Journeying back through france

13th Nov
Lost a day somewhere. But today is a Thursday. Got up and packed our possesions. Had a look around Cahors. We have both got into looking around churches and cathedrals. They all have there own tranquility. Light and peace merge and energises the soul. Hey this is sounding a bit religious – but is definitely the case. Cahors Cathedral was very old but had many of the original medieval features in tact. Stained glass windows were similar to Carcassone. Intense blues and reds in small fragments converted into images. Two huge domes (the largest in France ) rose high above us directing the eye upwards. The outside of the main entrance was surrounded by strange figures gruesomely either stabbing one another up the arse or trying to behead each other – fascinating.
Linda still not feeling good but managed to find a toilet in the station. Had a quick look at the medieval bridge over the river Lot. Set off on our drive through the Lot region. The day was one of clouds and sun. The colours of autumn were spectacular as we drove along winding roads with the sun highlighting portions of the hillside in red and gold. Stopped at a view panoramic to have our lunch. We had bought some soup earlier which we heated up on our gas burners on the picnic tables. Linda prepared a salad and we feasted well in the crisp autumn air. Stopped at a small village outside Poitiers. Had shared cakes and coffee in a small boulangerie. Found accommodation in a logis de france on edge of village. Had that distinctive smell of some french rooms – stale smoke, dust, air freshener and stale air. Not good but somewhere to rest over night.

Fri 14th Nov
Lin here... felt a lot better this morning and did the first stint of driving after a pretty crap breakfast in the logis. Stopped in Tours, which was a real trip down memory lane for me, as I'd lived there in 1974. Remembered the school area and the walk down to the town centre, but hadn't remembered the size of the place! It was buzzing with life and had a lovely atmosphere. We found a little restaurant and for 11E each had an excellent lunch...must remember to look up the recipe for eggs mimosa as it was lovely. After a long walk finally found the old town before hurrying back to the car and moving on. Decided to take the motorway and managed to get to Rouen, at a cost of 27euros, which was a lot more than we'd expected. Same old same old in Rouen: huge town, rush hour and nightmare traffic and one way systems. Brent was brilliant. He stayed calm ( for a change) and managed to park up, so that we could find a hotel. We ended up in a nice spot right near the cathedral, which is truly impressive. Explored the town a bit: there was a fair on along the riverside, which was really pretty. Had a beer in an irish bar...big mistake again! Cost over £5 a pint!! On way out I managed to miss the kerb and fell over!!! Bl_ _ _ y hell! What next? Slept well and here we are having our morning coffee outside the cathedral....Saturday morning and hoping to get to Dunkerque today,.. catch you later dear reader!