Two Weeks in the Corrèze, Lot and Dordogne

[frenchmystiquetour]

We had visited most of the big tourist sites in the area so now it was time to hit the tourist capital of the region, Sarlat. We've been here before and it was getting to be early evening so we were mostly going there to eat dinner and stroll for a bit so just like Castelnaud I'm not going to bother with any historical research. Makes it much easier to do a photo report when I don't have to use my brain. We figured lots of people would be heading here for dinner so didn't bother trying to park close to the old downtown and instead parked about a 10 minute walk away.






The place was buzzing with people.








Diners were already filling the tables.








Ugh. The living statue again.






















Sarlat often gets recommended as a great base to explore the region and despite the large crowd of tourists you're likely to encounter I agree that it is not only a great base but also a beautiful town. It's the kind of place where I can really embrace being part of the tourist crowd. The grace and style in its architectural fabric can't be torn by tourist schlock.

There are loads and loads of restaurants in Sarlat so unless you're a real foodie and have done your research ahead of time it's hard to choose among the options. We had seen several places that had nice ambiance and decor and they all seemed more or less the same so we decided we would check out the waitstaff at a few places to see if that would help in our decision making. The waiter in the next photo looks like he came to work intent on impressing his customers with his totally non-offensive t-shirt.



His customers laughed at the thought that there might be anything inappropriate at all wearing a t-shirt like this to work.




We actually wanted someplace a bit better than your average tourist place but not pricey either and the few places we checked were either full or reserved. We wandered to the periphery of the downtown and found a nice looking place that appeared to have one or two tables open so we inquired. The tables were all reserved but they had a no show so we got the one open table. The menu wasn't extensive but they focused on local produce (duck, of course) and the food was good. I think a 3 course meal cost us between 15€ or 20€ each. The only downside to the restaurant was the service, which was extremely slow. Nice staff, just slow for food to come out. Maybe they were just short on staff that night so who knows. But if you've got enough wine, like I did, and you're not a complainer then it was great. The place was called l'Adresse, if you're interested, located at 8 Place de la Petite Rigaudie.

I know some people read trip reports looking for restaurant recommendations and you're not likely to find much more than ''all you can eat Chinese food buffet'' reviews in my reports. I figure if you've read this much of the report then I owe you at least the courtesy of one properly reviewed restaurant.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Wednesday, August 21st:

Yesterday's theme of see as much as possible in as short an amount of time as possible had left us with tourist hangover so the only remedy for that is to do nothing. And that's exactly what we did all day and night. The weather was goregous, we had a pool and there was plenty of good wine and good food so why ruin a good thing? Quite possibly the best day of the vacation. No, definitely the best day of the vacation.


Thursday, August 22nd:

Yesterday was so good that it seemed like the right thing to do today was to repeat yesterday.


Friday, August 23rd:

Feeling well rested from two days of doing nothing we were ready to undertake some exploration on our last day of vacation. We were heading south to see one of the most famous prehistoric caves in France, Pech Merle. I told you that I thought the Gouffre de Padirac was just OK but this cave was going to be different since it has some of the best original prehistoric art that is available for public viewing. A Sistene Chapel, comparatively speaking. If you want to visit Pech Merle you need to reserve in advance. I think we reserved about 2 or 3 days before our visit but I don't know if that's typical or not. We had a 9:30 reservation and it was about a 1-1/2 hour drive to get there so we got up early and planned on making this a full day of exploring.

To get to Pech Merle we took the A20 autoroute south and got off at exit 56. We could have gone further on the A20 but we wanted to do a scenic drive through the Causses region. The Causses are a group of calcitic/limestone plateaus that extend over an area of 8,000km2 between the Dordogne and Lot rivers. I won't dwell on the intellectual aspect of their geologic origins because it is the visual impact of the landscape that most stimulates a visitor's senses. Arid looking, slightly undulating plains with a dry scrubby vegetation and a soil so thick with stone it renders nearly futile any attempt to be cut by the plow. The open expanses are cut into plots by the endless rows of crumbling stone walls that criss-cross the region, testimony to the unceasing effort of centuries of hard labor. The land feels desolate, forlorn, forsaken. But it's precisely these qualities that create an aura of power and presence that captivate the soul. Primitive people must have felt this presence since there remain numerous ceremonial sites in the form of dolmens and menhirs that reverence the sacred nature of the rituals formerly observed.

If anyone is interested in following the route I took then get off the A20 at exit 56 and pick up the D802 for a few kilometers, then head south on the D42 all the way to Pech Merle. You'll pass through a few charming little towns and villages on the way. Unfortunately I have no photos of this journey as we were in a hurry to arrive at Pech Merle for our early appointment.

When you arrive in the visitors center in Pech Merle they have some excellent literature and displays hanging on the walls to inform you about the history of the grotto and what you are about to see. I would suggest arriving a half hour before your meeting so you can learn a bit about what you are going to see.



Most of the info is in French but there is some English translation, albeit not as thorough as the French. Here is a brief summary of some of the important facts and notable events concerning Pech Merle. The first known excursion into the cavity was in 1906 but it was in 1920 when a local 14 year old boy and his friend, fascinated by the stories they had heard, undertook their own explorations and announced to a local geologist the existence of one of the now famous cavities. The geologist proclaimed there was no existence of human occupation but that the cavity was worthy of geological consideration.

The teens continued their study of the cave and in 1922 discovered the famous paintings. Much is made of the difficulty in exploring the cave and the narrow passages and blocked entries they encountered, with only a candle in their hands to guide them. The paintings in the cave are as much as 25,000 years old and concern for their preservation is obviously a priority. Visits to the cave are limited to 700 people a day in groups of no more than 25 people for a duration of 50 minutes. Before you enter the cave your are led to a room in the visitors center where there is a diorama of the cave and your guide gives a brief overview of its various aspects.

It looks kind of strange seeing a normal looking door in a wall to enter the cave. It felt like one of those children's fantasy stories where the kids are about to embark on some incredible adventure as soon as they step into the looking glass or walk into the wardrobe of old clothes where in each case some surreal world reveals itself on the other side.



As you might imagine, photos are not allowed inside the grotto but I'll show you some pix I took in the visitors center that illustrate the interior of the cave. Before I show the paintings I'd like to add that even if there was no art inside the cave I found its geological aspects much more interesting and spectacular than at the Gouffre de Padirac. It was worth a visit simply for the geology.




It was interesting to note that where the artists had chosen to work would sometimes be in proximity to some of the more fantastic geologic marvels, which could be perceived even by the visitor today as having some sort of anthropomorphic features, appearing to have the form of some powerful beast or deity.




















It's impossible to convey in these puny photos the overwhelming impact and the awe and reverence this cave inspires when standing inside it. I have a deep interest in ancient history and archaeology and have several friends who are professional archaeologists (one of whom has the credentials to get me inside the original Lascaux cave should he ever come to France) and when we speak of the experience of being inside Pech Merle it is in hushed tones that come from an unspoken mutual understanding. Words fail.

[frenchmystiquetour]

From silent reverence to bustling commercial enterprise we arrived in the nearby town of Cabrerets to look for a restaurant to lunch in. It was market day.










It's a pretty small place but in walking around we saw four or five places where we could dine. Nothing looked particularly exceptional and it seemed most places were geared towards serving a quick tourist lunch, although I think there was one place that looked a little nicer. We decided on a quaint looking little restaurant with an outdoor terrace. Prices seemed cheap in Cabrerets and I think our lunch menu cost around 8€ or something like that. The waitress was really nice and I think the restaurant might have been on the first floor of her home. I went inside to go to the bathroom and the interior dining rooms had the warmth and character of a rustic, stone built country home and you almost felt like grandma was probably out cooking in the kitchen. Actually, grandma was cooking in the kitchen since the cook was the waitress's mother. No doubt we were going to get some of grandma's good ole home cooking. When our appetizer arrived it appeared that grandma's secret method of food preparation lay in her ability to open tin cans and remove plastic wrapping on low quality charcuterie from discount supermarket chains. Our main course was no different. I can't remember everything I ate but I do remember a wet, droopy mass of boiled celery. When she arrived with our plates our waitress smiled as she placed them on the table and with no small amount of pride announced that she had just purchased the celery at the market that morning. Well, at least something was fresh.

I won't mention the name of this restaurant because this woman is trying her best to make a living in a small town where employment opportunities are not abundant. And I truly believe that she had probably been raised eating food just like this (grandma's good ole ''home'' cooking) and likely found it perfectly acceptable, if not delicious. She's not trying to rip anyone off. Despite the food, I actually enjoyed this place. If you like authentic experiences then it was truly representative of what life is like for a real family in a real small village without the glossy veneer of romanticized fantasies idealizing small village life in rural France. No copious plates of freshly procured local food, no happy peasants tilling the fields and tending the animals. Life in a small village isn't all roses. If you are in Cabrerets it will be fun for you to wander around and try to figure out the restaurant I'm talking about and perhaps you'll have the (mis)fortune of dining there.

Many of the most famous sites in the region, such as Saint-Cirq-la-Popie, lie just south of Cabrerets along the Lot River. We had been to this area a few years back so we decided to explore further east of Cabrerets along the less known Célé River. While in Cabrerets we stopped in the tourist office which once again had loads of great literature of what to see and do in the area. I grabbed loads of local touristic maps, hiking trail and patrimonial heritage maps, and other detailed brochures and pamphlets covering a wide variety of sites and attractions in the area. I studied them for a few minutes to get us started on our route and then we set off along the Célé River.






Our first stop was to be a megalithic site near a town called Marcilhac-sur-Célé. As we were ascending hill we got a glimpse of the village profile.






It looked really charming so we changed plans and turned around to head back down and explore the village. I won't recount the history of the town because you know it already.....the Hundred Years War, the Wars of Religion etc. It's an old village built around its 9th century Benedictine Abbey, which was ruined during the Hundred Years War and rebuit 3 or 4 times following this and other devastating events.

[frenchmystiquetour]

[frenchmystiquetour]

If ever there were a place where the term ''romantic ruins'' could be invoked the Abbaye Saint-Pierre would deserve mention.










The sculpted capitals were outstanding.














The church had preserved bits of old murals.

[frenchmystiquetour]

If you're a tourist needing a hotel this place was designed for you.




And if you're a tourist, like we were, and you're hungry then you should go where all the tourists go.






We stopped in for drinks and a snack and just like in Cabrerets the waitress's mother was also the chef. This time grandma's home cooking was worthy of mention and we had some sort of local desert specialty. I don't know what it was but it was pretty good. It was real down to earth service and the waitress and grandma were trading jokes with some of the regulars and not so regulars (like us) alike. Fun and friendly place.


We continued on now in pursuit of the dolmen which had been our original priority.





The local tourist map we got marked it's location but it wasn't very precise so it left some guess work in figuring out its precise location. It actually didn't take much effort since it was right next to the road.






It's amazing that there's no sign to notify an unaware passer-by as to what they might be passing. I've noticed this is generally the case with most megalithic monuents that don't have the designation of a historic monument. So if you're ever driving along and see some weird looking giant rock(s) chances are you're looking at a megalith.




It's interesting to speculate that since this dolmen sits right next to the road it must have been on a well worn local travel route that has existed for thousands of years. Hundreds of generations of local inhabitants must have seen this monument and for it to have been left undisturbed for so long must be an indication of the importance this site played in local lore and legendry.


We were out of the river valley and back up on the causses and here is a semi-representatve photo of that type of landscape.




Then we moved back down to the more fertile river valley.






We needed some fuel and suddenly there in the middle of nowhere was a self serve gas station.




The local bulletin board is chock full of announcements of important local events and festivals.




If I had time I would have stuck around to see these guys.




I bet those guys are totally capable of entertaining huge crowds of people. They posted their phone number so if you're interested it looks like they're avaiable for hire.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Moving upriver we entered the town of Espagnac Sainte-Eulalie.




















The village is established around its old priory and it was once an important stop on the pilgrimage route to Compostela.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Climbing back up out of the river valley we were once again back in the causse. Once again our next destination was a couple of megalithic sites I had learned about by picking up some brochures at the tourist office in Cabrerets. It was about a hiking circuit around a town called Grèzes known as the Sentier découverte sur le Causse. It was a circuit of 9 kilometers with an estimated completion time of 2 hour 30 minutes (if you're interested) and a well marked map noted the sights to visit along the way. We weren't interested in the hike but I noticed one of its highlights were two dolmens known as Les Dolmens des Ramades et de Coustalou.

Looking for megaliths is always adventurous because inevitably you'll be going down some unknown local road which will eventually turn into just two dirt ruts and lead into a farmers field or some other unusual place. We had a well marked map of the village so we knew where to go but you still never know what the road will be like ahead of time. Turns out it was the two dirt ruts I had just mentioned.




As usual there were no signs marking the dolmen so I had to match a bend in the road that I saw on the map with a bend on the road we were driving on. I kept my eyes peeled looking to the right and spied it sitting in the middle of a field. Here's the Dolmen de Coustalou.








The dolmen dates to around 2,000 to 3,000 B.C. and is one of the 750 megalithic sites in the Quercy Region.

Next we went to look for the second dolmen where we also did in fact end up at some guy's farm.






We spied the dolmen in the distance in the adjacent field.






The skies had been mostly a silvery gray and ovecast all day and now the sun was finally starting to make an appearance.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Since leaving Pech Merle our sightseeing plan was to make pick a route heading back in the direction of our gîte and then visit whatever sites might be along the route. Another of the tourist brochures I picked up noted some megalithic sites in the town of Livernon, which was just a few km from where we were at present, so not long after we arrived at the Le dolmen de la Pierre Martine. This one was actually marked with signs and there was a parking lot too.






On the way there you take a brief hike through the causse landscape.








It's amazing that anything can grow with that much stone in the ground.








The dolmen dates to around 2,000B.C. and is the most famous one in the Quercy region owing to the the enormous size of its capstone, which weighs about 20 tons.






Concrete support pillars have been added at each end of the capstone to prevent it from falling apart.




Then we took a drive through the town of Livernon.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Our next target was a menhir (standing stone) on the outskirts of town. Once again the paved road turned to dirt and gravel.




After about 2km on the dirt road we came to a hand made sign pointing the way.




Or at least it was pointing the way down more dirt roads.




But at last we arrived, once again in the middle of nowhere.






Just after we arrived another group showed up. We're not the only weirdos looking for megaliths.




The menhir is aligned with the four cardinal compass points and for some unknown reason inclines forward. Local lore recounts that it takes its name (Bélinac) from the Celtic sun god. There used to be 4 other menhirs nearby but these were destroyed in the 17th century as the local clergy was not fond of the fertility rites that were being practiced at them.

One of the women in the other group was obviously local and was explaining some of the local legendry of the menhir. She pointed to a smooth circular shaped depression and said that was due to the women who used to come here and rub the stone in order to make them more fertile.



Leaving Livernon our route took us through nearby Assier, which the Michelin map noted as a one star attraction due to the château in the town. We parked and decided to check out the town and château.












Here's the château, or at least what's left of it.





The château was built bewteen 1520 and 1540 by Galiot de Genouillac, Master of Arms to Francis I and known as a military genius in his day. Originally the buildings formed an enormous quadrangle richly decorated with carvings. Only the west wing survives today as the remainder of the château was sold off as building material around 1768. In its day it was said that the château had nothing to envy of the more famous châteaux in the Loire region.

[frenchmystiquetour]

The plaque in front of the château shows an illustration of what it once looked like.




It was getting late in the day so we turned in the direction of our gîte and I just snapped photos out of the car window as we drove along.

















As we neared our gîte the Château of Turenne came into view.






Arriving back at the gîte we were greeted by a familiar friend.






If you ask it nicely, it will turn and smile at the camera.






So ended the last day of our vacation. The next morning we cleaned up and called the landlady over to pay her the remaining balance for the gîte. She dropped by to get the check and didn't even bother to look the place over after we had cleaned up. So we're all standing on the little terrace outside the veranda having a chat and then came that moment when we had to say goodbye. Remembering the promise we had made to ourselves at our first meeting with Mrs. Landlady my Mrs. looked at Mrs Landlady, sort of a little hesitant, and then burst out ''Je vous embrasse!!'' (I'm going to kiss you!!) and spread her ams wide, like Mrs. Landlady had when we met her, and she and the Mrs. exchanged a big hug and kisses. Then I looked at Mrs. Landlady, hesitated a second and exclaimed, ''Je vous embrasse aussi!!'' (I'm going to kiss you too!!) and we exchanged a big hug and kisses. During our stay she had brought us little gifts and there was the one afternoon we spent with her and her neighbors eating and drinking and having a good time and she was such a sweet little old lady so it really was like saying goodbye to your grandmother. There, I'm finally done with this report.

[janetnj]

Wow - what a thorough report. Really enjoyed taking the journey with you. Loved the gite, especially the pool. I've heard how crowded the area gets in the summer. It's nice to know you can visit without the crowds, although I think I'd choose something a little less remote than your gite. The landlady sounds lovely though.

Your picture of the menhir reminded me that in my recent post on Auvers-sur-Oise I included a picture of something I thought might be a menhir. Would you know if it is?

Thanks for taking the time to share your trip.

[frenchmystiquetour]

Thanks janetnj for your nice words. The area near my gîte wasn't crowded at all (except for Collonges) but all the sites near Sarlat are pretty overwhelmed in August. I know most people like to be able to walk to a boulangerie or such but it's crowded enough where I live so I relish the peace and solitude of an isolated gîte. I was looking through your lovely trip report about Auvers and I saw the stone in question. It looks to me like it's a marker of some sort, possibly for a boundary or mileage or something. A little too perfectly shaped. Plus I did some google searching on menhirs in that area and no mention was made of a menhir in the vicinity of Auvers. There are several megaliths (menhirs and dolmens) in the Val d'Oise département and I've seen a few of them but these are largely overlooked as tourist destinations so they don't get much mention. Plus, I think I'm one of the few people on travel forums who is interested in such things. There's actually quite a few megaliths in the countryside near Paris and I even belong to a Rock Art Research Association and have been to sites near Fontainebleau where there is prehistoric "artwork" in the form of carvings on rocks in the woods. But don't get me started on talking about megaliths or I'll never shut up.

[Jody]

[Oh I missed you and your great reports Really enjoyed this one ! Hope we make it to this ara someday

[frenchmystiquetour]

Thanks Jody. I've been busy with work the last few months so I'll try to pop in more often.