Sunday, May 24, 2015
Friday, May 22, 2015 - A Hike
Dave and Dennis went for a hike in the neighborhood this morning while Nancy, Karen and I hung out at home. Here's a couple pictures of what they saw:
Thursday, May 21, 2015 - Jardins d'Eaux & Fenelon in the sun
We're off following a Michelin Green Guide tour, one we started with Janis and Clark, with a chateau-fort we visited in the rain with Judy. We've never been able to complete the tour. Today we will at least check off a couple of things on the tour. It's sunny but very windy which makes it pleasant when in the sun and chilly when the sun goes behind a cloud. Jackets are in order even though the temperature is in the low 70s.
First stop is les Jardins d'Eaux (water gardens) in Carsac. It's a hidden jewel. Water gardens of every type include calm waters, water jets, streams, running water.
Their specialty is water lilies and lotus and they are showcased in lots of environments as the gardens cascade down the hillside toward the Dordogne.
Benches and picnic tables (which we use for lunch) encourage you to spend time enjoying the calmness of the gardens.
There is a large waterlily pond with a bridge copied from Monet paintings.
Frogs croak happily under the lily pads.
It's early spring and the landscape will change as the seasons unfold.
Various water lilies and lotus will open at different times so that the garden will be colorful the whole season.
A special aquatic "labyrinth" allows you to walk boardwalk paths past varieties of water plants. There's not much to view right now, but photos show it in summer bloom and it would be well worth wandering through to look at all the different varieties of water plants.
Next, it's time to see Fenelon in the sun and it's well worth the effort, although we have to contend with a hold-on-to-your-hat wind.
We've been here before, but now the weather will allow us to truly explore the outside of the castle with its 3 sets of fortified walls. It's a formidable castle, but apparently not impregnable. A bastion of Catharism, it was destroyed near the end of the Albigensian crusade, then rebuilt. The Fenelons were chased from their home in the Hundred Years War when the English took over the castle. At the end of the war, the castle was given to the de Salignac family. It seems to have escaped the wars of religion, but it did add fortifications at that time. Finally, the original keep was pierced with Renaissance windows and the castle was modernized for comfort in the 16th and 17th centuries.
It is best known as the home of François de Salignac de la Motte Fenelon, the famous writer better known simply as Fenelon who was Bishop of Cambrai and tutor to Louis the XIV's children.
Today is a good day to see views from the castle of the surrounding countryside.
First stop is les Jardins d'Eaux (water gardens) in Carsac. It's a hidden jewel. Water gardens of every type include calm waters, water jets, streams, running water.
Their specialty is water lilies and lotus and they are showcased in lots of environments as the gardens cascade down the hillside toward the Dordogne.
Benches and picnic tables (which we use for lunch) encourage you to spend time enjoying the calmness of the gardens.
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| I'm not sure why so glum, there's wine for lunch |
There is a large waterlily pond with a bridge copied from Monet paintings.
Frogs croak happily under the lily pads.
It's early spring and the landscape will change as the seasons unfold.
 |
| Janis, Christine - do you know what flower this is? |
A special aquatic "labyrinth" allows you to walk boardwalk paths past varieties of water plants. There's not much to view right now, but photos show it in summer bloom and it would be well worth wandering through to look at all the different varieties of water plants.
 |
| Dave about to descend into the bamboo forest |
Next, it's time to see Fenelon in the sun and it's well worth the effort, although we have to contend with a hold-on-to-your-hat wind.
We've been here before, but now the weather will allow us to truly explore the outside of the castle with its 3 sets of fortified walls. It's a formidable castle, but apparently not impregnable. A bastion of Catharism, it was destroyed near the end of the Albigensian crusade, then rebuilt. The Fenelons were chased from their home in the Hundred Years War when the English took over the castle. At the end of the war, the castle was given to the de Salignac family. It seems to have escaped the wars of religion, but it did add fortifications at that time. Finally, the original keep was pierced with Renaissance windows and the castle was modernized for comfort in the 16th and 17th centuries.
It is best known as the home of François de Salignac de la Motte Fenelon, the famous writer better known simply as Fenelon who was Bishop of Cambrai and tutor to Louis the XIV's children.
Today is a good day to see views from the castle of the surrounding countryside.
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| This well was in use into the 20th century |
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| The doorbell of the castle |
Friday, May 22, 2015
Wednesday, May 20, 2015 - Sarlat market and Beynac
If it's Wednesday, it's usually Sarlat market. Today is no exception. We need food and Karen, Dennis and Nancy need to see Sarlat. But as usual, there are things in Sarlat we haven't seen before.
It's interesting to see how the market changes with the seasons. This time, we see flowers and plants offered for sale. There are still the usual regional offerings of foie gras and walnut products as well as the sausages, olives and tapinades. The market is quite crowded and this time quite a few people are actually shopping for fruits and vegetables - more locals among the tourist crowds.
After wandering a few streets and checking out the church again, we visit the Gisson Manor house at Goose Market Square. It's an interesting building, still lived in, with rooms on 3 floors plus some curiosity rooms on the ground level. The Gisson family were minor nobility and were consuls for the town government.
These rooms apparently became the fad in the 17th century with wealthy people collecting all sorts of strange and unusual natural things - shrunken heads, narwhal tusks, unusual tools and instruments, bones of exotic animals and fishes. These were status symbols even if they weren't always what they were claimed to be by those selling these curiosities. They would be displayed in cases and on shelves in rooms set aside as small museums, to be shown off to friends and visitors demonstrating "scientific" knowledge and wealth.
All the rooms in this house are furnished, although not all in the same period as this is a house owned by the same family over hundreds of years.
On the first floor we see an small salon and men's smoking room.
Followed by the 18th century kitchen and dining rooms (la Salle d'Honneur)
The dining room opens onto a terrace one level above the street. Our English guidebook tells us the Gisson family complained that the town church blocked too much light from their house and were in favor of the post-Revolutionary plan to tear it down. Obviously, that plan was never carried out.
An 18th century stone staircase leads up through the center of the building (actually contained in its own tower). On the second floor we see an office and the master's chamber (chambre des maîtres), the husband's bedroom. On the other side of the building, we see the wife's' boudoir and bedroom (le grand salon) And a maid's room up in the attic.
Home for lunch and then the troops head off for Beynac castle. As usual, there's something new in Beynac - horses going up the steep street toward the castle. Karen, Nancy and Dennis were walking down to meet Dave at the bottom. At the first lookout, Karen reports there was a tremendous racket. 3 horses and riders were making their way up the path and one of the horses slipped and fell. Karen says the horse was panicked at not having good footing.
The result for us was that Karen, Dennis and Nancy eased around the horses and ended up walking down to the wrong end of town and it took a few minutes to connect up in the right place.
It's interesting to see how the market changes with the seasons. This time, we see flowers and plants offered for sale. There are still the usual regional offerings of foie gras and walnut products as well as the sausages, olives and tapinades. The market is quite crowded and this time quite a few people are actually shopping for fruits and vegetables - more locals among the tourist crowds.
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| French city mailman |
These rooms apparently became the fad in the 17th century with wealthy people collecting all sorts of strange and unusual natural things - shrunken heads, narwhal tusks, unusual tools and instruments, bones of exotic animals and fishes. These were status symbols even if they weren't always what they were claimed to be by those selling these curiosities. They would be displayed in cases and on shelves in rooms set aside as small museums, to be shown off to friends and visitors demonstrating "scientific" knowledge and wealth.
 |
| Curiosity room: narwhal tusks sold as unicorn horns |
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| Curiosity room |
All the rooms in this house are furnished, although not all in the same period as this is a house owned by the same family over hundreds of years.
On the first floor we see an small salon and men's smoking room.
 |
| Smoking room |
Followed by the 18th century kitchen and dining rooms (la Salle d'Honneur)
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| bread cupboard (top) and plate drainer (bottom) in kitchen |
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| kitchen |
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| dining room |
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| pisé floor - these pyramidal stones were pounded into a sand base until even |
An 18th century stone staircase leads up through the center of the building (actually contained in its own tower). On the second floor we see an office and the master's chamber (chambre des maîtres), the husband's bedroom. On the other side of the building, we see the wife's' boudoir and bedroom (le grand salon) And a maid's room up in the attic.
Home for lunch and then the troops head off for Beynac castle. As usual, there's something new in Beynac - horses going up the steep street toward the castle. Karen, Nancy and Dennis were walking down to meet Dave at the bottom. At the first lookout, Karen reports there was a tremendous racket. 3 horses and riders were making their way up the path and one of the horses slipped and fell. Karen says the horse was panicked at not having good footing.
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| view from the castle outer walls |
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| the castle in the sun - not so forbidding with the sun on it |
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| horse on the right was the one who fell why would anyone in modern times ride a horse up this steep path? |
The result for us was that Karen, Dennis and Nancy eased around the horses and ended up walking down to the wrong end of town and it took a few minutes to connect up in the right place.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015 - La Roque St. Christophe and Rouffignac cave
La Roque St Christophe was a 9th century fortified town built in caves that had been used by prehistoric people. It was well-protected as there was only one gate into the town that was built into the cliff-face. It was used to prevent the Vikings & Normans from going farther upstream past the fort. Fortresses like this were built on 5 different tributary rivers on the Dordogne to protect people upstream. They developed a communication system of points along the cliffs to warn of coming Viking raids.
In the middle ages, a troglodytic city developed along 5 levels of caves which could house about 1000 residents. Connected by staircases, these houses were built by digging deeper into the cliff face and extending the dwellings with wood onto the ledges of the cliff. All services, including a church, could be found in this city.
Since I didn't go with, these photos are from Dave and Nancy's cameras.
After lunch at the woodsy park of Rouffignac cave, the 4 travelers toured the cave
Then back to La Borie for aperos. There's so much variety of history and scenery in this area. It seems we're only scratching the surface.
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| Dave and Dennis at the "barn" where animals were kept especially in times of war |
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| Hoists made for hauling supplies up into the fort/town |
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| View of the Vézere valley from the caves |
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| medieval troglodytic kitchen |
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| reconstruction to show what the medieval city would have looked like when built out with walls |
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| Karen and Nancy stand in front of a rainwater catch pond in the cave system |
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| Model of what the city would have looked like |
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| Another view of the river valley from the village |
Since I didn't go with, these photos are from Dave and Nancy's cameras.
After lunch at the woodsy park of Rouffignac cave, the 4 travelers toured the cave
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| Dave, Karen and Dennis at lunch at Rouffignac's picnic area |
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| Entrance to Rouffignac cave |
Then back to La Borie for aperos. There's so much variety of history and scenery in this area. It seems we're only scratching the surface.
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