Be charmed by Lauzerte's art, views, and sweet wine

Written and photographed by Mimi Beck Knudsen

This post originally appeared on the Places & Faces blog for The Local Buzz.

A cannon in Lauzerte's barbican reminds us that this esplanade was built for
the defense of the town.

Our recent day trip to the Tarn-et-Garonne, included a stop in the village of Lauzerte, one of France's Plus Beaux Villages. The hilltop town was built in the late 12th century at the bequest of the count of Toulouse. The count had received the hill as a gift on which to build a castelnau — a city protected by a castle. For 500 years, Lauzerte served as a defensive stronghold, a center of trade, and a regional court of appeal. Today it is known for its artisans, its views, and its bounty of fruits, particularly Chasselas grapes and Quercy melons.

Steep streets in Lauzerte lead to the top of this charming village in the
Tarn-et-Garonne department.

This house with a blue door can be found in Lauzerte.

This cat seems to blend in with the sandstone buildings in Lauzerte.

The Church of the Carmelites stands at the foot of the village of Lauzerte.

We park in the lower part of town, about halfway up the hill and wind our way on foot to the top of the village. It's a quiet weekday afternoon and we have les rues nearly to ourselves. The houses are made of sandstone and many are Gothic or Renaissance style. Somewhat out of breath, we stop to admire the views from La Barbacane, described in a poem by Pierre Sourbié (1906-1985) as "an ancient rampart overlooking the plain, where the long green ribbon of Lendou unfolds."

The Pilgrim's Garden in Lauzerte traces the history of the pilgrimage to
Santiago de Compostela.

The rich farmland of the Tarn-et-Garonne can be seen from Lauzerte.

A large shade tree frames a view from the barbican in Lauzerte.

From the barbican's terrace, we have a bird's eye view of Jardin du Pèlerin — the Pilgrim's Garden, which contains a path with signs that tell the story of those that hike the Camino de Santiago — the Way of Saint James. Lauzerte is a prominent stop along this famous route, and even this late in the year, we see several hikers.

This unusual upturned corner in Place des Cornières in Lauzerte
was installed in 1987.

This upturned corner in Lauzerte's Place des Cornières was designed by
Jacques Buchholtz and is made of reinforced concrete and mosaic tiles

As we reach the upper edge of town, we notice the houses have become larger; these are the mansions that once belonged to the wealthier merchants. Here we find Place des Cornières, Lauzerte's small-ish, pretty square bordered by arches, that contains a unique raised corner. The feature was designed  by Jacques Buchholtz, a famous ceramist who, in 1998, died in a small plane crash. Buchholtz's wife Marielle Homberg, a painter, a two others were also killed in the crash.

The painted panels in Saint Bartholomew's Church in Lauzerte are attributed to
Joseph Ingres and his students.

Located at the far corner of the square is Église Saint-Barthélemy, a somewhat somber church that blends several different styles. Its nave is flanked by six side chapels, and its choir is enclosed by a five-sided apse. The church contains panels that were painted by French Neoclassical painter Joseph Ingres (1755-1814) and his students.

Fifteen wrought-iron signs like this one can be found in the streets of Lauzerte.
They were created by Sylvain Soligon, a former iron worker.

With its many artisan shops and artistic accents, Lauzerte is clearly a village that is explicitly linked to art. Fifteen wrought-iron signs depicting various trades can be found throughout the village. These signs were created by Sylvain Soligon, a former iron worker. We also spot several whimsical Capuchin friars, created by Soligon's son Didier.

This figure of a Capuchin friar on a wall in Lauzerte was
designed by Didion Soligon, son of the iron worker/artist
Sylvain Soligon.

Life here slows down after the summer is over, but off-season visitors will still be charmed by Lauzerte. Market days are Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and the Journée de L'Arbre et du Bois (tree and wood festival) is held each November, (this year on Nov. 17, 2019). And while you're there, stop in one of Lauzerte's 10 restaurants for a glass of Chasselas and a bite of something flavored with saffron — a spice that has grown in this area since the Middle Ages.

Artwork seems to grow in the village of Lauzerte.

Lauzerte is located in the northwest corner of the Tarn-et-Garonne, about 40 km north of Montauban, 55 km east of Agen, and 40 km southwest of Cahors. Pair a visit to Lauzerte with a trip to Moissac, a half-hour away, for a terrific day in the Quercy Blanc region.

Autumn snaps

This reservoir can be seen from the Huffaker Hills trail in Reno, Nev.

Each year we visit family and friends in the U.S., timing our trip to coincide with Thanksgiving — my favorite holiday. With the birth of our granddaughter in 2018, these trips have a new focus: to spend as much time as possible with her. Although I don't share photos of her on this blog or on social media (with a few exceptions), trust me — she's adorable and bright and is the apple of our eye.

Kids try their hand at panning for gold at Apple Ridge Farms near Placerville, Calif.

Speaking of apples, I accompanied Sweet Baby Vi and her parents on an outing to Apple Hill, a place I never got around to visiting when I lived in Nevada. It's an annual pilgrimage for many residents of northern Nevada and northern California, especially in the fall when the aforementioned apples are being harvested.

Our lunch stop at Bodhaine Ranch near Placerville, Calif., included
a slice of pie, of course.

Autumn flowers were in bloom at Delfino Farms in
Camino, Calif., on the day of our Apple Hill excursion. 

Families may enjoy picking a basket or two of apples in one of the many orchards that dot the hills near Placerville, Calif. Others will just want to browse the country-store-style shops and pay a bit too much for jars of yummy apple butter, donuts, or cans of (I swear this is true) alligator or snake bits to serve up on crackers. For us, it was a day to get outside, enjoy the sunshine, have a pleasant lunch alfresco (brisket sandwiches seem to be popular). Yeah, all that was great, but truthfully, I was mostly there for the pie.

Framed by sagebrush, Ken shows how much he enjoyed our first hike at
Huffaker Hills in Reno, Nev.

When we weren't babysitting, Ken and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather by taking some short hikes. We went to Huffaker Hills, in the heart of Reno, a couple of times. Named for Granville W. Huffaker, one of the area's original settlers, the open space provides rocky paths bordered by sagebrush and grand views of the Reno skyline.

Despite being colder, we still had blue skies for our second hike at Huffaker Hills
in Reno, Nev.

Our U.S. trip coincided with an appearance by a friend at the Pioneer Center in Reno. We met César Lozano at an English-language school at which we volunteered last winter. Right off the bat, Ken and I found César to be a very charming man. During our many hours of intimate conversations, he made each of us feel like we were the most important person in the world. We eventually found out that he is a big celebrity in Latin America and throughout the Spanish-language community in the U.S. Doctor/author/motivational speaker, César may be the most charismatic person I know.

We wish we could have spent more time with our friend César Lozano
after his appearance at the Pioneer Center in Reno, Nev., but there was
a line of fans waiting to meet him.

We stopped by before his show to say hi, and he insisted we stay for the whole evening. Although Ken and I couldn't understand most of what he was saying since it was in Spanish, the audience was enraptured, laughing and sighing and cheering throughout the evening. When we said good-bye afterward, a line of several hundred people were waiting to meet César and have him sign the books, DVDs, and tee-shirts they had bought. They had to wait a bit longer, because he was chatting with us, once again making us feel like we were the most special VIPs there.

Gray skies add to the atmosphere at the Emeryville (Calif.) Marina.

Our trip back to France began with a ride on the California Zephyr, the Amtrak train that runs from Chicago to San Francisco. We got to spend time with my brother before our plane left the next day. The weather was not so great, but we enjoyed a walk around the Emeryville Marina, a tranquil spot on the San Francisco Bay.

Seemingly deep in conversation at the Emeryville (Calif.) Marina,
Mike and Ken were probably talking about sports.

San Francisco can nearly be seen through the mist across the bay from the
Emeryville (Calif.) Marina.

We had the Emeryville (Calif.) Marina to ourselves on this cool misty morning.

Although our next trip is right around the corner, we are already looking forward to the following trip, and the one after that, and the one after that. Somewhere in there will be another trip or two to the U.S. After all, Sweet Baby Vi misses her grandparents.
 

Our U.S. trip always includes a few back and forths between Reno
and the Bay Area on I-80.

This is the Impossible Whopper from Burger King. Not too shabby!

Winter arrived during the last week of our U.S. trip. We pose along the
Truckee River in Reno, Nev., before seeing a movie, complete with
butter-soaked popcorn.