France ... continued

Thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my last post about France, I really do appreciate them and apologise for not replying personally. Things are a bit hectic in my life at the moment as you will see later.

Whilst staying in the Dordogne area of France we visited the remarkable village of Rocamadour. Journeying up twisting ever-ascending lanes, the view of this eclectic almost vertical village assaults you. Hewn from the rock itself, dominating the turbulent river below.

Rocamadour is more than simply an enchanting site that provides the wild setting for greenery, nature and light. It is more about the captivating beauty of this magical place that gives the Diocesan Sanctuary at the very top of the village a very special character.

Saying goodbye to the Dordogne Valley we moved on towards the Languedoc area in the south and to a much awaited visit to the medieval walled city of Carcassonne with its fairytale-like quality of cone topped turrets and serrated cream coloured battlements.

We stayed for three nights and our hotel was within the walls of the city being
 one of three renovated medieval houses and giving us plenty of access to explore the lovely sights to be found, wandering along the ancient cobbled lanes founded by the Romans and trodden over the centuries by the Visigoths, Saracens and rich medieval merchants.

I loved this stone staircase which led us up to our room

And the gardens were wonderful where we sat for breakfast each morning

After dinner we would walk along the Ramparts around the city walls 

where we viewed the spectacular sunsets over the Bastide area of Carcassonne

All too soon it was time to return from our holiday but we have some lovely memories to look back on.

So it's back to reality and now I am preparing to go to hospital on Monday for major eye surgery to repair a macular hole in my right eye which has caused me to lose my central vision. I had this done last year on my left eye so know the procedure and although the surgery is not pleasant (I'm awake throughout) it's afterwards that is more daunting as I have to maintain a posture of face down for about 40 minutes in every hour 24/7 for about seven days which can be both draining and frustrating to say the least.

However, I haven't yet read all your lovely posts since my holiday so intend to indulge myself by reading and catching up with you all on my iPad as I can look down at it on my lap. More information can be found here if anyone is interested. I'll try and keep you updated during the next week.

Bye for now

Patricia