where to go after Sarlat-le-Caneda??

So, let's define the problem as the best way to spend nine days. It's entirely possible that the answer does not lie at the end of your trip, but at the beginning, or in between. So, what is your itinerary? Qualitatively, there are towns in Normandy I'll bet you'd like--it's not all about D-Day, you know. And logistically Normandy is pretty convenient to DeGaulle.

I'm flying into Geneva and hopping on a bus: -3 days in Annecy to wind down & sleep off jet lag. -A week in Lyon for a language immersion program. -On to Le Puy-en-Velay, where I will start to walk the Chemin du St. Jacques (the GR 65) for 3 weeks, hoping to finish in Moissac. I've included two rest days on the Chemin. -One night in Agen, because the trains are weird. -3 days in Sarlat. I hope that helps! I was looking last night at St-Emilion and La Rochelle....anyone have any info?? Thanks!
Karen

Unless you're an absolute wine nut, St Emilion is too small, too packed, too over-priced and too single-themed to spend more than a few hours - - the fewer the better. On the other hand, if you like places like Colmar and Les Baux, it just the place to go. La Rochelle is enough of a small city (70k pop ?) that you can poke around and find interesting little spots. It has a heck of a lot of history, interesting architecture, and a couple of good, specialized museums. Ile de Re is about as blah as you can get.

What an interesting trip! Perhaps you have made specific arrangements for the walking part of your trip so that you must start on your walk directly after Lyon. Perhaps, also, you have considered the many small towns of the Luberon and the Rhone valley in Provence. Probably, even. However, Provence is an obvious suggestion, if you can shift your walking departure date, so at the risk of being obvious I suggest it. The other obvious opportunity for small, scenic, & easy lies between, or around, Moissac and Sarlat. Many delightful and fascinating towns between the Spanish border and the Dordogne. (Want a peek a the sea? Head down to Coulliore.) Of course this assumes you will have a car or other personal transportation for that part of your trip. I hope that you do because it's going to be hard for you to really see the Dordogne in three days on foot. So take that as my second humble suggestion. Obviously with nine days you can actually go just about anywhere, though you are sort of stuck in the boondocks in terms of rail connections to Sarlat. I have a friend who makes a point of finishing his trips to Europe with 3 days in a completely different place. So: a week in Piedmont, a few days in St. Petersberg. A week in Burgundy, a few days in San Sebastian. He recommends this strategy. All I mean is that you can go anywhere you want.

Provence. I like Adam's suggestion. Perhaps a trip to Carcassonne also.

collioure is a small village on the water--http://www.collioure.com/gb/dec_gb.htm