After a couple of days in Paris and a couple more in the Loire Valley, we headed south to the Dordogne and Lot regions, and then on to Provence.
Here’s a photo from each day.
(9/10/17) This little cabin contains an old bread-baking oven (the round part on the left) and is attached to the main house on the right. We rented it as an Air BnB room. It was a terrific place to stay in the village of Rignac, a few miles from the well-known town of Rocamadour in the Lot region of France. Jean-Luc and Maud, both retired teachers, were our hosts. They were wonderful. We had great breakfast conversations with them, and they gave us a tour of the surprisingly large and beautiful church in their village.
(9/11/17) Rocamadour cascades in 3 levels down a cliff. Yes, it’s a tourist town, but is so beautiful, that you can easily ignore the gift shops and daytime crowds. And it looks stunning at night.
(9/12/17) At the recommendation of of our host, Jean-Luc, we took a drive south to the towns of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (right side of this photo) and Bouzies, on the Lot River. We took a 2 hour boat ride back and forth between the two picturesque towns.
(9/13/17) After leaving the Rignac AirBnB, we headed southeast, in the direction of Provence. After taking a few wrong turns, we finally found our way to the route we wanted, which was a drive through the the Gorges du Tarn, a deep valley cut by the Tarn River. There are several small towns like this one along the way. It’s a popular area in the summer, with camping, hiking, and canoe/kayak rentals. We arrived as the season was winding down, so it was quiet and peaceful.
(9/14/17) The Pont du Gard remains largely intact as a masterpiece of Roman design and engineering. Almost 2,000 years old, it was built as part of an aquaduct that carried water across the Gardon River on a 50 km route to supply the city of Nimes.
(9/15/17) Avignon
(9/16/17) Arles
Trying to pay attention 