We arrived here a couple of days ago and have, in total, three full days here and that isn't nearly enough to touch the surface of the fabulous sights to see. However, we are ticking them off one by one. We are based in Beynac-et-Cazenac which is situated on the Dordogne River. It is designated as "Un des Plus Beaux Villages de France" - and for good reason. If you are into medieval history or prehistoric times, this area of France is the place to be.
For our first full day here, we visited nearby Domme (another designated "beautiful village"). While we were there, we visited a shop selling local products - foie gras, moutardes, biscuits, huiles de noix, etc. Actually, there are numerous stores like that there and in the other towns and villages around here but the guy who ran La Dommoise, la maison du foie gras was friendly, informative, and very helpful. We got to sample lots of items and, of course, ended up buying! Domme is also a "village perche" sitting on top of a high hill which overlooks the Dordogne Valley. It is a lovely setting.
Our lunch stop was the very pretty village along the river east from Beynac called La Rocque Gageac. This village was featured in the 2000 movie Chocolat and is another with a "beautiful village" designation.
One of the chateaux here, Marqueyssac near Vezac, has what are termed "jardins suspendus". I really had no idea what that meant - sort of thought they'd be hanging baskets - but they are actually carefully manicured gardens tumbling down the hills on the chateau's property. They are quite something to see. The chateau itself dates from 1600s so, technically, it isn't medieval. Nonetheless, it is impressive!
Today (Saturday), we started off in Sarlat, the largest nearby town. It was market day which is always a treat in France. Being able to see regional products and locals shopping to find treasures is such a great experience. Sarlat is a charming town with most of its buildings in yellow-hued sandstone. And, on just about every corner, there is a foie gras store.
Next on the itinerary was Rocamadour. It has been at least 10 years since I have visited this impressive village which sort of "drips" over a cliff with a chateau on the top, a church at the next level, the village on this third, and then the valley below. I was very pleased to find out that elevators have been installed since the last time I was here - at least from the top level to the second two, So, for a few Euros, I didn't have to huff and puff my way up and down the steep incline. My friend chose the harder route! Our first glimpse of the village was from across the valley and it shows how impressive the construction of the village is. Hard to believe it was mostly constructed in the 12th century. It is best known for the Cité Réligieuse - complex of religious buildings, accessed via the Grand Escalier staircase. It includes the Chapelle Notre-Dame, with its Black Madonna statue, and the Romanesque-Gothic Basilica of St-Sauveur.
And, about those caves. We visited our first one today. The guy in the Domme store recommended that we see the Grottes de Cougnac which are famous because of their prehistoric drawings which you can see in their original state. So, after our stop in Rocamadour, that is where we headed. We joined a tour in French but, because there were 4 Americans, their guide translated the French into English. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the cave (the ones below I found on the Internet) but seeing the drawings of animals done more than 30,000 years ago (some of the animals are now extinct) was fascinating. It is thought the people living here at that time predate Cro-Magnon humans. Aside from the drawings, the stalactites and stalagmites in the several caves we walked through were quite impressive as well. It is difficult to get one's head around how long ago this all took place. As water dripped on our heads as we walked through the cave, the guide pointed out that the water had taken 60 years to get from rain on the earth's surface to the roof of the cave! Bizarre!
Tomorrow we will visit the Caves of Lascaux which I remember learning about in Grade 8 art class. They are the most famous but, unlike the drawings we saw today, those have been recreated as the original caves are now closed to the public. That visit will probably warrant its own blog.
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