My goodness!
After a very quiet week last week this week was all go! Go! Go! My sister and
her husband arrived on Sunday evening by car, laden with all sorts of odds and
bobs for the house. Single bed linen and duvets for our two new single beds,
plus a mattress for one of them; table lamps and lampshades for one of the
rooms: two ‘rolling rails’ for hanging clothes on which are going to be VERY
useful, and plenty of other bits and pieces. It was wonderful to receive all
the goods they brought with them but even better to see them again.
The week
flew past and was quite obviously not long enough for us to show them all that
we had wanted to so we are hoping that they enjoyed it sufficiently to want to
come again. We managed to fit in visits
to Carjarc, down by the River Lot and the inevitable visit to Belcastel which
is still our favourite village around here. We followed the course of the Lot, travelling
upstream as far as Laroque-Toirac with it’s amazing seven-story tower. Somewhere during.the week we took a ride to Lanoujouls and visited a model railway museum where we spent an enjoyable time being shown all the different gauges of model trains each with its own layout and appropriately sized houses and figures, and on another day our friend in the village showed us all the old forge that used to belong to his father which has been left exactly as it was the last time his father worked there, now many years ago. On Thursday we managed to get to the market in Villefranche and get back home
again in time for Neels and I to have much needed haircuts. Then as a grand
finale we went to Figeac and spent all afternoon on a walking tour of the old
town. All too soon it was time for them to leave again and return to the UK.
The weather
all week was simply splendid and we couldn’t believe it when every day turned
out well. Up until last weekend it had been the sort of changeable weather that
we have become used to so to have six brilliant days was an absolute bonus.
It is amazing how much better everything looks with a splash of sun! Belcastel
was at its best with the sun glinting on
the flinty stones of the houses and the roofs, while making dancing lights on
the fast flowing river that runs through the town.
The market
in Villefranche which we have never managed to get to before was spectacular in
the sunlight. The square was packed with stalls selling produce and due to the
good weather it was very well-attended, so there was quite a buzz from all the
people wandering around. The colonnaded pavements all around the square made a
good vantage place from which to photograph the multi-coloured umbrellas
shading the stalls.
The
highlight of the week was definitely the trip to Figeac. Neels and I had been
there once before on a very cold and windy day when the freezing breeze howled
down the narrow streets, but this time it was warm and beautiful. We picked up
a pamphlet from the Tourist Information office which showed a short walking
tour of the town and pointed out some of the important buildings etc. There are
many half-timbered houses still standing and occupied in the old centre and
without the guide, one could easily miss them. Most of the buildings are three
stories high and the streets are very narrow so one doesn’t always look high
enough to take in details of carvings on pillars and windowsills unless you are
warned to look out for them. It was all so fascinating that we just ran out of
time in the end and had to come home again, but we will definitely go back
again.
No comments:
Post a Comment