Monflanquin. Sounds like a weird exotic bird huh? Nope, it's just yet another village in France that I cannot pronounce properly. Not only has it been around since the medieval times, but it is also on the list of "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France," or The Most Beautiful Villages of France. 

It really is a picturesque town...aside from the frenchman peeing outside of course (this isn't out of the ordinary in France). Being that it sits on the top of the hill, it's possible to see it from other surrounding villages, and it has this sense of power when you look at it, like it is just above all the rest. I can see how it was a military fortress at one point.

One of the first things you'll notice here is the architecture. It's like a town that is frozen in time for hundreds of years. There are several photos as you walk up the tiny streets that show exactly how it looked where you were standing in the early 1900's. Now aside from the horse and buggy's and the dreadful fashion, not much has changed (and yes I'm aware that 1900's isn't 'hundreds' of years, but the camera has only been around for so long eh).

I came across what I thought was a strange, rustic christmas decoration. Yeah, no. This a medieval map of the universe. Everything revolves around our large, flat Earth. Go figure, everything revolves around

the French right? (Sorry Mat!). Personally I still think it resembles a Christmas ornament.

Apparently I've had extremely poor judgement today because directly after the not-so-christmas-ornament, what I thought was an olive oil store, was actually a liquor store. So here, the tallest building to the right, is a beautiful tiny yet very modern shop with local brands, but even more than that it's a great piece of history. Monflanquin actually bounced back and fourth between French and English rule, and this building was the home to "The Black Prince," son of King Richard ll of England. When you look around the bastide, or town square, you'll notice this townhome looks ten times bigger and nicer than the rest. That better be some damn good liquor.

The church is itself the main building of the town. They take extremely good care of it, and it's still used for mass today. You can tell that most of the things inside, like this lamp are as old as the church itself (13th century). If there's one thing I love almost as much as castles, it's the churches in Europe. THEY ARE AMAZING. I'm the typical annoying tourist flashing my camera while people are praying, and as bad as I feel I know I'm in God's crib and he forgives everyone right?

As I've said before Lot-et-Garonne is just not as pretty in the winter as it is in the summer, and yet the view from the top of Monflanquin is still beautiful. There are several detailed maps to show you what you are looking at from the hill. You can see one of my favorite castles Château Biron without even squinting. The view is priceless really.

I've visited this town a few times, and it truly deserves to be on that list. It's great for tourists, it makes for beautiful pictures, and you can't beat the location. Not to mention you can do a tasting of local liquors. Did I forget to mention that?