Day 5 - "Rest Day" in Sarlat (but not really...)

Saturday is billed as a rest day in Sarlat; however, there is so much to see and do it is rather impossible to picture yourself lounging at poolside or sunning on the hotel balcony - this is as close as I got starting Saturday 8:30 AM before attending the amazing Sarlat Saturday market.

Our tradition balcony photo at Hotél de Selves in Sarlat.

Sarlat's regional market is extraordinary - we started our browsing at 9 AM, and by the time we made our way back to the hotel at 11:30 the crowds rivaled those at the Minnesota State Fair!

Pondering gorgeous garlic.

Purchasing more local Fois gras and rillet de canard.

Right at home watching the product demonstrations - can you say "Ginzu knives"?

Peter spent some time sketching and painting while I enjoyed the masses of humanity:

Once we returned to the hotel it was time to snack, change and saddle up for the optional ride to Domme and Castlenaud - a hilly 47 km ride with so much to see...

The entry gate to Domme, a bastide town (fortified town on a grid, founded in 1280 A.D.) one of the earliest examples of urban planning!

Domme's strategic location allowed for magnificent vistas.

We are more than thrilled to have John Giebler of Ex Plus as one of our tour leaders - a favorite!

The bike route was extremely bike-friendly despite the hilly terrain. Note the chalk arrows that assist us in wayfinding every day.

Peter with the spectacular castle of Castelnaud La Chappelle in the distance - we did quite a climb to go visit it!

The castle getting closer....

And climbing (on foot) to the highest point inside the walls! That is the Dordogne River in the distance, where we started the climb - whew! Not for those who fear heights.

We returned from our biking adventures with just enough time to clean up, go to the briefing for Sunday's adventures and have dinner at a wonderful seafood restaurant near the hotel - our guides were so helpful in making us reservations and we had such a great time. Our table was adjacent to a British couple on holiday and we really hit it off - the conversation was so warm and the food so delicious we could not imagine a better evening!

Sunday will be an even grander adventure - stay tuned!

Bike Tour Day 4 - Bicycling to 16th Century Sarlat, Learning About Fois Gras...

We left Rocamadour with great memories and our classic "June in the hotel window" shot. It was only 48 deg. F as we departed, but by the end of the 2k climb out of Rocamadour, we were rewarded with that great panoramic view lit by the rising sun.

Peter's sketch/wash of the high point in Rocamadour.

Rocamadour in the morning light.

After a short ride we arrived at La Ferme des Campagnes, a goose farm that raises geese for Fois gras - and that includes the practice of gavage, where in the last 2 weeks of their lives the geese (or in some cases ducks) are fed through a tube directly into their stomach in order to enlarge their liver for the Fois gras that is so cherished in the French culture.

As you can see, the geese are kept free-range until their final days of gavage. They have all the food, water and shelter they need and are very content. I am trying to not be judgemental as in the USA we don't have a pristine record of animal husbandry as it applies to our food processors. The farm was the picture of cleanliness and order. There is always a price to be paid when the consumption of meat is an expectation in society.

On a happier note, the weather and the biking have been extraordinarily nice - today's route was mainly at river level:

Can't pass up a chance to pose with pigs and goats that are so tame :)

The guides have been fabulous - here Bruno ( our native French guide) is giving me information on the route and the history of towns we pass through.

We had a pleasant stop in the town of Souillac and visited their market and wonderful church that was built around an 11th century Benedictine Abbey.

Our lunch stop provided a lovely respite on their terrace and great pizza!

The final 10k of the ride was mainly on a shady, quiet and verdant bike path leading into Sarlat, our headquarters for the next three nights!

We are really excited to have an extended stay in Sarlat - it was built around a 9th century Benedictine abbey, and the town today was built mainly by wealthy merchants and local government between 1450 and 1500. We love, love, love the architecture and are very excited to explore the town on Saturday!

Sarlat on Friday afternoon - lots of life!

Saturday will also be market day, and our optional riding day - lots to look forward to!

Bike Tour Day 3 - Rocamadour Loop Ride, Caves of Padirac and Medieval Carennac

My head is spinning way faster than my legs! Thank god for photographs and day sheets from Ex Plus that allow me to recall and relate the amazing sights of each day's adventures. I have been remiss in posting the wonderful (and occasionally terrifying) topographic map that is published for each day's ride. I will be including them henceforth:

Day 3 - Loop ride from Rocamadour

Peter and I are true flatlanders and the climbing is what drives us to train for these trips - while it may sound onerous to hear that at times we are climbing for 10 or 15 minutes in our lowest gears, it has such magnificent payoffs at the top that we look forward to the challenge.

Rocamadour (Google it to see lots more) is an incredible pilgrimage site - you descend 2K to enter it and then are require to climb 2k to leave! This was all made worthwhile on our loop ride.

Gorgeous cattle in the countryside.

Always a black sheep in the herd.

Our highlight on this day was a visit to the caves of Padirac. Trust me, descending into this wonder of the world was like inhabiting an alternate universe. We spent about 2 hours in this subterraneanian river that included a boat ride and views of formations dating back 50,000 years. Pictures were not allowed when in the deep grotto, so do look it up!

The decent into the caves.

We made it out alive, and slightly damp, but very impressed!

After a lunch break, we saddled up and rode 10K to the medieval town of Carennac. I will let the pictures do the talking.

Peter is in architectural and sketching heaven!

The remaining 32k of cycling took us through the heart of the Dordogne River valley and we actually crossed the river twice on our way - follow along with our photos:

Arriving back in Rocamadour, we decided to forsake naps and showers and instead ascended the 216 steps of the Grand Escalier that bring you up to "pilgrimage central" and amazing views across the valley:

Another vertiginous view - we climbed all the way to the top!

Day 3 ended with a birthday cake celebration for one of our fellow tourers Sue - I loved it as we ate dessert before having dinner! Life is short, eat dessert first was the motto of the moment.

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Leaving Paris, Train to Brive-en-Gaillarde, The Bike Tour Begins - 8/31 to 9/2/2015

IIt was not easy to say goodbye to our apartment on Rue Rollin...Peter captured our balcony view of Place Contrescarpe that will live long in our memory.

Peter's sketch of one of the many architectural details that are so enchanting.

We were up bright and early Monday morning to take the Metro to Gare Austerlitz and then our 4.5 hour train trip to Brive-en-Gaillarde, the start of the Experience Plus bike tour in the Dordogne region. Of course we got there at 7:30 am for our 8:41 am train departure...it was wonderful to actually have an E-ticket for the trip. The time was well-used by Peter as he sketched the interior structure of Gare Austerlitz from our cafe table:

The train ride was uneventful and quite comfortable - great seating and very few passengers. We arrived in Brive at 1 PM and navigated our way (with 3 different map views!) to our host hotel, La Truffe Noir. As we were early for check-in, we left our bags and toured the city. We were a day early for the start of the bike tour, so we kept the afternoon simple and got a good night's rest in order to tour the streets in earnest on Tuesday morning - market day in Brive.

The view out of our window at La Truffe Noir.

Peter's watercolor sketch of our window view:

Peter poses under the French flag at one of Brive's handsome government buildings.

Typical Brive street scene.

And Peter's street sketch:

Truffles at the morning street market!

Macaroon heaven - Brive had so many luscious displays of gorgeous baked goods!

We returned to the hotel and saw the Experience Plus van - and at 2 pm on Tuedsay the tour officially began!

This is always a great moment for me, as all the logistics and planning are completely out of my hands into the uber-capable hands of the ExPlus bike tour guides.

The van is here, let the biking begin!

We had our first meeting, a safety talk and a bike fitting.  Peter and I were thrilled to be reunited with the fantastic titanium frame bikes we first rode in 2013 when touring Croatia - they are lightweight and have fabulous gearing for climbing. After a 12k shakeout ride, we got cleaned up and ready for our first group dinner at the hotel. We have 13 riders and 3 wonderful tour leaders - John Giebler (whom we greatly enjoyed on our 2007 Provence trip), Bruno, and Roberto. Great group and great guides!

Wednesday we hit the road at 9 am for our first day of biking - 72 km/45 miles from Brive to Rocamadour. After a week of indulgent eating and very little exercise, this was a happy moment for me!

Goodbye to La Truffe Noir, and onward to Rocamadour!

I will let many of these photos simply speak for themselves - come ride along!

Filling water bottles at the village fountain - 100% safe and really good water.

For my Fjord friends - this Norwegian Fjord and his donkey buddy were in L'Hospitalet, just 2k outside of our destination - I was so excited!

Peter surveys the magical vista at the overlook - Rocamadour is breathtaking! Google it to delve more deeply into its history - it is a pilgrimage village with amazing architecture.

Rocamadour...

The heights of Rocamadour from the main avenue - vertiginous is an understatement!

As I've fallen behind in my blog, I will sign off here and continue this string when we arrive in Sarlat on Friday. It was a BIG day today and I need some sleep :) More adventures to come, and more of Peter's artwork - I promise!