With so many exquisite places to choose from, what makes you decide to visit one particular town rather than another? In the case of Cahors, it was because Roy had read about it in a book.
English author Peter May wrote a series of novels featuring a character called Enzo McCleod. A lecturer in forensics at Toulouse University, Enzo lives in the city of Cahors, in the shadow of the cathedral. (Roy has recently read all six novels in the series, and seems to have a bit of a soft spot for Enzo.)
So, as Cahors was about midway between Saint-Geniés and Moissac, why not stop off there on the way back from S-G for a peek at the cathedral and a coffee at Enzo’s favourite café, The Forum?
As a reminder of where in France we are, both Cahors and our home port of Moissac are in the Tarn-et-Garonnedepartment – that’s the red patch on the map below:
Out and about in Cahors
16th-century half-timbered building in Cahors
Apart from its rich red wine, Cahors is most famous for Cathédrale St Étienne, a Gothic and Romanesque building with big domes, great frescoes and peaceful cloisters; and Pont Valentré, a medieval bridge with three towers that spans the Lot River.
Menacing sculpture on the way to the CathedralThat’s Cahors Cathedral behind meTranquil cloisters, but not a patch on “ours” at Moissac’s AbbatialeLove these signs that translate roughly as “Only River Folk” – that means us!Frivolous street decorations in central CahorsI’m a sucker for these trompe l’oeil muralsIt is a lovely bridge…… and yes, it does have three towers
The Forum Café (Enzo’s hangout, remember?) closes on Mondays, so we ended up lunching on tender slabs of pork with chips and vegetables at modest Le Coin des Halles Hotel. (Downwind of a chain-smoking, three-beer-lunching woman who, eventually, made the correct deduction from the look on my intolerant face and made a great show of moving away.)
Where we had lunch – not as bad as it looksAlso, a lot better than it looks
Born and raised in Durban, South African Verne is a writer and editor. She and Roy met in Durban in 1992, got married four years later, and moved briefly to London in 2000 and then to Singapore a year later. After their 15 or 16 years on that amazing island, Roy retired in May 2016 from a long career in shipping.
That's when I started Travels with Verne and Roy (travelswithverneandroy.com). For several summers, we explored the waterways of France on our beautiful new Piper Boats barge, Karanja. The rest of the year was shared between Singapore, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and other wonderful places.
After covid restrictions locked us down with family in Perth, Western Australia, we sold our Karanja. That was a bit of a wrench, but it did free us up for different adventures - road trips, ocean cruises and more all over the world.
Now based in the lovely new home that we built here in Burns Beach, WA, we continue to address the joint bucket list while also revisiting our favourite destinations. Do come along for the ride!
Read articles by Verne Maree
Did you taste the Malbec?