Nostradamus studied here. The English and French battled over it during the 100 Years War. On a lazy loop of the Lot River, Cahors is my favorite city in the Midi-Pyrenees region. The capital of pre-revolution Quercy and now of the Lot departement, its winding back streets plunge you into the ancient France of crusaders and pilgrims.

I’m having a “travel writer day”–indulging my personal interest in folklore while on paid assignment in France. (You can take a “travel writer day,” too…more below).

Along with its medieval core of half-timbered houses, Cahors’ main showpiece is the triple-turreted “devil bridge,” Pont Valentré. It dates back to the 14th century–the story goes that the bridge’s architect promised his soul to the devil in exchange for help with the construction.

When it was almost complete, the architect handed the devil a sieve to mix the mortar. But as sieves don’t hold water, the devil couldn’t fulfill his side of the bargain and the architect’s soul was saved. In revenge, the devil destroyed part of the central tower and it proved impossible to complete. When the bridge was restored in 1879, a tiny devil carving was placed high up on the middle tower.

Another reason to visit is to sample the “black wine of Cahors,” produced from Malbec grapes and grown in the Lot River area since Roman times. You’re drinking history–it graced the marriage table of Eleanor of Aquitaine and made its way to the court of the Russian Czars. In the 14th century, Pope John XXII (who was born in Cahors) adopted it as his sacramental wine.

A fun way to discover the old city is with a map of the Jardins Secrets–Cahors’ 29 secret gardens. They give a fascinating insight into the medieval symbolism and superstitions of plants and herbs. For example, walnut kernels look similar to brains, so these nuts were once used to treat headaches.

The first garden on the trail is at the foot of the devilish bridge. As it’s planted with vines, no prizes for guessing why it’s called the Garden of Inebriation.

At St Barthelemy’s Church, the Pilgrims Garden is perfumed with sage and mint, vervain and violet. It’s designed as a meditation space–Cahors is also on the pilgrim trail to Santiago de Compostella. Beside the Barbican and St Jean Tower, the Crusaders Garden has silhouettes of woven chestnut representing crusaders and plants brought back from the Holy Land.

Visiting every garden would take most of the day, and I needed to go sample another two-hour-long French lunch. (Stuffed peppers, steak tartare, chocolate mousse and a big glass of Cahors wine for $25 in a courtyard restaurant near the Cathedral.) So I can’t tell you exactly what aphrodisiac plants grow in the Gallant Lovers Bower or the Theriac Garden of the old leper hospital. Made up of 50 ingredients, theriac was a medieval “miracle cure” supposed to cure leprosy.

But I did get to le jardin de la sorcière et du dragon–the Garden of the Witch and the Dragon. An enclosed garden, it has plants connected to sorcery and witchcraft. I guess mandrakes are in the ground somewhere, but I didn’t recognize the spiky black shaped plants–I’ve never seen anything like them before.

The weird black shape on the white gravel center represents “a black amoeba, a star-shaped symbol of evil.” It’s the first time I’ve come across mention of such a thing–but Cahors is rooted in strange magic. In 1317, the Bishop of Cahors was tortured and burnt at the stake for plotting to kill the Pope through necromancy and poison procured from witches.

Steenie Harvey
Roving Travel Writer, International Living

Editor’s note: You don’t need to be fascinated by myth and history to be a travel writer. If you write about whatever interests you when you travel, you might be surprised how easy it can be to find someone to pay you for it. In fact, over the next two days, we’ll publish “postcards” from writers new to IL who did just that.

If you’re interested in having a travel writing job like Steenie’s, there’s never been a better time to get started. All this week, you can try out The Ultimate Travel Writer’s Program with a big discount. You can learn more here. Even if the life of a travel writer doesn’t appeal to you right now, I think you’ll find this article an entertaining read–it details how Steenie got her first travel writing assignment. It all started in a strip joint…