Day 3: Najac - Saint-Cirq-Lapopie - Rocamadour - Conques
The alarm rings at 6:30 in the morning. We are traveling and it cannot be otherwise. After taking a shower, leaving everything collected and working a little, we go down to the breakfast room at 8 in the morning where we load up before breakfast and a totally personalized treatment of the owners of El Camino de Najac, which has been our accommodation this second day trip to Midi-Pyrenees in 4 days and with which we will try to reach Rocamadour, one of the most beautiful villages in Midi-Pyrénées.
With the stomach already toned we leave at 8:30 in the morning from Najac towards Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, which will be the first point of the day, with the heating put on butt, since at this time of the morning we have 6 degrees.
Views of Najac from the hotel. Route through the most beautiful villages of Midi-Pyrénées
Just after 1 kilometer, surrounded by a fog that catches our attention, we see it. Najac in the background, shrouded in fog just offered us a privileged image, which we expected to find for nothing.
Najac in the morning mist
A postcard photo that we cannot resist and where with the car standing on the side of the road, right next to a cemetery (we are not surprised that they chose this beautiful location), we enjoyed these first minutes of the day's route with an incredible image .
These are the kind of things that surprise you with the trip and the kind of scenes that mark, on many occasions, a trip.
After this stop, we follow the route, crossing roads surrounded by fields and forests, reaching Saint-Cirq-Lapopie at 9:30 in the morning, under a clear sky, which seems to give us a truce today, as it did yesterday when we were in full route by car through the villages of Midi-Pyrenees.
We left the car in parking 5, in the upper part of the town, for 4 euros a day (from 1 to 4 are in the lower part of the town), and we began to tour one of the most beautiful villages we have ever seen Don't say the prettiest.
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. Route through the most beautiful villages of Midi-Pyrénées
In 2002,Saint-Cirq-Lapopie was chosen best town in France. The truth is that it does not surprise us, we just need to get out of the car and start down the road to see that this is a fairytale town.
As we have done, we recommend that you park in the upper or lower part of the town and do not try to enter it with the car. As soon as you reach one of the entrances of the town you can get lost among its streets, but the way back is best to do it by the road, from where you have incredible views of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. You will not regret it.
Amazing views of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is a small medieval town, declared a historical monument, located in the middle of a cliff and surrounded by the Lot river.
With a fort in the highest and most prominent part of the town, from which we have incredible views of the surroundings, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is presented as a fairytale town before our eyes.
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
In the lower part of the town, below the fort, we find the alleyways that form the town itself, which still retain many old houses, from the 13th to the 16th centuries, with incredible stone facades or half-timbered timber.
Houses of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
One of the entrance doors of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
As the morning progresses the streets begin to come alive, opening small craft shops, each one more beautiful, many of them with interior workshops in which to see how some of the typical products of this area of France are manufactured.
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie. Route through the most beautiful villages of Midi-Pyrénées
Streets of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
The best way to get to know Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is on foot, without a fixed direction, only oriented by the senses and discovering the magnificent corners of this incredible town that has become, under our experience, a Must visit in Midi-Pyrénées and in France
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
We can't imagine how it should be Saint-Cirq-Lapopie in summer, as we have read, as we did also from Cordes-sur-Ciel that we visited yesterday, which at this time of year is invaded by dozens of buses that come to visit it. Perhaps it is best to come out of season to enjoy the place almost in total solitude, something that gives the town a unique air.
Stunning Saint-Cirq-Lapopie
It's after 11:30 in the morning when we return to the high zone parking lot by the road to have different perspectives of the city and get back on our way to another of the incredible jewels of this area of France: Rocamadour, one of the most beautiful villages in Midi-Pyrénées, where our GPS says we will arrive in an hour or so.
One of the things to highlight partly on this trip to Midi-Pyrenées for free is, apart from the beautiful villages we are visiting, how scenic the route is, crossing impossible roads, where you would stop every minute to take a picture . Without a doubt, a delight for the senses.
We arrived at Rocamadur at 1 noon and as soon as we approached the road and see the views we have, we understand why they say that Rocamadour is one of the most beautiful villages in Midi-Pyrénées.
Rocamadour, one of the most beautiful villages in Midi-Pyrénées
We can not stop several times to enjoy spectacular views of this tourist town of France and we understand why it is said to be the second most visited, after Mont-Saint Michel in Normandy.
Rocamadour Route through the most beautiful villages of Midi-Pyrénées
Seeing what time it is we go straight tol 'Hospitalet, the small village in the upper part, just in front of Rocamadour, where there is why we have read more variety of restaurants, a beautiful viewpoint and many souvenir shops. In short, a small town created for tourists.
We arrive in less than 10 minutes and after leaving the car in a free parking lot that is right at the entrance, we enter Au Panoramique, a highly recommended restaurant, where we ask for a couple of menus, one with salad and canard confit and another with foie and salmon, more desserts with tap water and two coffees for 50 euros.
Eating at Au-Panoramique
All great and with a very good service, so it is recommended if you go there.
The time has come to go one of themost beautiful villages of Midi-Pyrénées, but before we leave, we take a walk around the area to buy some souvenirs and above all take a picture from the impressive viewpoint from where the Rocamadour's perspectives they are spectacular.
Rocamadour from l'Hospitalet
After enjoying stunning views we take the car again to go to Rocamadour and at this time of the afternoon, something we would not have imagined, we already live the traffic jam caused by buses, so we do not even want to imagine what this will be high season.
We leave the car in one of the parkings in the lower part, everything is very well indicated, where it is not paid and after climbing a few stairs, we access Rocamadour, one of the most visited places in France and more prominent for the pilgrimage that welcomes the many visitors it receives a year, although the most notable is the sanctuary of the Black Virgin, the best known of the place.
Upon entering the main and only street of this tribute to tourism, we realize how right everything we had read about Rocamadour is a place dedicated solely and exclusively to tourism.
Rocamadour Street
While it is true that from the road and the viewpoints, the views are stunning, and essentials on a route through Midi-Pyrénées, once inside, the architecture disappoints a bit since everything is restored and more after having been in places as impressive as Cordes-sur-Ciel or Saint-Cirq-Lapopie.
We cross a piece of the main street when a gray sky and a light rain appear, so we decide that the best thing, to make sure, is to take the elevator to the churches and forget the 216 steps of the Great Staircase, which have been the main street to the church square.
We pay 3.10 euros per person for the round trip and in less than 2 minutes we are at the door of one of the most important places in Rocamadour, the chapel of Notre-Dame, with the Black Virgin inside.
Church square in Rocamadour
Around the chapel of Notre-Dame there are 7 churches, among which the basilica of Saint-Sauveur and the chapel of Saint-Michel. In this area we also find the old episcopal palace that houses the Museum of Sacred Art.
Rocamadour Church Square
Seeing that the weather does not improve, we decide that it is best to focus on the Notre-Dame chapel or miraculous chapel, where the Black Virgin is located, from the 12th century and where, outside, we find the tomb of St. Amadour.
Chapel of Notre-Dame
After being in this area of Rocamadour a little more than 45 minutes, with several groups that quite obstruct the entrance to the different chapels, we go back down the elevator to the main street to which we return when it is almost 5 in the afternoon among more and more obvious drips that show that the storm is about to break out.
Rocamadour Route through the most beautiful villages of Midi-Pyrénées
Seeing that the afternoon we can finish it, we return to the parking lot to pick up the car and head to Conques, where we will stay tonight.
From Rocamadour to Conques we have a journey of 1:30 hours that we do under a gray and rainy sky, which gives the landscape a more autumnal aspect.
We arrive at Au Castellou, our accommodation in Conques, when it is almost 8 in the afternoon and after resting for a while we go up to the center of Conques (you can climb ascending a good slope of 300 meters walking or by car traveling 1 kilometer more or less), a place that presents itself as a perfect destination, which we will know more deeply tomorrow.
Night comes to Conques
At this time of night and more at this time there is not much to choose from, so we do not think much and decided on the Restaurant Hotel St. Jaques, next to the church, where we ordered an aligot dish (a mash of potatoes and very good cheese) with butifarra and another of duck magret, more beer and water for 35 euros.
Having dinner at Conques. Aligot with sausage
After a short table we return to the hotel when it is 9 p.m., busted after a full day visiting some of the most beautiful villages of Midi-Pyrénées.
Day 4: Conques - Salles-la-Source - Belcastel - Lloret de Mar
