Lucky in Souillac!

Lucky in Souillac!

It’s okay kids, it’s not what you think…a pigeon decided to s**t on my shoulder and Graeme says that means I will be blessed with good luck.

Today, we decided to go to Souillac for a different view.

We travelled by bus from Gare de Gourdon to Gare de Soulliac.

Graeme saw beautiful vistas enroute, but I was strapped in for dear life as the driver was busy chatting with another passenger with his eyes off the road, and all the while exceeding the speed limit. The route from Gourdon to Souillac is full of sharp, sweeping curves and turns.

We arrived early morning 9:40AM, and then headed down hill from the train station to Centre Ville about 2.5Km; sauntered around the Ancient Quarters. Town was quiet, not peak tourist season with many closed establishments and properties for sale.

One of the main attractions in Souillac is the Abbey Sainte-Marie. The original abbey was built in the 12th century. We peeked inside only for a few minutes as approx. 100 children were visiting on a school trip.

“Souillacs’ situation on the road between Toulouse and Paris, on the river Borrèze and close to the river Dordogne led to the development of the town. It was surrounded by a defensive wall with five entrances. However the town and particularly the abbey suffered in the wars of religion. In the 17th century the benedictine monks rebuilt the monastic buildings next to the abbey. The abbey has beautiful domes in the same style as the cathedral at Perigueux. Inside are some excellent Romanesque sculptures.”… Excerpt from the Dordogne Travel Guide.

Additionally in the old part of town is a medieval bell tower, part of which collapsed in 1828.

Every where we travel, it never ceases to amaze us how the French almost torture the trees to make them grow the way they want. They prune the limbs to such a degree you would think the tree would never recover. Yet the trees thrive.

After lunch, walked uphill to the Train Station…and travelled back to Gourdon by train…I found the return trip more enjoyable.