After five nights in Aurillac it was time to move on, to Mende. We had planned to visit a couple of villages on our way: Bozouls  and Aubrac (both in the department of Aveyron), but also made quick stops in Estaing and Espalion (also in Aveyron) — in  the first one because having already passed it we knew that there was a clean public restroom, and the second one because we needed to find something to eat. Estaing got its name from one of the most powerful families in France from the 13th to the 18th century. The statue on the bridge is of François d’Estaing (1462), the descendant of the Estaing family, and the bishop of Rodez (a city in Southern France we did not visit, but saw road sign directing there everywhere). Estaing is considered one of the most picturesque villages of France.

Bozouls, our next stop, was not a particularly idyllic town, but its location on the edge of the gorge created by the river Dourdou de Conques was quite impressive.

We stayed in Espalion just long enough to find a bakery to buy sandwiches for lunch, and eat them in the park by the river Lot: a ham and (rancid) butter sandwich for Tomi and some sort of burger for Tei.

The last stop was in the now almost ghost town of Aubrac, located on a volcanic and granitic plateau of the same name, extending over the area of 1500 square kilometers. Aubrac plateau is a cattle breeding area where species of cows (called Aubrac and well adapted to the environment) are bred for their meat.

In Mende our Airbnb apartment was conveniently located just downtown, opposite to the cathedral. The next post (Part V) is about two hikes from Mende: to Mont-Mimat and Aubrac plateau.