Fortnight in France:
Our sun-soaked sojourn in the
Dordogne, Languedoc and Provence
Our sun-soaked sojourn in the
Dordogne, Languedoc and Provence
Dordogne - 1
June 9
We woke slowly to the sound of a car alarm going off outside intermittently
for about two hours.
We enjoyed breakfast on the terrace once again, then checked out. Marisa
was feeling less than 100% – salmon for dinner two nights in a row.
We loaded up the car, filled up with gas, then motored out of town on our
way to the Dordogne Valley.
We drove straight north on the tollway, and headed for the impressive
Millau bridge. We took the exit there and headed for a scenic overlook
where we took pictures and enjoyed the view. It was, again, quite windy.
Later, we drove to Rocamadour and had a brief stop there to take pictures.
We did not visit the village, though, as we had a great deal of distance to
cover and we weren’t sure how long it would take. We arrived in Daglan
(our home for the next week) around 5pm, right on schedule again. The
proprietor was nowhere to be found, but a makeshift sign on the door
included a phone number which we called. The woman meeting us
apparently doesn’t speak one word of English. Not one word.
She came right down from her home down the street and proceeded to
give us the cook’s tour of the place. We pretended we knew what she was
saying about using the appliances, facilities, etc.
After she left, we began to settle in, and Chris discovered that he had the
room key from Hotel Vigniamont in his coat pocket. Oops. Not the first time
that’s happened (see our Loire Valley trip report, “Chateaux & Chevre”).
Daglan is a quiet, pretty little village of a few hundred souls, with a few
convenient stores, a bakery, a butcher’s shop, a fine dining restaurant, a
fun little pub, a bank with ATM, and plenty of parking. But more than
anything else, it has charm with a neat row of stone and half-timbered
buildings and an attractive town square with a simple fountain. The village
is spotlessly clean. The residents clearly care about the appearance of
their town, with beautiful flower displays at virtually every home. One
evening, we sat and watched one couple spend an hour or so carefully
grooming the plants in front of their house. It is located about 9km south of
Domme – a bit off the river and its many attractions, but an easy drive away
from many areas of interest.
Marisa and Allie stopped by the grocery…only 50 yards away from our front
door…for supplies while Chris visited the boucherie for a chicken – a 15E
chicken!
Returning home, we prepared chicken dinner with carrots, onion, potatoes,
tomatoes and garlic. First, we had to figure out how to turn on the stove. It
proved easy enough, but the instructions were less than clear.
It was a nice evening, perfect for eating out on the patio. We enjoyed our
dinner with a nice bottle of impossibly cheap local wine. We then walked
around town a bit, came back and figured out how to hook up the iPod to
the home stereo. The three of us listened to some music, played Uno at
the large antique tailor's table (the original owner of the home was a tailor)
and called it a day.
June 10
We slept in very late this morning, awakening slowly at 9:45am.
Chris went to the local boulangerie to buy croissants and other pastries for
breakfast. They could not have been fresher or more delicious. Fortified by
our fresh pastries and strong coffee, we were out the door by 10:45, off to
see Chateau de Castelnaud.
It is a quick and scenic drive to the tiny, but cute village of Castelnaud-la-
Chappel. We had read plenty about the chateau but didn’t realize the town
was so nice. We parked in a huge lot with only about 15 cars there.
Definitely nice not to be there in the heart of the summer. We cannot
imagine what the town would be like when the lot was full. The chateau
itself was very impressive and very Medieval, much like stepping into the
middle of a set from Monty Python & the Holy Grail (‘Bring out your dead!’).
The ancient keep and towers offered excellent views of surrounding
countryside. We saw interesting exhibits of armor, very large catapults and
trebouchets, dungeons and courtyards. The layout is somewhat maze-like;
we got ‘lost’ several times, and circled the same route a few times.
Afterward, we stopped for drinks in the town (it was a hot day). Allie ordered
a fresh citron presse, but the pure lemon juice was simply too powerful for
her tastes. Chris has rarely enjoyed a draft beer more than he did on that
very thirsty occasion.
Then we were off to La Roque Gageac. After a very quick drive along the
river, we easily found parking in the center of town. Again, we’re not sure
this would be the case in July and August. Interesting, beautiful setting…if
a little touristy. We spent some time walking around and watching people
canoeing. This got us talking about our own upcoming canoe trip. We had
lunch at a pizzeria in town with a nice salad, pizza and omelette for 30E.
Next, we ventured off to Domme. Again, a very short drive and no problem
finding parking. We liked it there, but we were more than a little tired of
being in the hot sun. We took pictures, explored a few side streets,
admired the view, and decided to leave.
Chris’s idea of beating the heat by visiting la Grotte Cougnac near Gourdon
met with a little initial resistance from Allie, but we decided to go anyway.
When we arrived, a sign said the last tour was at 4:15 (it was now 4:25). As
we were walking back down to the parking lot, a guide hollered to us that
he would have another tour shortly. Great, we said. Let’s go. (Cost, 18E for
all three of us). We waited a while for the guide to finish selling copious ice
cream treats and postcards to the previous group.
First, we visited a smaller cave loaded with limestone formations:
columns, stalactites and stalagmites. Then, we walked upstairs and
across the grounds to an unobtrusive door in the side of a hill under a
house. We entered and then proceeded through another locked door,
covering the original entrance to cave thousands and thousands of years
ago.
Grotte de Cougnac is a fairly long cave, about a couple hundred meters.
There are plenty of limestone formations throughout, and the atmosphere
is damp, with some dripping water. We had to walk to the very back of the
cave to see the prehistoric drawings from 14,000 to 25,000 years ago. We
saw remarkably clear and well-preserved images of deer, moose,
mammoth/mastodon, and mountain goats, some in black (charcoal) and
some in red (ochre). Some figures were drawn over the originals, several
iterations over in some parts. Since the drawings are in the hardest to
reach area of the cave, and since they drew them over previous images
when fresh surfaces were available nearby, it is theorized that they must
have held important ritual significance.
We had this last tour of the day to ourselves. Our guide conducted it partly
(officially) in French, and partly in English.
Climbing back into sunlight, we made our way to the car and back to our
house in Daglan. We fixed ourselves a pasta dinner that night with fresh
ingredients and lounged on our beautiful back patio in perfect weather.
After a brief walk around town we relaxed in our house and listened to
some music. We started the game of Uno that simply would not end.
Finally, we set the cards down and vowed to resume the next night. Off to
sleep we went at 12:30am.
June 11
We set our alarm and got up at 8am so that we could get out and about by
a reasonable hour. Our primary plan for the day was to visit the cave at
Pech-Merle as we already had reservations at 1:30.
We made a quick stop at the village square to see the Daglan Sunday
market. It consisted of about six vendors: roasted chicken and paella,
vegetables and fruit, goat cheese, sausages and cheese and other local
delicacies, flowers, and wine. Not much of a marche, quite frankly.
On the road by 11, we took a little detour to see the ruined Abbey Nouvelle
near Gourdon that we’d passed several times. It’s a beautiful old ruin that’
s not really mentioned in any of the guidebooks. We made only a brief stop
and took some photos.
We arrived at Pech Merle around 12:45 and had lunch at the cave snack
bar (a little overpriced and not very good). As we ate our sandwiches and
waited near the ticket office, we were distracted by a screaming child next
to us. Screaming. Screaming. Very determined, persistent screaming.
Genuinely impressive volume and determination.
The tour started promptly at 1:45 for us and a group of about 25, including
a few restless, small children. Officially, the tour is in French with an
English-language written guide, but the tour guide provided some
commentary and answered some questions in English. This is a much
larger cave compared to Cougnac, with a greater number and more
impressive, detailed drawings. These cavemen were better artists than we
are! Particularly impressive were the representations of spotted horses. It
was definitely worth the time spent getting there.
We reserved our tickets two weeks in advance via Internet, but it was
probably not necessary for this particular date. We may not have made the
exact tour, but we would have been able to get on another early afternoon
tour with no problem. Of note: a battalion of French army trainees were
visiting around the same time we were.
An interesting conincidence…the group of Americans (including at least
some from Illinois) we had seen at Cougnac the previous day were on our
tour at Pech-Merle. They were among the very, very few American tourists
we had a chance to meet throughout the week.
After the cave, we briefly visited the museum, but only for a bit since we
intended to visit the Musee Prehistoire in Les Eyzies. On our way back, the
drive along the Tarn river gorge provided some very spectacular scenery. It
is ruggedly beautiful country that, alas, does not photograph as well as one
might hope.
We drove along river and across the bridge to St.-Cirq-le-Popie, famous for
its spectacular setting and lovely views. It was overrun by tourists of all
stripe, but still…we don’t mind ‘tourist trap’ towns that are touristy for a
reason, and this is a uniquely situated and very picturesque village. We
stopped and enjoyed some beverages (yet another scorching day!) and
walked around the town for a bit. The army trainees had followed us there.
Our drive back to the Dordogne Valley ran via Labastide-Murat and
Gourdon, with scenic views around nearly every corner.
We discovered that our first choice of dinner that night – Le Petit Paris in
Daglan – was closed on Sunday nights (quelle dommage!). Instead, we
grabbed some outdoor seats at Aux Berges du Ceou, which is Daglan’s
local tavern. It is relatively inexpensive, and the food is okay. Chris ordered
the prix fix menu; the salmon entrée with dill and avocado was particularly
notable. Allie liked Chris’s veggie/lentil soup. A group of locals were
drinking and getting a little sloppy (knocking over glasses and such).
Eventually, they left, bidding us adieu with a rousing, "God save the
Queen." Uhh, yeah...wrong country. There was also a small group of
German tourists and one other American family dining that night.
Back at the house, we finished the marathon game of Uno (finally) while
we did some laundry. Finally got to bed after midnight.
Next > Dordogne - 2
See all of our photos on Webshots
our travels
home
contact us
June 9
We woke slowly to the sound of a car alarm going off outside intermittently
for about two hours.
We enjoyed breakfast on the terrace once again, then checked out. Marisa
was feeling less than 100% – salmon for dinner two nights in a row.
We loaded up the car, filled up with gas, then motored out of town on our
way to the Dordogne Valley.
We drove straight north on the tollway, and headed for the impressive
Millau bridge. We took the exit there and headed for a scenic overlook
where we took pictures and enjoyed the view. It was, again, quite windy.
Later, we drove to Rocamadour and had a brief stop there to take pictures.
We did not visit the village, though, as we had a great deal of distance to
cover and we weren’t sure how long it would take. We arrived in Daglan
(our home for the next week) around 5pm, right on schedule again. The
proprietor was nowhere to be found, but a makeshift sign on the door
included a phone number which we called. The woman meeting us
apparently doesn’t speak one word of English. Not one word.
She came right down from her home down the street and proceeded to
give us the cook’s tour of the place. We pretended we knew what she was
saying about using the appliances, facilities, etc.
After she left, we began to settle in, and Chris discovered that he had the
room key from Hotel Vigniamont in his coat pocket. Oops. Not the first time
that’s happened (see our Loire Valley trip report, “Chateaux & Chevre”).
Daglan is a quiet, pretty little village of a few hundred souls, with a few
convenient stores, a bakery, a butcher’s shop, a fine dining restaurant, a
fun little pub, a bank with ATM, and plenty of parking. But more than
anything else, it has charm with a neat row of stone and half-timbered
buildings and an attractive town square with a simple fountain. The village
is spotlessly clean. The residents clearly care about the appearance of
their town, with beautiful flower displays at virtually every home. One
evening, we sat and watched one couple spend an hour or so carefully
grooming the plants in front of their house. It is located about 9km south of
Domme – a bit off the river and its many attractions, but an easy drive away
from many areas of interest.
Marisa and Allie stopped by the grocery…only 50 yards away from our front
door…for supplies while Chris visited the boucherie for a chicken – a 15E
chicken!
Returning home, we prepared chicken dinner with carrots, onion, potatoes,
tomatoes and garlic. First, we had to figure out how to turn on the stove. It
proved easy enough, but the instructions were less than clear.
It was a nice evening, perfect for eating out on the patio. We enjoyed our
dinner with a nice bottle of impossibly cheap local wine. We then walked
around town a bit, came back and figured out how to hook up the iPod to
the home stereo. The three of us listened to some music, played Uno at
the large antique tailor's table (the original owner of the home was a tailor)
and called it a day.
June 10
We slept in very late this morning, awakening slowly at 9:45am.
Chris went to the local boulangerie to buy croissants and other pastries for
breakfast. They could not have been fresher or more delicious. Fortified by
our fresh pastries and strong coffee, we were out the door by 10:45, off to
see Chateau de Castelnaud.
It is a quick and scenic drive to the tiny, but cute village of Castelnaud-la-
Chappel. We had read plenty about the chateau but didn’t realize the town
was so nice. We parked in a huge lot with only about 15 cars there.
Definitely nice not to be there in the heart of the summer. We cannot
imagine what the town would be like when the lot was full. The chateau
itself was very impressive and very Medieval, much like stepping into the
middle of a set from Monty Python & the Holy Grail (‘Bring out your dead!’).
The ancient keep and towers offered excellent views of surrounding
countryside. We saw interesting exhibits of armor, very large catapults and
trebouchets, dungeons and courtyards. The layout is somewhat maze-like;
we got ‘lost’ several times, and circled the same route a few times.
Afterward, we stopped for drinks in the town (it was a hot day). Allie ordered
a fresh citron presse, but the pure lemon juice was simply too powerful for
her tastes. Chris has rarely enjoyed a draft beer more than he did on that
very thirsty occasion.
Then we were off to La Roque Gageac. After a very quick drive along the
river, we easily found parking in the center of town. Again, we’re not sure
this would be the case in July and August. Interesting, beautiful setting…if
a little touristy. We spent some time walking around and watching people
canoeing. This got us talking about our own upcoming canoe trip. We had
lunch at a pizzeria in town with a nice salad, pizza and omelette for 30E.
Next, we ventured off to Domme. Again, a very short drive and no problem
finding parking. We liked it there, but we were more than a little tired of
being in the hot sun. We took pictures, explored a few side streets,
admired the view, and decided to leave.
Chris’s idea of beating the heat by visiting la Grotte Cougnac near Gourdon
met with a little initial resistance from Allie, but we decided to go anyway.
When we arrived, a sign said the last tour was at 4:15 (it was now 4:25). As
we were walking back down to the parking lot, a guide hollered to us that
he would have another tour shortly. Great, we said. Let’s go. (Cost, 18E for
all three of us). We waited a while for the guide to finish selling copious ice
cream treats and postcards to the previous group.
First, we visited a smaller cave loaded with limestone formations:
columns, stalactites and stalagmites. Then, we walked upstairs and
across the grounds to an unobtrusive door in the side of a hill under a
house. We entered and then proceeded through another locked door,
covering the original entrance to cave thousands and thousands of years
ago.
Grotte de Cougnac is a fairly long cave, about a couple hundred meters.
There are plenty of limestone formations throughout, and the atmosphere
is damp, with some dripping water. We had to walk to the very back of the
cave to see the prehistoric drawings from 14,000 to 25,000 years ago. We
saw remarkably clear and well-preserved images of deer, moose,
mammoth/mastodon, and mountain goats, some in black (charcoal) and
some in red (ochre). Some figures were drawn over the originals, several
iterations over in some parts. Since the drawings are in the hardest to
reach area of the cave, and since they drew them over previous images
when fresh surfaces were available nearby, it is theorized that they must
have held important ritual significance.
We had this last tour of the day to ourselves. Our guide conducted it partly
(officially) in French, and partly in English.
Climbing back into sunlight, we made our way to the car and back to our
house in Daglan. We fixed ourselves a pasta dinner that night with fresh
ingredients and lounged on our beautiful back patio in perfect weather.
After a brief walk around town we relaxed in our house and listened to
some music. We started the game of Uno that simply would not end.
Finally, we set the cards down and vowed to resume the next night. Off to
sleep we went at 12:30am.
June 11
We set our alarm and got up at 8am so that we could get out and about by
a reasonable hour. Our primary plan for the day was to visit the cave at
Pech-Merle as we already had reservations at 1:30.
We made a quick stop at the village square to see the Daglan Sunday
market. It consisted of about six vendors: roasted chicken and paella,
vegetables and fruit, goat cheese, sausages and cheese and other local
delicacies, flowers, and wine. Not much of a marche, quite frankly.
On the road by 11, we took a little detour to see the ruined Abbey Nouvelle
near Gourdon that we’d passed several times. It’s a beautiful old ruin that’
s not really mentioned in any of the guidebooks. We made only a brief stop
and took some photos.
We arrived at Pech Merle around 12:45 and had lunch at the cave snack
bar (a little overpriced and not very good). As we ate our sandwiches and
waited near the ticket office, we were distracted by a screaming child next
to us. Screaming. Screaming. Very determined, persistent screaming.
Genuinely impressive volume and determination.
The tour started promptly at 1:45 for us and a group of about 25, including
a few restless, small children. Officially, the tour is in French with an
English-language written guide, but the tour guide provided some
commentary and answered some questions in English. This is a much
larger cave compared to Cougnac, with a greater number and more
impressive, detailed drawings. These cavemen were better artists than we
are! Particularly impressive were the representations of spotted horses. It
was definitely worth the time spent getting there.
We reserved our tickets two weeks in advance via Internet, but it was
probably not necessary for this particular date. We may not have made the
exact tour, but we would have been able to get on another early afternoon
tour with no problem. Of note: a battalion of French army trainees were
visiting around the same time we were.
An interesting conincidence…the group of Americans (including at least
some from Illinois) we had seen at Cougnac the previous day were on our
tour at Pech-Merle. They were among the very, very few American tourists
we had a chance to meet throughout the week.
After the cave, we briefly visited the museum, but only for a bit since we
intended to visit the Musee Prehistoire in Les Eyzies. On our way back, the
drive along the Tarn river gorge provided some very spectacular scenery. It
is ruggedly beautiful country that, alas, does not photograph as well as one
might hope.
We drove along river and across the bridge to St.-Cirq-le-Popie, famous for
its spectacular setting and lovely views. It was overrun by tourists of all
stripe, but still…we don’t mind ‘tourist trap’ towns that are touristy for a
reason, and this is a uniquely situated and very picturesque village. We
stopped and enjoyed some beverages (yet another scorching day!) and
walked around the town for a bit. The army trainees had followed us there.
Our drive back to the Dordogne Valley ran via Labastide-Murat and
Gourdon, with scenic views around nearly every corner.
We discovered that our first choice of dinner that night – Le Petit Paris in
Daglan – was closed on Sunday nights (quelle dommage!). Instead, we
grabbed some outdoor seats at Aux Berges du Ceou, which is Daglan’s
local tavern. It is relatively inexpensive, and the food is okay. Chris ordered
the prix fix menu; the salmon entrée with dill and avocado was particularly
notable. Allie liked Chris’s veggie/lentil soup. A group of locals were
drinking and getting a little sloppy (knocking over glasses and such).
Eventually, they left, bidding us adieu with a rousing, "God save the
Queen." Uhh, yeah...wrong country. There was also a small group of
German tourists and one other American family dining that night.
Back at the house, we finished the marathon game of Uno (finally) while
we did some laundry. Finally got to bed after midnight.
Next > Dordogne - 2
See all of our photos on Webshots
our travels
home
contact us
Millau Viaduct spanning over the valley
Millau Viaduct in the rear view mirror
Daglan town square
Beaucoup de fleurs - Daglan
Trebouchet at Chateau de Castlenaud
La Roque Gageac
View of the Dordogne Valley from Domme
Grotte de Cougnac
Ruins of the Abbaye Nouvelle near
Gourdon
Gourdon
St-Cirq-la-Popie
St-Cirq-la-Popie
Small church near St-Pompon
View of the Dordogne Valley from Domme