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| yellow stone and high pitched roofs |
The sun came out on Sunday morning, not something that
happens often at this time of year here, so why not make the most of the day
while it lasts and take a drive in the country. Sundays are always quiet on the
roads as nothing much is open and french
families get together for lunch, either at home or in one of the few local restaurants to open on a Sunday.
So we had the roads pretty much to ourselves.
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| the confluence of the two waterways |
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| the things some men will do to get out of the house |
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| there's always someone on a bicycle on a sunday |
We decided to visit two villages that are off the main road
up toward the Vézère valley. We’ve often driven along the main road and noticed
the signposts , but never taken the time to turn off and explore. As is so
often the case, big mistake as we discovered these little gems.
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| steep little passageways |
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| can't get lost |
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| one of the four original gateways into the village |
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Haven't seen many of these - €1.00 each
for a freshly baked baguette |
Limeuil is at the confluence of the Vézère and Dordogne
rivers. Actually, the Vézère is a river and the Dordogne is a fleuve. A fleuve
is a waterway that flows into the sea, and a river flows into a fleuve ( thus the
Musée du Fleuve in our town on the Dordogne).
As these two waterways have been the major highways of the area for
hundreds of years, this village has been of major importance, especially in
medieval times.
At the top of the promontory overlooking the town is the
ruins of the chateau that once protected the villagers, especially during the Hundred Years’ War with
England. Beneath is a cave with over 200 carvings in the limestone suggesting that this site has been inhabited
for perhaps 15,000 years. The Vézère valley is famous for it’s prehistoric
sites including Lascaux, so it’s no surprise to think that this spot was
important to early man. The hills around the area are now thickly forested, but once
they were covered with vineyards and the wine was shipped down the Dordogne to
Bordeaux. The phylloxera infestation around 1880 killed off the vines and
devastated the local economy.
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| La Rèze rushing through the centre of Trémolat |
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| some wonderful old stonework in a garden |
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| and more... |
Further down the road is the village of Trémolat. There is a
fast flowing stream, La Rèze, running through
the centre of town and eventually joining the Dordogne nearby. In the centre of
town is a fabulous looking four star hotel with a Michelin starred restaurant.
Definitely somewhere for a return visit.
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| Le Vieux Logis |
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| rear view of the hotel |
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| and the garden |
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| I do love the old gates |
These are villages of the “périgordine” style house, local
yellow stone and high pitched roofs. The area is known as Périgord Noir because
of the forests of dark green oaks. It is also world famous for black truffles. While this Sunday was cool
and the sunshine didn’t last long, I can see why this area is so popular in the summer. This region is stunning
and the villages charming and worth the visit.
Now where to next ?
amour à tous
