Highlights of the Midi-Pyrénées

  If you take the time to drive through the sometimes rugged terrain, the Midi-Pyrénées will bring you vast visual and historic rewards. Stretching north from the Spanish frontier between Foix in the east and Lourdes in the west, this area allows you to discover countless wonders. Travel north through Toulouse and over the Canal du Midi to Montauban, Albi la Rouge, isolated, mountaintop Cordes or spectacular Conques and then down the Lot River from Figeac to Cahors. It’s an area of hillside villages, grottos, thermal stations, museums, and religious and historical sites worth discovering. There is no set route. One can zigzag over the region in any direction. There will be a "find" on each side road. Take it slowly. If you go south from the Dordogne on N-20, the region starts as you approach Souillac. From here, turn east to Rocamadour. There’s a sight waiting that you won’t forget. Perched high on the side of a cliff, overlooking the Alzou Valley is the phenomenal site where the Christian hermit, St-Amadour, is said to lie. Since 1166, there have been miracles sighted around the black virgin and child in the Chapel of Nôtre-Dame. The town was restored in the 19th century and is now one of the most popular pilgrim and tourist sites in all of France. Pilgrims still climb the wide stairs on their knees, saying their rosary, as they encounter the twelve stations marking Jesus’ journey on the way to the hillside château. Below, souvenir stands and restaurants aimed at tourists have taken over. Still, it is worth a visit. Just beyond to the east is the Gouffre de Padirac, a 295-foot chasm formed by the collapse of a cave. It is spectacular, and rivals the tallest domes of French cathedrals. You can descend in an ancient elevator and tour the subterranean river by boat. Caution: It may be damp and crowded. Farther east you’ll discover the mountain town of Conques and the Abbaye de Ste-Foy, a pilgrimage church that boasts a treasury of gold relics. Spend the night in nearby Figeac. It’s a market town high in the mountains, with good restaurants and hotels and a museum dedicated to the discovery of the key to the Rosetta Stone by Champollion, Figeac’s native son. I was thrilled by the recreated mold of the Stone that was the size of a city square. One can walk over it and read the inscriptions. Rest up in Figeac. The trip tomorrow is one of the most spectacular in France. From Figeac to Cahors there are two river valleys. Both are picturesque and flanked by high limestone cliffs. Here, you’ll find ancient towns, ancient castles, waterfalls and narrow gorges. They come together west around Bouzies. On the Célé you’ll see Espagnac-Ste-Eulalie, a 12th century priory with a wonderful belltower. Later you’ll catch sight of Marcilhac-sur-Célé, where you’ll find the splendid Grotte de Bellevue with weird stalactites and stalagmites. Near Cabrerets is Grotte du Pech-Merle, a 25,000-year-old chamber with figures of mammoths, horses, bison and humans on the cave walls. On the Lot River side, from Figeac, is Cajarc, a pretty medieval village, and St-Cirq-Lapopie, one of the prettiest villages in France. It is close to the point where the two rivers meet so you can see it from any direction. Soon the Lot River meets N-20 again at Cahors. Here, I’d stop to see the fortified 14th century Valentre bridge, with its unique legend about the devil and its place in history. This self-contained military bastion withstood many attacks during the Hundred Years War. If you stay here, try the truffles or the duck, and don’t forget a bottle of Cahors wine. Travel due south and you will soon reach Montauban. This was once a center of Protestant France. Take a trip to the Ingres Museum, where you’ll see the best of this master’s drawings. Take time to see the double-arcaded shopping center, built in the 17th and 18th centuries, and the interesting white Cathedral-Notre-Dame built by Louis XIV in 1685. Travel east into the Gorges de l’Aveyron to discover chestnut hills and towns once obsessed with defense. You’ll see villages hanging from cliffs, until you reach Cordes, suspended against the sky. No wonder it is called Cordes-sur-Ciel. Once a ruin, today the town is as it was during the time of the Cathar wars, and does a thriving tourist trade. Just south is the larger center of Albi la Rouge, a mainly red brick town with a wonderful Lautrec Museum (closed January through May) in the Palais de la Berbie. The master was born here in 1864. The terraced gardens of the Palais and the view across the Tarn River add to the memories of this charming market town. Go south to Castres for a visit to the Goya Museum (closed January through May) to see the large collection of Spanish art. Travel southwest through the pleasant countryside and you will arrive in Toulouse, the most important town of the area. Here, in this city overrun by cars, is the site of Airbus, the manufacturer of airplanes (including, at one time, the Concorde). Enjoy Toulouse’s location on the gentle Canal du Midi, which connects the Atlantic and the Mediterranean in this otherwise landlocked region. The rose-brick town is a treasure trove for visitors. As the day goes on, the color of the buildings changes before your eyes. There are pleasing basilicas, like the tiered Basilique de St-Sernin, or the Church of Les Jacobins, a mastery of Gothic architecture, and gentle walks on the promenade along the Garonne. If you are interested in the old Cathar villages or ruins, head south to Foix. It was once the center of this whole area, and today you can get the feel of the region by attending the medieval summer fair, the largest in France. A climb to…