The Town on the Sky

Thursday 11 September

Cordes-sur-Ciel is an exquisitely preserved medieval town, simply know as Cordes until 1993.  At this point some market savvy tourist official decided that the name should be lengthened to give reference to the phenomenon which causes the town to appear to sit on top of the clouds when mists roll up from the valleys below.  Thus the town founded in 1222 and little changed since medieval times acquired the name by which it is now known.

Not my photo - but here is the reason for the name Cordes-sur-Ciel (Cordes-on-the-Sky)

Today we drove the short distance to Cordes-sur-Ciel and viewed this charming town on a brilliantly sunny day - not a cloud in sight.  As the town ascends a steep hill we deemed it prudent to ride most of the way up in the little tourist train after parking at the bottom of the incline (only option really).  We hopped off the train and entered the town through a huge arched portal and arrived at the Grande Rue or main street.

One of several gates into the town

All the way up the street are large stone houses which belonged to the wealthy residents and which have a distinctly Italianate appearance.  One of these lovely buildings houses a contemporary art museum and has a beautifully restored interior.  The Tourist Office is also located in a very grand building on this street.

Grand house on Rue Grande

Cordes was busy today without being overcrowded and we enjoyed walking along the lanes and admiring the small stone houses as well as the more substantial buildings.  We still had a bit of a walk up the steep streets to reach to top of the hill.

Grande Rue - a bit of a climb

At the top of the hill is a tree shaded terrace with stupendous views over the very fine Tarn countryside.  A favourite place to sit and chill and/or eat lunch.

Terrace with a great view -

of forests

and fields

The couple of restaurants on this terrace were not offering menus that we fancied - not being lovers of foie gras or duck - so we walked down a few steps to a Creperie located under the shelter of a huge covered market.  Although there were no countryside views here it was a tranquil place for lunch - buckwheat galettes, salad, dessert, coffee - quite delicious.

Creperie in the market square

We spent some more time browsing in some of the interesting shops and then made our way down the hill.  Gerri caught the little train and I walked down a steep cobble-stone lane that offered glimpses of the fields below between pretty honey-coloured stone houses.

Views on the way down the hill

Leaving the old town

Still going down

Cordes certainly does live up to its reputation of being the "Jewel of the Tarn".

After a busy week we decided to drive back to St Antonin and have a quiet afternoon.  We took a route back down to the Aveyron River and stopped briefly at another old town - this one a bit shabby - called Laguepie.

Laguepie - River Viaour and chateau ruins

 The town sits on the confluence of the Aveyron and Viaour Rivers and is overlooked by a very large, but ruined medieval chateau.  Today there were several people enjoying riverside, swimming and picnicking.

Laguepie

We arrived home earlier than usual and enjoyed a drink and some cheese in the coolness of our courtyard.  It is really nice to have a comfortable and spacious temporary home with all mod-cons when touring in France.  The evenings are a little shorter now - 8.45 pm and it is almost dark.