The Long and Winding Road To...

Chateau du Bosc led us unexpectedly through this quaint, photogenic little village in the forest called Le Pont de Cirou...with its medieval 14th-15th century stone bridge spanning the river Viaur.  

Up until then, we had been driving through the forests, over the hills and down into the valleys in heavy mist and fog..and were disappointed that we were missing out on the spectacular scenery hidden by all that mist...and here was this little surprise that made up for all of that! 

By the time we reached the Chateau du Bosc - the family home of Henri Toulouse Lautrec -  the weather was much better, and while we were there, the sun actually appeared! 

The tour of the Chateau was of course, en français, but, we lucked out again... There was a printed synopsis of its history in English and to fill in the details, a very nice fellow tourist who spoke both English and French, encouraged by the tour guide, provided instant translation for us during the tour. We were not allowed to take photos inside the chateau, so exterior shots were all I had for a blip (extra) 

From there we drove on to yet another "Most Beautiful Village in France", Sauveterre-de-Rouergue, a fine example of a Bastide..one of many a fortified small town that was built in medieval France during the 13th and 14th centuries. It was a very quiet day there; most shops were closed, so we just meandered around the square and along the streets that branched off it and then headed home..

See extras for photos of all three sites...

It was of no surprise to us when, as we drove nearer and nearer to home, the dark clouds rolled in .. and then, in the evening, we had an actual thunderstorm! Thunderstorms have been predicted for every single night here for weeks and this time, we actually had one! Well at least some thunder along with the rain... 

It was a fine day, but exhausting..so tomorrow we may not stray far from home...