Day 8 – Montignac  to Sarlat

September 26^th, 2002

foie gras here, foie gras there, foie gras everywhere!

The first thing we did today was rush to “La Chocaline”, a specialty chocolate shop we had spotted the night before. Sacre bleu, it was closed! We had spent the whole night in anticipation of the chocolate truffles, but it just wasn’t meant to be.  So sad…so very sad, a colossal disappointment really.  After consoling ourselves with some buttery croissants and chocolatines, we loaded up our bikes and set off for Sarlat. It was a short relaxing ride through the countryside. The changing colors of the leaves on the trees made it quite dramatic.

Sarlat is quite busy and touristy, very much in contrast to some of the sleepy towns we had been riding through. The streets are lined with countless specialty shops. Vegetarians be warned, it is foie gras here, foie gras there, foie gras everywhere! Nevertheless, the restored town center is quite beautiful and the Saturday market makes it well worth the trip. Another must is an evening walk through town, gas lamps illuminate the old medieval section of Sarlat, and the setting is quite romantic.

We found a charming chambre d’hôte, located 5 minutes from the old town center. We showered, (or rather I showered and mistakenly used up all the hot water. Spiros, just kind of rinsed off his legs and arms), and went into town for dinner.