An early morning walk around the village before the other tourists arrived allowed us to appreciate the village in our own time. It was interesting to see the residents tending their homes and the small gardens before being decended on by the likes of us.
Clear streets on our early morning walk around Bruniquel.
... and another.
By the time we returned to the aire for breakfast only one other van remained leaving us, and a pleasant Frenchman, left. So a day of great peace and quite with a view down the valley and across to the hilltop village of Bruniquel.
The village became important due to its position on the trade route in this part of France. The medieval houses of the village reflect the wealth that was created due to this position. Flax, hemp and saffron were the main sources of the wealth of the village with the village market place being the main trading location.
An elegant merchant’s house.
The old castle has weathered some interesting times: divided living space between rival cousins, single living space during the Renaissance, set on fire during the Wars of Religion, and then refurbished in the following centuries. In 1987 it was taken over by the local administration and now used as a powerful symbol of the Tarn-et-Garonne district. 
The Château of Bruniquel keeping watch over the Aveyron valley. (Photo from Tourist Office brochure)
A few other motorhomers joined us later in the day so we felt we hadn’t driven them all away!Tomorrow Le Tour de France passes through this area of the Tarn. We plan to join the tradition of lining the roadside to see the fleeting passing of the peloton. Roads in the area are to be closed at 11 am - so we will need to be parked-up well before this time.
We spent a week in the area in 2010, staying at Brens on the outskirts of Gaillac. We loved lots of the villages around the area - Cordes-sur-Ciel was a favourite. Keep up the good work!!
ReplyDelete