ROCAMADOUR
Lat: 44:48:02N (44.80044) Lon: 1:37:07E (1.61864)
The commune of Rocamadour is situated in the mid pyrenees in the region of The Lot, The buildings of Rocamadour can be seen on the cliff face made of limestone and about half way up there are several chapels and churches, the most popular one being called Notre Damme. They can be reached by descending the flight of steps leading to the bottom. This is a medeival town with the reputation of being one of the holiest places found anywhere in France. It attracts many tourists each year and also pilgrims from all over the world. The steps I mentioned earlier also lead to some lovely gift shops where you can buy hand made clothing and confectionery. There are many bars and restaurants which are in the square.
 The new part of Rocamadour has hotels and modern gifts shops and there are caves to explore with cave paintings that are 20,000 years old.
I have visited this lovely village on several occasions, a couple of times by car but mostly on the back of a motorbike, wow, what an experience that was! The views are breathtaking and the roads are very windy which makes good riding for bikers, but I must also add that the cliff faces are shear drops and it was pretty hairy at times when riding round the bends! On a clear day you can see for miles as the photo above shows, its just beautiful.
If you like goats cheese then you will love Rocamadour's very own, it has a distinctive taste and although I have tried many others around France, none for me comes even close. One of their most popular cheeses was awarded the AOC status in 1996,
 It is made without any chemicals being added to the curds, they only allow a few goats to the hectare, less than ten in fact which is why it is so unique, it can be served warm with a walnut salad or on french bread which is how I like it and it goes very well with a red Cahor wine.
Written by Sarah Davies |
