I really enjoy visiting the ancient city of Cahors when I’m in France. It was a sizeable settlement even before the Romans turned up. It’s famous for it’s wines and historic streets. There’s a lot to see on a wander around.
Streets of Cahors
Tag Archives: france
Celebrating The End
I’m finally on the road again, after sheltering for the past three years. I’ve just started to look at the photos I’ve made in the last three weeks. These will do to get started.
I was in Narbonne, the first Roman settlement in France. These are casts from a funerary enclosure, so either a chapel or a tomb. I can’t find too much more about them as yet. The site is still being dug by archeologists. The stones seem to celebrate life…. fruit and flowers, drinking and dancing. I’d like to think that the person portrayed was an entertainer.
Street Art – Narbonne
As anywhere in France, this city lets art flourish. It’s as much part of the culture as the amazing food. I was planning to be there about now, but alas…. no one’s going anywhere. I can dream. I’ll be back.
Here’s some street art…. as Michelin would say, Narbonne is well worth the detour.
La France Profonde
Relaxing at home today, so I’ve got time to write something for the Daily Prompt. Profound?
I’m lucky to be living and travelling in La France Profonde… it means, I suppose, Deepest France. It’s not Paris, or even Toulouse. It’s beautiful countryside with entrancing medieval towns (and cities), stunning views and oh…. the food. La France Profonde is about localisation, the specialities come from locally produced goods. Here it’s duck, goose and a plethora of wonderful cheeses. A lot of the cheese is from the milk of goats or sheep. We’re getting close to the mountains, so the land isn’t suitable for beef cattle. The fruit and veges you buy are seasonal…. alas I just missed out on the cherries this year!
A word you see often is ‘terroire’… which can simply mean territory or area. Here it’s also the place of your soul, your homeland. The word has deep meaning, it’s where your roots are. The Aboriginal people of Australia have much the same relationship with their land. I suspect people everywhere, deep down, feel the same thing.
La France Profonde, a profound experience.
St Aumand de Coly
Figeac
Le Trou de Bozouls
Spot the cat
Weekly Photo Challenge: Abandoned.
Abandoned….. luckily.
The centre of Figeac, France was largely abandoned for several centuries. The world simply forgot about the place. It was so run down, there was a plan in the sixties to bulldoze the whole thing. Sanity prevailed and this beautiful town retains its medieval charm. It’s not fully renovated, the side alleys offer tantalising glimpses into the past.
Weekly Photo Challenge: The Golden Hour
I confess I’ve taken many more photos at dusk than at dawn. I grew up in Australia so I’m still fascinated by the long European twiight in the summer. I also love the opaque light in The Netherlands, so beloved of their great painters.
My selection for this week…..
Twlight in Brussels. The promise of escape ….
Evening clouds and a thunderstorm brewing… Aveyron,France.
Weak winter sun going down over the North Sea. Scheveningen, Netherlands.
Tide going out, sun going down, going home. Hawkesbury River, Australia.
Street Cats 3
Statue Cat, Figeac,France.
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Waiting For Dinner, Miyajima,Japan.
Proprietor, steakhouse in Amsterdam,Netherlands.
Montmartre Cemetery, Paris,France.
Off Rue Mouffetarde, Paris,France
My Local Cats 1
The Cats of La Curie.
My house in France overlooks a couple of ancient market gardens. They are home to a fine tribe of cats looked after by The Cat Lady, who works one of the gardens. Across the road is a more motley tribe, which includes a couple of seriously wild (domestic) cats from the nearby forest. There are also a few well bred visitors who drop by to see their friends and get a free snack.
The territories are divided by a small stream, with a convenient bridge. The Garden Tribe is presided over by a prosperous looking tabby. He guards the bridge and patrols the boundaries. Needless to say, the bridge provides hours of endless fun, as the younger cats become soldiers, play fighting to decide who can cross the bridge. The Motely Bunch from over the road do make the odd raid, to see if there’s anything left in the bowls.
The Cat Lady is the guardian angel who feeds both tribes, but has names for her own animals, the handsome cats in the Garden Tribe.
I will be publishing regular updates on these guys, as I collect a nice range of portraits.
It Must Be Nearly 4pm…..Waiting for the Cat Lady.
The King Tabby, Closing His Eyes To Show He’s Not Going to Fight Me.
Guarding The Bridge.
The Ambitious Drifter 
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