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As you head north from Montauban towards Cahors, leaving the wide flat valleys of the Tarn and Garonne behind you, the land rises gradually to gently undulating country, green and woody, cut obliquely by parallel valleys running down to meet the Garonne and planted with vines and sunflowers, maize, and apple and plum orchards. It's a very soft landscape, and villages are small and widely scattered. The pace of life seems about equal with that of a turning sunflower. Should you find yourself taking this route, then the place to make a halt is LAUZERTE , one of Raymond of Toulouse's bastides and of great military importance as it commands the road to Cahors, the route down which the pilgrims of St-Jacques came pouring every spring, as they still do today, or at least the hardy who follow the GR65 on foot. The town is short on sights, but there are some old houses, a pretty arcaded central square and a good Baroque altarpiece in the church, as well as views of the countryside round about. There's a very pleasant hotel at the entrance to the village for those who want to stay: Hotel du Quercy (tel 05.63.94.66.36; 160-220F/?24-34; closed Sun evening & Mon), which also serves superb food, with lunch menus from 60F/?9.15, and dinner from 195F/?29.73. If they're full, try Le Luzerta , at the bottom of the hill (tel 05.63.94.64.43, fax 05.63.94.66.67; 160-220F/?24-34), which has several bungalows around a swimming pool and a decent restaurant (closed Sun evening & Tues; menus from 90F/?13.72). There's a campsite nearby, Le Melvin (tel 05.63.94.75.60; closed Oct-May), and a gite d'etape in the village for walkers on the GR65 (tel 05.63.94.61.94).
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