Sophie and I spent the month of June with her parents in France. It was good to have some quality time with them – we even got to help with some projects around the house and yard. As usual, we ate wonderful home-cooked meals, great bread and lots of cheese. We also enjoyed the bounties of their garden. At this time of year, it included peas, new potatoes, the first green beans and zucchini, an abundance of fresh lettuce (best in the world), raspberries, strawberries, strawberries and more strawberries. We even went foraging for mushrooms a few times and gathered lots of delicious chanterelles (girolles in french).
On Father’s Day, we took Sophie’s parents on a day-trip to the northwest corner of the department of Lot to a picturesque little village called Autoire – just over an hour away. The village is at the bottom of a gorge that features an impressive waterfall at the top. We stopped to view it before descending into the town.
With remnants as old as the 11th century, Autoire became a popular vacation spot for wealthy residents in the nearby town of Saint-Céré – who built impressive homes here in the 16th and 17th centuries. Local stones were used for the buildings, which gave everything a dark honey color. We had a nice lunch in one of the historic buildings.
After lunch we drove through Saint-Céré, a larger town with a medieval center. Since it was Sunday afternoon, all the stores were closed and the town was pretty empty.
We ended the afternoon with a visit of the fortified castle of Castelnau-Bretenoux, not too far from Saint-Céré. This castle was built in the 13th century and was quite glorious before being abandoned in the 18th century and destroyed by fire. It was partially restored at the end of the 19th century. The views from up there were quite amazing.
We attended a family wedding towards the end of the month and our kids were also able to spend a few days in Luzech. It was great to all be there together! After we dropped our kids off at the airport, Sophie and I visited the historic city of Montauban, which is in between Toulouse and Luzech. It played a significant role in the 16th century Wars of Religion as a key Protestant stronghold. Eventually the Catholics prevailed and the city experienced significant growth during the 18th century – including the construction of a massive cathedral and other major projects throughout the city. We had fun discovering the old town and wandering through all the little streets.
We always enjoy exploring the bluffs and valleys around Luzech and put lots of kilometers on our bikes and walking shoes whenever the weather cooperated. The scenery never disappoints!
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