Here are some ideas for things to do if you wind up during a rainy week or two:
1) Visit the prehistoric caves at Pech Merle-- arrange in advance for an English-speaking tour, or enjoy the odd and humorous translations on the hand-out sheet for the French-speaking tour.
2) Vist the renaissance castle Chateau Cenevieres-- with luck you may run into the 80+ year old owner who will regale you with wonderful stories (in French), or his charming son who speaks perfect English.
3) Take a day trip to Albi-- a lovely city, the home of Toulouse-Lautrec, and with the most amazing cathedral this side of Chartres.
4) The outdoor markets run rain or shine-- take your bag and your umbrella, and schedule yourself for a lunch break at one of the nearby cafes. There are markets nearly everyday, all worth going to.
5) Watch a movie in the lounge upstairs-- bring some snacks and drinks and hang out. Click pause once in a while and gather at the window for amazing views across the village and valley.
6) Drive to Conques or Cordes sur Ciel-- or any of the other famously beautiful towns within a 70 minute drive. Check out the Reviews section of our website to read where others have travelled.
7) Spend a few hours at a French spa or salon--- there's Alain at the Salon Siz-O in Limogne; and there are salons in Cahor. And just across our bridge is a lovely spa at the Hotel St. Cirq Lapopie.
just across the bridge at the Hotel St. Cirq Lapopie, you can schedule various luxurious treatments.
just across the bridge at the Hotel St. Cirq Lapopie, you can schedule various luxurious treatments.
8) Take the wine tour of the great Wines of Cahors-- the tourist office has a map for this-- you can spend the day visiting half a dozen vineyards-- bring a designated driver!
9) On a Thursday, make the drive to the morning market in Villefranche de Rouergue (leave early, you'll need some time to find a parking place). The market is in the square, with lots of covered spaces to escape any drenching rain. Make a reservation at the Cote de Saveur restaurant for a delicious lunch.
10) Walk the tow paths by the river--- use an umbrella until you get to the limestone caves, which you will then walk beneath, temporarily free of drizzle.
11) Visit museums on subjects that may interest you (there's a small museum in St. Cirq Lapopie)-- for instance, the Resistance Museum in Cahors, which you can combine with lunch or dinner.
12) Visit the butcher shop in Limogne in the morning, then bring back food (if you aren't already stocked up) and spend the day cooking meals, drinking wine, enjoying our beautiful house.
13) Do everything you'd do if it were sunny-- just wear slickers, carry an umbrella, and bring a change of socks.
This is just a partial list, but also remember: you don't even need to leave the village. The shops, the restaurants, the museums, the ruins, the vistas, the alleyways, the houses, all are there to explore. And you've got a great house to duck back into and relax. Breathe deeply, and enjoy.
