Lot

It is located in the center Ancien, tucked away on a side street that is easy to miss if you are not paying attention.

The menu changes frequently, reflecting the seasonal availability of ingredients from the surrounding Lot Department.

Tonight, I had a dish of confit de canard, duck legs slow-cooked in its own fat until tender, served with potatoes roasted in the oven.

It was rich and comforting, perfectly suited to the cooling autumn air.

I have just arrived, honestly, day two.

The train from Bordeaux via Brive was long, but the view of the Lot Valley opening up as we approached was worth every minute of the journey.

My flat is settling me in, or rather, my boxes are settling the flat.

It is a modest one bedroom, roughly 45 square meters, costing me about 380 euros a month.

I pass the Halion Place Carnot, where the Saturday market is huge.

Today is Thursday, so it is quiet, but I know that by Saturday, the place will be heavy with duck, walnuts, and cower wine.

The harvest season is underway on the Lotz Vineyards, and you can smell the grapes everywhere.

I thought about going to the sideways center, the Decotary, but I read that it is undergoing major renovations starting late September.

We started in Paris, moved west to the Atlantic coast, and now we are here in the southwest.

The plan is to stay in Fijac for a while to really get to know the Lot Department.

From here, I can day trip to the Padarac Cave, a natural sinkhole with an underground river, or explore the Casas du Corsi Regional Natural Park.

It is a UNESCO Global Geopark full of limestone cliffs and troglodyte sites.

I think most people, when they think of going to France, they think of Paris, they think of the French Riviera, they maybe think of Normandy, maybe the Alsace for the Christmas markets.

But a lot of people don't think to go to the southwest of France, particularly like the Dordogne and Lattes departments.

Again, people do go and know about it, but it's like so few compared to all these other places in France.

And so we really wanted to go road trip through here.

Didn't even go to the coast.

It's just like that section.

The Lot and Dordogne departments of France in particular are just stunning.

Just so many beautiful views everywhere.