Une Balade



This morning I took a balade or stroll around Cahors. My first stop was Le Barbacane, a fortification dating back to the Middle Ages. One could see the narrow vertical openings in its defensive structure from which an arquebus, a 15th century long gun limited to a range of about 50 metres, was fired. I continued on to the Cathédral St-Étienne, a 12th century Romanesque church with two monumental blue domes and an elaborately decorated portal above the north door. After this I took a relaxing croisière or cruise on the River Lot, which took us under a few of the elegant, ancient bridges spanning the river. However none were as stunning as the Pont Valentré with its three fortress towers dating back to the 14th century. These towers were originally closed off by gates and portcullises or heavy gratings that could be lowered down grooves on each side of a gateway to block entry. This fortified bridge was so imposing that it was never attacked.

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