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While our boat is in Malause, between Toulouse and Bordeaux we have been doing some sightseeing in the tarn Garonne, Gascony area as well as farther north east to The Perigord Noir--Dordogne. Of all of the places we have seen in France, this area has by far,r the most number of beautiful medieval villages and hamlets that we have ever seen. The countryside is green, luscious and hilly with deep-cut valleys enclosed within the cliffs the rivers have eroded Walnut trees are abundant as are corn fields. This is the area with the largest number of prehistoric painted caves such as Lascaux. In the three days that we were there, I alone took 900 photos. The entire trip was a feast for the eyes. It was sunny, clear and beautiful the entire time we were there. We left Malause early in the morning and soon around lunch time we were looking for a Chambre d'Hotes (B&B) that would be conveniently located for our excursions. In the Upper Dordogne, we found a most charming place called Le Moulin, an actual grain mill powered by a spring. It is more than 200 years old, and the owner herself has converted it into a Bed and Breakfast. From our room on the second floor we had the most amazing view of the Renaissance Chateau de Milandes, whose latest owner was the famous Josephine Baker. The proprietor told me she has inherited the property along with a couple of cousins and that she has been living there for about ten years. The place is at the entrance of a tiny village called St Vincent de Cosses and on the way to the beautiful nearby castles of Castelnau and Marqueyssac.

We visited cities, towns, villages and hamlets, each one gem of a place. Some of the characteristics of the architecture of the area are the yellowish color of the stone and the unique shape of the roofs and tiles called "lauzes". We visited the city of Sarlat, one whose old section had unbelievably beautiful houses. The towns of Beynac and La Roque Gageac, built on the cliffs with their ochre color houses that reflect on the Dordogne's dark, but crystal waters, are almost too perfect. The towns of Souillac, Beaulieu, Martel and Carennac are perfectly preserved Medieval villages, as is the gorgeous bastide town of Domme, whose cliff top view of the chateaux around it and the river valley takes your breath away. The area is well known for its foie gras and truffles which are found everywhere you go. In the town of La Roque Gageac we had one of those unforgettable meals on the terrace of the Restaurant La Belle Etoile, overlooking the river under an unbelievable blue sky. Our senses were definitely on overload during those three days. On the way back, in the morning we stopped at another incredibly beautiful cliff built village in the Department of the Lot, Rocamadour, unfortunately too touristy for our taste, but incredibly interesting. It has been a pilgrimage sight since the XI C and it has an small chapel built for a Black Madonna, who according to history has performed numerous miracles, thus the hoards of people that come to this town. After Rocamadour, we stopped at Loubressac, surprisingly untouched by tourism, totally inhabited and perfectly manicured. The owner of a local little restaurant turned out to be the former mayor, and when I asked him how the managed to keep businesses from ruining their town, he said: "It's very easy, we just say no". Well, it sure has worked for them. Our last stop was the village of St. Cirq Lapopie, built also on a cliff over the river Lot, unbelievably genuine and well preserved with beautiful houses and well kept gardens. Before getting back to the boat, we stopped at Cahors, big city on the Lot to check out the port in case we can navigate the river this year.

As I finish this entry, I shall start packing for my trip to Spain where I will be joining my sister in law, Libia in Madrid. I am taking the train from Bordeaux on July 4 and will meet Libia on the 7. We will be staying with Elena, my friend with whom I lived when I studied there the winter of 95. On July 9 we go to Leon, we'll spend two days there, and on the 12 we begin our walk from Astorga to Santiago de Compostela. We are very excited about our experience, and we hope we can walk all the way to Santiago. We are open to taking buses if we see we cannot do it. I guess we will soon find out. I look forward to sharing this experience with those of you who read this blog. Until the next entry I wish Libia and I a " BUEN CAMINO!"

Chateau de Bonaguil

Chambres d'Hotes Le Moulin

Beynac

Sarlat

La Roque Gageac

Climbing up La Roque Gageac

Josephine Baker's Chateau de Milandes

Chateau de Castelnau

View of The Dordogne from Domme

One of Domme's three gates

Domme

La Roque Gageac

Restaurant La Belle Etoile

Martel, somewhat whiter stone

Entering Carennac

Carennac

Romanesque decorated door Carennac Church

Carennac houses

Castelnau red stone

Half-timbered houses, Bretenoux

Beautiful abbey at Beaulieu sur Dordogne

Walking down only street in Benyac

La Roque Gageac viewed from top of Chateau de Marqueyssac

Beautiful gardens at Marqueyssac

Chateau de Marqueyssac

Approach to Rocamadour

Rocamadour

Loubressac

Village of Loubressac

Road on The Lot

St. Cirq Lapopie view from the top

St. Cirq Lapopie

Beautiful roofs and cobblestone, St. Cirq Lapopie

St. Cirq Lapopie

Biesbosch Makes People Smile

After the lock of Ocean at Naurouze, the highest point of the Canal du Midi, we started our descent towards Toulouse. Locking down is always easier than locking up, especially if you are alone in the lock. We have been most of the time since we started our descent. This part of the canal has a beautiful bike path that goes along the canal past Toulouse. The bikers, walkers and joggers that pass by smile and wave at us sometimes saying things like: "THAT IS a vacation for you" or "That is a beautiful way of life". It is always delightful to see and hear people's reactions when we go by. Soon after Port Lauragais, on the east side of the canal, the small village of Avignonet, a jewel of medieval architecture stands out perched on a hill. The landscape is gorgeous and the vegetation varied. We continued to Gardouch where we moored for the night, and the next day took a bike ride along the path to the town of Villefranche where we met some Pilgrims from Quebec who had left from Arles to do their Camino. It was, as always, great to meet them and get lots of information and pointers from them. The next day, wewent as far as Castanet, a bedroom community of Toulouse, not to interesting, but the mooring at the lock was lovely and rural, despite the fact that the city was only kilometers away. On May 20, we arrived at Port Saint Saveur in Toulouse, where Sylvianne, the Port Captain had reserved a place for us, just in front of the Capitainerie. As always, coming into a town or city in your boat is very exciting, and this was no exception. Our stay in Toulouse was of ten wonderful days and having brought the car from Castelnaudary was a great thing to do, since it allowed us to explore the areas around the city. In Toulouse we walked everywhere and got to see the city quite thoroughly.

One of the things I wanted to do while in Toulouse was to get my Pilgrim Credential from St. Sernin, one of the main stops of the Camino of Compostela. After having visited this magnificent Romanesque church, I was able to get not only my credential from them, but also the one for Libia, my sister in law, with whom I am doing the walk to Compostela. This was the "first step" and one that made me realize how close I was to doing my walk. The credentials have seals from the Bishop of Toulouse and the Association of the Friends of Compostela. While in Toulouse, " The Red CIty", we visited the superb museum of the Agustins, The Capitole with its beautiful square and market, The Bemberg Foundation Museum with an eclectic private collection of art and furniture housed in an exquisite chateau, and of course discovered some charming little squares and parks everywhere. In the covered market of Victor Hugo, we met an incredible Colombian girl who has a roasting chicken business called Poulet Tcha Tcha Tcha. She had delicious Colombian empanadas, so we had lunch there and invited her and her friend Veronique to have drinks with us on Biesbosch. We had a superb time with them and before we left, they treated us to an AIOLI, a typical southern dish of shrimp and oysters served with a garlic mayonnaise, a perfect dish to accompany with beer on a hot day. Luz Stella, the Colombian girl had just sold her business and is moving to Sevilla. Spain with her 10 year old son, Mateo.

At the port we met an American couple from Texas, Bud and Joyce of Hoop Doet Leven, a beautiful Dutch Peniche with whom we had some lovely times on both boats before they went on a vacation to Spain. They will be traveling north and staying near Paris for the winter. After 10 days in Toulouse, we moved on along a not so interesting stretch of the canal. We moored for the night after Pompignan and continued to Montech, a lovely town we had visited by car and where we wanted to spend some time. We moored in the port, only to find out that there was no electricity nor there will be any until after the weekend. We had lunch on the boat and decided to try the newly restored branch of the Canal de Montech up to Lacourt St. Pierre. It was only a few kms away, but a gorgeous stop with all the facilities, a park and picnic area and a great bike path to go to Montauban. We stayed there 2 nights and biked to Montauban, another impressive city over the Tarn River. We visited the fabulous Ingres Museum housed in a Chateau whose lower floor was built in the XI C. The Place National, a beautiful work of brick arches, is one of the most charming I have seen. Our next stop was in Castelsarrasin where Bill had brought the car from Toulouse. The port is a lovely basin full of geese and ducks, and is run b a very nice lady called Maite. Thursday is market day, and one of the best in the region. People come from all over for this market which is held all over town. This area of The Tarn Garonne is known for its fruit, cherries and plums, and for its Fie Gras and Armagnac.

While in Castelsarrasin, Bill and I did a lot of exploring and saw some unbelievable medieval towns such as Auvillar, Lauzerte, Cordes sur Ciel, Bruniquel, St Antonin Noble-Val, La Romieu, Larresingle, Condom, Fources and others. Of these, most of them are classified among THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FRENCH VILLAGES with good reason. Some of them are official stops on the Camino of Compostela. We spent one day in Albi, a larger town and one that houses the Toulouse Lautrec Museum and one of the prettiest French Gothic Cathedrals I have ever seen. It is an impressive town built on the edge of the Tarn River surrounded by beautiful hills and lush vegetation.

To prepare for my 279 Km walk from Astorga to Santiago de Compostela, I did a full equipment first trial 18 km walk from Castelsarrasin to Moissac. To get used to my backpack, I had to do some adjustments, but had no trouble at all with my boots or anything else. I have been wearing them regularly and treating my feet with a special cream to keep them from blisters. Moissac is another main stop in The Camino, so having taken my credential with me, it was stamped before I came into the Abbey to visit. The Abbey's church is incredibly beautiful, especially the Romanesque sculpted door, but most impressive is the Abbey's cloister with its beautifully crafted arches and capitols.

After an 8 day stay in Castelsarrasin, we continued on to Malause where our friends Mark and Celia and Steve and Kit have been moored for quite some time now. It is a quiet mooring with a little park and picnic tables and the path is part of the Camino, so you see pilgrims walking all day, some stopping to take a break at the tables. I have met so many of them--most of them French in this area-- From here their next stop is Auvillar, 7 kms away. From here we have been doing a lot of sightseeing as well, although we have done a bit of painting on the boat as well. We added a red pinstripe to the bow of the boat, which we think livens it up. We also painted the top deck and are preparing to do the side decks also. Our friends Earl and Anneke came to visit with their daughter Kristina. We met them at Moissac and cruised with them to Malause. We were able to take the lock from Moissac to the Tarn River, always exciting to navigate, tied up for lunch and came back up to the canal to go over the river on the Bridge Canal. We turned around and came back To Malause with them. Since they had a rental car, they went back to Carcassone and we met them there on their last day. It was great having the Spencers with us as a family, and we hope they can do it again.