Chateau de Cenevieres

The Chateau de Cenevieres is a castle in the commune of Cenevieres in the Lot department of southwestern France. The castle dates from the 13th century, but was significantly altered in the succeeding three centuries. Today it is a major tourist attraction, with the owner of the chateau giving tours. Lifelike mannequins in period costume add to the interest.

Calvignac Couples

A couple of couples, seen while hiking near Calvignac, a commune in the Lot department of southwestern France.

Pretty Rocks

This part of France, near Calvinac in the Lot River Valley, has lots of attractive rocks - be they carved into wheels, left to grow lichen, or serving as hosts for colorful plants.

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie

Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is a "favorite French village" located in the Lot department of the Occitania region. It has lots of charm, beauty, and character. It is perhaps best known as the town where the Surrealist poet, writer, and theorist, Andre Breton, had a house.

 Andre Breton's house is in the center of this picture.

Along the Lot River

The Lot River flows under high cliffs through glowing green vegetation on a sunny autumn afternoon.

This looks like an outline sculpture of a mammoth, perhaps modeled after a drawing in the Pech Merle caves.

Pech Merle and Cabrerets

From Wikipedia: "Pech Merle is a cave which opens onto a hillside at Cabrerets in the Lot département of the Occitania region in France. It is one of the few prehistoric cave painting sites in France that remain open to the general public. Extending for over a kilometre and a half from the entrance are caverns, the walls of which are painted with dramatic murals dating from the Gravettian culture (some 25,000 years BC). Some of the paintings and engravings, however, may date from the later Magdalenian era (16,000 years BC)." The top picture is of a full-scale reproduction of a section of cave wall, in the visitor center of Pech Merle. Photos are not allowed inside the cave.

The village of Cabrerets (2nd picture) is on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella.

Below: A sculpture atelier in Cabrerets. Tour leader Annie is getting friendly with one of the characters. The second image is of Lucy and her bipedal infant. The third is of one of the sculptors working on a figure.

Stations of the Cross in Rocamadour

There are twelve of these roughly life-sized shrines on the steep stairway from the base of the village of Rocamadour to the summit above. Each depicts a Station of the Cross.