Sarlat on foot

October 6, 2022

Encounters with Cycle Blazers and Pâté

Our bed at the Hotel Montaigne is so comfortable that it’s after 9 by the time I drag myself out of it. Wandering downstairs we find the best breakfast of the trip so far, a lavish spread of brie, eggs, jambon, pastries, granola, walnuts, fresh fruit and more. This is the nicest place we’ve stayed this trip.

Stepping outside after breakfast we are delighted to see the two Bike Fridays that we discovered in the velo garage last night with their owners, Rachael and Scott Anderson. They have been hanging out by the door in hopes of catching us before they depart Sarlat. Good thing we didn’t sleep in any later. We wouldn’t have met these “homeless bike tourists” as they introduce themselves, who have sold their home, placed their worldly goods in a storage unit in Portland Oregon and now wander the world on their bicycles. And we wouldn’t know anything about Cycle Blaze; this is the first we’ve heard of it. Rachael mentions that she tried the number that I left in her helmet a few times but couldn’t get through. Hmm, I haven’t been able to call anyone in France either. Must be some Verizon weirdness.

Thrilled to have our first Cycle Blaze meetup, before we knew it was a thing

Seven months in on a nine-month tour around France, Scott and Rachael are doing longer miles than we are. These bikes have more potential than I've given them credit for. Our rides here have all been under 60k, largely a reaction to a painful experience in the saddle on an 80k day awhile back. I notice that they have drop bars on their Fridays and suspect our more upright position in the saddle is part of the problem. This merits further study.

We're excited to hear that they enjoy riding in Tucson during the winter. We spent a month there last March and had decided to add on February next year to escape the nasty weather at home. Hopefully we can work out another meetup down the road. Looking forward to checking out their CB journal.

We walk on to explore the medieval town of Sarlat on narrow lanes winding past straw yellow stone buildings. Stopping in at the TI we inquire about La Ferme du Brusquand, a goose farm that our friend Terry says does a wonderful dinner. The attendant said they are closed for dinner now. Quel dommage!

Colorful flags draw us along the shop on the Rue de la Republique

Lanterne des Morts, a mysterious tower from the 12th century

Memorial to the sons of Sarlat who died in the Great War

At the church of Sainte Marie, a glass elevator ascends 35 meters to a panoramic view of the city. It's worth the 10 Euros, even if the guide's French is lost on us. Jammed into the glass cube with seven other humans we survey the landscape and study the English language brochure.

The tour guide jabbers on en francais, pointing out the Cathedral, the Lantern of the Dead, the executioner's tower, the old city walls and the aqueduct. When we come back to France I'm determined to have a lot more French, enough to understand the guides.

Next we come to the Cathedral Saint-Sacerdos. Built beginning in the 12th century, it evolved over the next 300 or 400 years. It feels more warm and human than many of the churches we've been in lately, with no gilded Renaissance flourishes. The sun comes out for a little while, painting the columns with colors of the stained glass windows.

Stained glass colors wash over the stone columns

It's been chilly quite often on this trip. We keep hoping it will warm up as we move south but today I'm cold. Most sweaters I've seen here are big bulky affairs. I need something skinny that I can jam into my panniers. Around the corner from the church a thrift shop has just the thing - a thin but warm long-sleeve layer for €3. Sold.

We haven't tried any pate yet. It's a specialty of the region so we figure today's the day to wade in. At Entrez Deux for lunch the Pâté de Foie Gras on toast is... ok. Honestly I would have been happier with a pizza.

Back at the hotel while Barry recharges with an afternoon snooze I talk with Marina, the sweet hotel clerk, about possibilities for dinner. She suggests La Ferme du Brusquand. It seems the TI rep was misinformed, it is in fact open for dinner. Biking out there and back after dark isn't appealing so she arranges a cab to take us there in time for the 5 pm tour and pate tasting. We'll get another shot at this local delicacy. Yay, I guess.

On the way to the farm we are so glad to be in the taxi enjoying the view and not riding the narrow hilly roads full of cars and farm implements. On arrival we find a lovely spot in the Dordogne countryside where the geese are squawking away. We present ourselves for the tour and see that the owner is clearly worried we won't understand a word about it. She puts me on the phone with her nephew who explains in English what the tour is about. He assures us that there will be no force feeding of the geese. We assure him we're up for anything. Our host proceeds with her French jibber jabber that blends right in with the goose babble.

After the tour our host offers a tasting of three varieties of duck liver pate. I kind of like one of them but could use a beverage to wash it down. There's nothing on offer, not even a glass of water. With an hour and a half to kill before dinner I punch in "is there a bar around here?" on Google Translate and they point us in the direction of the village of Marquay. It's a short pretty walk through the countryside to the local Tabac - pleasant place to while away the time for happy hour.

There must be a bar around here somewhere

On the stroll back to the restaurant is just as pleasant. This little impromptu walk is the most Zen thing we've done today.

Just as pretty on the way back in the late afternoon sunlight

Back at La Ferme, my dinner of pate de foie gras and cassoulet with duck is absolutely delicious. I haven't always understood the French cuisine but this encounter with pâté is very satisfying.

Returning to the hotel we stop at the bar for a local aperitif. Our friend Marina who set us up for dinner is tending bar. Walnuts are a major crop in this area so she suggests Vin Noix, a walnut wine. Parfait!

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Rachael AndersonWhat a great day! I sure wish we could meet up in Tucson but our last day there is January 28th. There maybe another Cycleblazer there around that time also.
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