CHAPTER 16. SOUTH WEST FRANCE CONT.

From Carcassone we drive north over high and pretty ground that at times is almost desert like, with many wide views over surrounding country. There are many wild flowers; white and yellow daisies, red poppies, and larkspur. There is a deep canyon and winding road down into Mazamet which has modern looking stores and is neat and clean like most small French towns.

We continue to Castres and Les Salvages where we have an excellent lunch at the Cafe du Pont which is rated very good value for the money by Michelin. Going to Burlats we see the outside of the old monastery from the car, then go via back roads to Realmont and Albi where we get a very pretty room in the Chiffre Hotel in the center of town. The room has blue cloth finished walls and an enormous bath with blue floral tiled walls.

After breakfast in the elegant Chiffre dining room Betty stays in our room while Glenn walks through brick paved pedestrian malls to see the cathedral. It has very massive walls, high ceilings, and is quite dark inside. The entrance porch is very impressive. He finds a fresh Herald Tribune and goes back to the room. We drive by the cathedral so Betty can see the outside, then go north some more to Cordes and Villeneuve. Looking for a toilet we stop at the small Hotel-Restaurant de la Poste; it is noon and the food smells good, so we eat a very good and inexpensive lunch, all served by one man.

We drive to the Lot valley and follow the green lined scenic road on our Michelin map down the Lot River. It is a beautiful slow moving river with oxbows and alluvial plains enclosed on both sides by high vertical granite or limestone cliffs. It is very scenic, particularly the small town of St. Cirq Lapopie hanging on the cliff over the Lot River.

We go on to the Hotel France in Cahors where Betty waits while Glenn walks to the Pont Valentre and across it, then back via a small supermarket. One restaurant meal a day is enough for us so we have a sandwich or other snack in the room for the other meal. Slices of bell pepper in the sandwich jazz it up like lettuce, but is juicier and easier to keep fresh on the road.

In the morning we drive across the Pont Valentre and back, then head north. After a detour to a view point overlooking the Lot River and Cahors, we stop to see the Chateau de Rousillon which advertises a room available; part of the chateau is in poor condition and part has been restored with glass windows added. We go on north on a good and fast road over hilly and forested country to Souillac, which we have selected as our base for seeing the Dordogne River area.