As hard as it was to peel ourselves away from Lourmarin, we knew that more fun awaited us in the Lot Region where we would be meeting up with our other contingent -- John, Bay, & Nancy, and Ken & Sandra Wyllie. With very little contact between us all we had kind of hashed out a plan for meeting at the town centre of Labastide Murat (a town nearby to the farmhouse we were all heading to) in the late afternoon. Our little family, along with Jill, headed out on Monday morning, confident that we had a beautiful route planned out. Little did we know how long it would actually take to get there! Thanks to the scenic route we had chosen, we spent almost 10 hours on the road getting to our next abode and everyone was quite exhausted by the days end. That said it was a stunningly beautiful route, and we saw some interesting things along the way.
One of the places we made sure to stop at was the famous Roman aquaduct site of Pont du Gard. When we cycled through this region 12 years ago, we accidently stumbled upon this site. We were so awed by the site then, that we knew we just had to come back. It is one of the best preserved Roman aquaducts in Europe and it is still in very good shape. The setting is stunning -- the aquaduct crosses a beautiful meandering river great for swimming in, and the region is rural and rugged in that unique Provencal way. As with most places we have visited again, the area leading into the site has been more developed/set up for tourists than it was all those years ago. Last time, we just pushed our bikes down a dirt path through the scrub oak to come upon this amazing site; whereas, this time there is now a big tourist centre with parking, a cafe, trinket shops, information booths, and a big paved walkway to the actual site. Perhaps this could sound like the site has been ruined, but really that is far from the truth -- everything that has been done has been done to preserve and protect the natural surrounding environment and to educate the public, and the actual site itself is as amazing as ever. After the aquaduct, we chose to make our way through the Gorge du Tarn which is a gorgeous steep river valley filled with ancient villages along the way. The picture below shows what the terrain looked like. Just above this old village were the remains of an ancient castle -- one could just imagine times gone by with all of the possible comings and goings at this ancient chateau.
At 9pm, when we finally got to the farmhouse called "Camphenie," we were very, very pleased with the place -- it has true French rustic charm! We have been here now for almost 5 days and the place is turning out to be a true gem. David and Paula, the owners, went to extraordinary efforts to make this old farmhouse what it is today. The original house was built in the 1860's. They purchased it a few years ago with the intention of renovating it as a holiday home in the French countryside which they have done in true style. The setting for the house is nothing short of outstanding -- it overlooks a beautiful farming valley with rolling hills covered with sheep grazing lovely grasslands, and then there are old farmhouses and trees dotted all over the place! We spend our mornings on the front porch facing the early sun and then the evenings on the back veranda having our dinner overlooking the descending valley and spectacular sunsets. You can see the front of the house in the opening picture on this blog. The back veranda is shown in the picture below.
We all started here the first few days with a bigger group (some have left now) and it was really fun and festive. It was also nice having the extra help for the first few days since everyone pitched in a little and helped get the place flowing nicely. Windows were washed, some delicate weeding was done to open up some of the beds around the veranda, and the lawn was mowed to make for some good hang out areas.
Up until yesterday we have had glorious weather enabling us to have late "French hour" dinners whilst enjoying the sunsets from the veranda. Then yesterday a storm came through late in the afternoon that made me (Ronato) think of my days living in the Transvaal, and the rest of us felt as if the Gaulish gods must be angry! The thunder made the house rock and the rain was absolutely torrential. Our friend Jill was out on a walk and got caught in the storm. A lovely local gentleman (we are calling him "her knight in shining armour") found her looking like a drowned rat on the road side and brought her back to our house in his car. It was very kind of him. Overall, we have found the locals and the neighbours to be very open and friendly so far. As we sit here writing, the rain is continuing to come through in fits and starts. It is very beautiful. 
Here is a picture showing the open plan kitchen. Below are the local sheep crowded under a tree to avoid the midday heat. Once the sun has passed its zenith, the sheep start to spread out and meander through the fields, munching away peacefully.
Kai and Pippin are loving the sheep so close by. They are happy to spend lots of time gazing at them in the field. Kai and Pippin have picked out two particular sheep which they can identify as their own -- wouldn't you know it, they have both picked out the only black sheep in the herd!
It was Grandpa John's 72nd birthday on June 2nd (our second day here in the Lot region.) The kids got really into it and made him feel extra special with funny gifts and cards, all specially wrapped with materials from the property or found around the house. Due to all the sheep here, there have been lots of flies about and so John got some fly swatters as one of his birthday gifts. He has been very busy ever since.
For John's birthday dinner, we all got into a very celebratory mood with lots of wine, good food, and uproarious conversation. John kept saying that he thought this was his best birthday ever!
As we have mentioned before, the sunsets have been nothing short of spectacular. Every evening the light goes positively golden -- we all find ourselves congregating on the back veranda so we can enjoy its delights and of course with such beautiful light Ronato tends to go a bit crazy with his camera. Here is Pippin with her beloved Great Auntie Nancy.
One of the really great things about joining up with our other contingent, was the influx of fresh "blood" and entertainment for Kai and Pippin (well . . . for all of us). Ken Wyllie is always causing some sort of havoc or starting up some sort of interesting project, and Sandra is always game to lead a good ramble or hike. Here they all are in a more peaceful moment during the birthday celebrations.
Here are Skye and John celebrating John turning 72. It has been fun getting to celebrate our two birthdays together on this trip.
Here is Grandpa John leading the first expedition into the neighbouring field. Kai and Pippin had been hankering to check out the "sheep field" ever since our arrival. After getting the go-ahead from our neighbour Guy, they hit the slopes with vigour.
After spending a few days hanging out and exploring our immediate farm and local villages, we decided it was time to go farther afield to the town of Cahors. We wanted to hit the weekly market for fresh produce/products there, and then to check out the famous Valentre Bridge which spans the Lot River. It was a hot, hot day and we were happy to discover a little riverside cafe next to the bridge. Here are Bay & Skye enjoying a nice cool drink. 
Here is a shot of the Valentre Bridge which was build in the 1100's.
For our last day as a big group, we all loaded into the two cars and wended our way to the famous village of Rocamadour. This outing turned out to be lots of fun. This, literally, cliff-hanging little village was once a mecca for people on religious pilgrimages (well, it still is) because it was said to be a place of miracles. One of the supposed big miracles was the discovery of an ancient grave in 1166. In the grave was the intact, undecayed body of a religious-minded hermit -- called roc amator because he loved rocks -- who had been buried at this sight who knows how many years before. Following this discovery, there were apparently a whole slew of other miracles attributed to this sight, and so it became a mecca. When we cycled through here 12 years ago, we didn't have the opportunity to really check this place out, other than the main street because we didn't have a place to stash our bikes. This time, we all crawled all over the place!
Here is Pippin at the top of the ridge overlooking the village.
Clinging to the side of the cliff is a large church/basilica complex dating back to the late 1100's. Part of this complex contains a large chapel and a smaller side chapel with an 11th century Black Virgin and Child, another relic said to be responsible for a number of the miracles attributed to this place. Here is Skye on one of the outside balconies of the complex -- you can't see them, but swallows were practically dive-bombing her at this spot, maybe some nests were nearby.
Here is a picture of one of the gorgeous old doors at the site.
After spending a few hours in the Basilica of St. Saveur and its surrounding buildings, we all hit the main street. Ken, tired of the endless walking and stair-climbing, found himself a little friend outside one of the shops and sat down with his gelato to give Alpha the dog a little love. Alpha was in 7th heaven!
After our fabulous outing, we all reconvened at the farmhouse for another one of our famous dinners on the veranda. Here we all are having lots of fun and eating yet another spectactular meal. This was Nancy's last full evening with all of us -- she had to head off the next afternoon (Friday) back to her life in California. Then this morning, Ken and Sandra also had to leave at the crack of dawn to catch the train back to Toulouse and the airport. We will all miss the fun energy that Nancy, Ken & Sandra brought to our time here, but we know they all have to get back to reality!
Well, it is time to head off on another outing. So, until next time . . .Skye, Ronato, Kai & Pippin
