supermarket extraordinaire)….stocking up on wine, beer, nibbles and pastry treats….yes several options! Kevin then dropped Carolyn and I to the Fumel Castle….for Carolyn’s first real view of the village and the lot river…
The giant untouchable deck chair in the middle of a grassed area that one cannot walk on or consequently sit on!!!
The gardens of the castle very green and lush despite the very hot summer behind them…I suspect a very efficient watering system is at play!
There she is…from the castle terrace overlooking the Lot River and the environs of Fumel…just like a postcard!
And east towards Cahors were the river continues to meander through a number of villages, both east and west… covering a distance of 485kms…
Not to get lost in the greenery, Sue sporting her new (€1) red shorts soaking up the sights of the peaceful valley…
Meanwhile, Carolyn is enjoying the artistic floral planters full of dahlias and petunias! …. And blending somewhat more into the greenery and environment!
We left the castle and wandered down to the Brit hotel through stone archways….
And rooftop terraces….meeting Kevin (who had dropped our groceries home) for lunch on the hotel terrace…
A mere Lunch Plate…with chicken, salad and scalloped potatoes….no not to share! We had one each!
After which I suggested a riverside walk…however Kevin suggested (a less energetic) tourist visit to bonaguil castle…not far from town …. But a drive….
We rounded the corner and stopped for the photo opportunity as she rose up the hill in front of us….another medieval piece of local history!
Kevin dropped us at the top (lucky us as we saw some very hot, puffing people making the trek uphill) and we only had to walk down through the village….
Being careful not to slip on the shiny cobblestones!
Half way down a big gate was open and we sneaked in to view the castle ruins from the front field…and take in a view if the village below from the stoned wall…
Kevin was waiting down there somewhere to collect us…and we headed home, mid afternoon, for a feet up as the day had heated up and temps were well and truly, once again, in the mid 30s!
My tour buddies, I suspect, have been napping…while I have been writing you this story….its now 5 O’Clock in Fumel and I’m sure most of you know what that means!
All who wander are not Lost girls 