The group is meeting in Angoulême for the beginning of what should be a great walk. The long term weather forecast seems to be with us with cool and bright days to look forward to with just enough clouds in the sky to make the photos look better.
Trip Participants
Peter Watson—Our Dear Leader
Ben Littlewood—Picnic Chef Extraordinaire
Anna Campuzano—First Assistant
Esperanza Campuzano—First Assistant
Jim and Nita Roethe
Bill and Nath Schmicker
John and Bobbie Wilson
Rich and Kathy Rissel
Rick and Janet Cronk
Nancy Dickmeyer and Bob Sciutto
Buzz and Lani Schulte (in Spirit)
BIRDS OF THE DORDOGNE (and London) – once more – thanks to Jim Roethe
Robin Ubiquitous. Seen virtually everywhere on our trip.
Blue Tit First seen behind the hotel at Manoir de Hautegente. Later on the grounds of our Hotel de Centenairre in Les Eyzies-de-tayac.
Little Grebe Seen in the Dronne River downstream from our hotel in Brantome.
Gray Heron A single Gray Heron was seen on the Dronne River upstream from our hotel in Brantome. Another was seen flying over the river in Les Eyzies. Many Gray Heron were seen at the London Wetland Center.
Magpie First seen in the pastures on our hike to Chateau De L’Hern (the “Jinxed” Castle). Also seen in the countryside on later hikes.
Chaffinch Seen in parkland and woods near our hotel in Brantome, near the cave at Lascaux and on the hotel grounds in Les Eyzies and Lacav.
Nuthatch A single Nuthatch was seen in a tree near the entrance to our hotel at Les Chateau de la Tryene.
Collared Dove First seen outside our hotel window at Le Moulinde L’Abbaye in Brandome. Later seen at many locations along our hiking trails – often on telephone wires or perched on roofs.
Song Thrush Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Common Buzzard One seen flying overhead during on our first hike. Three seen again on the hike to Bourdille and another on the ground during our ride to Sarlat.
Hen Harrier Possible Hen Harrier seen in flight during our hike to Montignac.
Coal Tit Seen on the last day of our trip in the garden of our hotel at Les Chateau de la Tryene.
Shoveler Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Rock Dove Urban rat – Seen in every town and village.
House Martin Seen flying over the river near our last hotel—Les Chateau de al Treyne in Lacav.
Great Crested Grebe Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Cormorant Single Cormorant seen flying over the river adjacent to the park in Les Eyzies. Many seen at the London Wetland Center.
Mute Swan A single Mute Swan was seen on the Isle River on our drive to Perigeaux.
Numerous Mute Swans were seen at the London Wetland Center.
Canada Goose Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Eurasian Widgeon Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Mallard Seen along the river at various places including our first two hotels and near the fortified mill at de Cougnguet. Also many seen in London.
Gadwall Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Pochard Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Tufted Duck Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Lapwing Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Water Rail London only – seen in flight
Kestral London only – Seen at rest and hovering
Pheasant Three Pheasants were seen in the cornfield adjacent to our hotel—the Manoir de Hautegente near Coly.
Wood Pigeon Seen at Brantome and during our hike to Les Jardin du Manoir D’eyregnac
Carrion Crow First seen behind the hotel at Manoir de Hautegente. Other’s seen in more open country.
Rook Seen in abundance on our first hike and many times thereafter in country fields and pastures.
Jackdaw Seen with fledglings in nooks of the Chateau de Beynac. Also seen along the cliffs at LaRouque.
Jay Single Jay seen behind the hotel at Manoir de Hautegente and in the gardens of our hotel at Les Chateau de la Treyne. Others heard during hikes.
Coot Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Moorhen Seen in the Dronne River downstream from our hotel in Brantome. Many in London.
Kingfisher A Kingfisher was seen flying over the Dronne River near Le Moulinde L’Abbaye in Brantome.
Ring-necked Parakeet Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Green Woodpecker Seen flying over the gardens outside our hotel at Les Chateau de la Treyne.
Great Spotted Woodpecker Seen in trees along the park adjacent to the river in Les Eyzies and in the gardens of our hotel at Les Chateau de la Treyne.
Blackbird Seen on lawns and in undergrowth in Brantome, Les Eyzies and Lacav.
Starling Seen only in London.
Crag Martin First seen on the ledges of the Chateau de Beynac. Also seen flying off the cliffs near LaRouque and flying over the Dordogne near our hotel at Les Chateau de la Tryene.
Swallow Seen on the eaves of the hotel at Les Chateau de la Treyne.
Meadow Pipit Flock seen in plowed fields on our hike to Bourdilles and during a later hike to the Chateau & Jardin de Marqueyssac.
Pied Wagtail First seen along the Dronne River outside the Le Moulinde l’Abbay in Brantome. Later seen along all of the river locations. Six were also seen on the roof top of our hotel in Les Eyzies.
Yellow Wagtail First seen in Paris in the gardens below the Pont de Neuf. Later seen along the Dronne River outside the Le Moulinde l’Abbay in Brantome and along all of the later river locations.
Dunnock Possible Dunnock (2) on our hike to Les Chateau de la Treyne, just past Lacav.
Black Redstart Single Redstart seen in the village along the cliffs on our hike to LaRouque. A second Restart was seen on a rooftop of a building in Les Eyzies down the street from our hotel.
Great Tit In the park across the Dronne River from Le Moulinde l’Abbaye and later in other parks along our route and on the grounds of all of our hotels.
Long-tail Tit A flock of Long-tail Tits was seen in the garden of our Hotel de Centenairre in Les Eyzies. Another flock was seen in the gardens of our hotel at Les Chateau de la Treyne.
Blackcap One seen in low brush or trees in park area in Brantome and another on the trail to Bourdilles. A third was seen in the gardens of our hotel at Les Chateau de la Treyne.
Wheatear Seen along the fence line during our first hike near the Cistercian Abbey.
English House Sparrow One seen at the Cistercian Abbey and another in the gardens of our hotel at Les Chateau de la Treyne.
Wren Seen in the small garden area between our hotel and the Abbey at Le Moulinde de l’Abbaye in Brantome.
Tree Creeper Seen in the park across the Dronne River from our hotel in Le Moulinde de l’Abbaye in Brantome.
Black Headed Gull Numerous Gulls over the Seine in Paris. Also, many at the London Wetland Center.
Herring Gull Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
Common Tern Seen only in London at the Wetland Center.
This page has the following sub pages.
- Day One
- Day Two – Brantôme
- Day Three – to Bourdeilles
- Day Four – Perigueux – Lherm – Montignac and Coly
- Day Five – From Coly to Lascaux and the famous caves
- Day Six – The Vézère Valley
- Day 7 Beynac Marqueyssac and Castelnaud – The Hundred Years’ War
- Day 8 – Les Eyzies the Home of Prehistory
- Day 9 – Sarlat, Eyrignac, Souillac and LA TREYNE
- Day 10 – To Rocamadour
- Day 11 – Brive railway station
TRIP TO PARIS & THE DORDOGNE
(October 9-22, 2009)
Day 1 (Friday, 9 October 2009)_Paris: Arrive late on the Chunnel from London. Check into the Hotel D’Aubusson on Rue Dauphine. Early arrivals (Cronks, Schmickers, Nancy & Bob) on the “romance package” have already left for a concert at la Sainte Chapelle on the Ile de la Cite and then dinner at Le Christine (1 rue Christine). Nita and I “dine” at Café Buci up the street from the hotel. Street musicians add to the mystique.
Day 2 (Saturday, 10 October 2009) Paris: Starbucks for breakfast while the “romance package” group breakfast at the hotel. Then a morning of shopping—the Roethes for a French Poster. We buy a Steinlen at Galleries Document on Rue Seine. Nath has given us permission for the purchase. We join the “romance package” group for a champagne lunch at the hotel. The afternoon is spent on a walk by Notre Dame, St. Chapelle, etc. Then we take a short cruise on the Seine to see the sights. Dinner with the group at Restaurant La Bastide Odeon (7 Rue Corneille), followed by drinks in the hotel bar listening to the jazz combo.
Day 3 (Sunday, 11 October 2009) Paris: Rick, Janet, John, Bobbie & Jim attend French mass at Notre Dame. Then breakfast at Café Paul. Couples then go their own way. Roethes to the “antique” markets at Marche au Puce near the Peripherique in north Paris – end of the M4 line. Wilsons and Schmickers find a place to sit and relax. Cronks take a long walk along Seine. Cathy and Rich Rissel finally arrive, just in time to join us for dinner at Allard Restaurant @ 1 rue de l’Eperon. Dinner takes much longer than planned as we have booked two vans to tour the lights of Paris that night. After a visit to the kitchen by Bob, we finish our profiteroles on the street. We then head back to the hotel where the vans are waiting. We tour the most significant sights of Paris—Notre Dame, the Opera House, etc, see the light show at the Eiffel Tower and end the evening watching a large group of French Algerians celebrate Algeria’s football victory (they made the World Cup) at the Arc de Triomphe. The shouting, dancing on top of cars, and smoke bombs make for an exciting end to the evening. The Wilsons slowing make their way down the Champs Elysees (through the festivities) while the rest of us return by van to the Hotel D’Aubusson.
Day 4 (Monday, 12 October 2009) Paris to Brantome: Breakfast again at Café Paul (for those not on the “romance package”). Then a little window shopping as we await our trip to the Dordogne (formerly “Perigord”). Nancy’s search for a heating pad is without success. In the early afternoon we make our way to Gard Montparnasse for our rail trip to Angouleme. We reach Angouleme at 16:15 and Peter and Ben are waiting for the drive to Brantome on the Dronne River (Le Perigord Vert). We debark at the Hotel Moulin de L’Abbaye, a Relais et Chateaux Hotel—an old abbey mill converted to a hotel. After freshening up, we begin our daily ritual of cocktails (19:00 hours) followed by dinner at 19:30. Bill has brought his scotch and Rick orders the wine. Four small Hors d’oeuvres are served during the cocktail hour and we are already close to being full before dinner begins. Dinners routinely consist of starter, entre, sorbet (sometimes), main course, salad (sometimes), desert and petit fours. The wine flows generously. We eat fish, lamb, beef, wild boar, pigeons, chicken, duck, sweetbreads, snails, mushrooms picked locally, and many vegetables. I believe monkfish is the main course on this day.
Day 5 (Tuesday, 13 October 2009) Brantome & Environs: Breakfast at the hotel. Most breakfasts (beginning at 8:00 a.m.) consist of fresh bread and croissants, home-made jam, juice, cheese and meats, cereal (sometimes), eggs (usually hard boiled but soft boiled on one occasion and omelets at the hotel in Brantome) yogurt and, of course, coffee or tea. Hiking begins at about 9:30. This day we drive to our starting point near Condat and begin our first hike to the ruins of an old Cistercian Abbey beyond Campagnac-de Belair, where we experience our first picnic. The Abbey was constructed beginning in 1154 A.D. The Cistercian’s split from the Benedictines in 1098 and began to establish abbeys, monasteries and churches throughout France. Their style of architecture was simple, generally in the Romanesque or Gothic style conforming to their belief that their churches should avoid superfluous ornamentation. Duende “picnics” are like few picnics any of us have experienced. Upon arrival, Anna and Esperanza greet us with glasses of water to ward off dehydration. (We are told to keep the glasses for a better use to come as the “picnic” progresses.) Ben then describes that days picnic fare—consisting typically of (among other things) tossed greens, two additional salads (tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado, beets, cucumbers, etc, you name it and we had it in at least one of the salads), numerous cheeses and salamis, fresh fruit, local breads and a different foie gras each day. This ritual is repeated before each picnic. Also plenty of both a red and a white local wine. After an hour and a half or so, we are refreshed and ready to continue. This day we hike on to the magnificent Chateau de Puyguilhem, a superb example of French Renaissance architecture, about a kilometer outside the village of Villars. This Chateau was built in the 16th century on the side of a more ancient military fortress. We have a guide at this Chateau to show us through the chateau with its octagonal tower, broad spiral staircase and magnificent fireplaces. The Chateau is lovely, but we learn much too much about the numerous tapestries adorning the walls than any of us want or need to know. From here, we return to the hotel for rest, cocktails and dinner. Total hiking on this day – 6 miles.
Day 6 (Wednesday, 14 October 2009) Brantome & Environs: After breakfast, we spend a short time exploring the Abbey at Brantome with its tower built on rock outcroppings. The original Benedictine Abbey was founded by Charlemagne in 769 A.D. The Abbey and abbey church were destroyed by the Normans and reconstructed in the 11th Century and again in the 18th Century. Behind the Abbey church are the steep and rocky cliffs so prevalent throughout the Dordogne and the remnants of caverns (rock overhangs) that were inhabited by early man and later formed the defensive backdrop for the Abbey and the village that grew around it. The “Day of Judgment” cave behind the abbey contains decorations dating to the 15th Century. We then begin our hike towards Bourdeilles. The hike, like most others, covers both woods and farmland. In the woods, chestnut and oak predominate. We picnic along the trail at a high spot overlooking the valley. Then on to Bourdeilles where we visit the Chateau de Bourdeilles with its remarkable furnishings and beautifully decorated interiors—the gift of a local resident who wished for a place to display his remarkable collection of renaissance furnishings. We return to our hotel by van. Following the cocktail hour, we eat at a local restaurant across the River from our hotel (Au fil du temps) and have a wonderful meal including mushroom risotto and pigeon. Total hiking on this day – 8 miles.
Day 7 (Thursday, 15 October 2009) Perigeaux/Coly/Montignac & Environs: After breakfast at our hotel in Brantome, we board the vans for Perigeaux on the Isle River (Le Perigord Blanc). Most of the postage stamps of Europe are made in this lovely town. We park our vans and head for the old section of town. On the way we stop at the ruins of the Vesunna Temple, a 2nd Century circular structure where Celtic priests once worshiped the goddess “Tutela Vessuna.” We proceed on to the center of the ancient city and St. Front Cathedral—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This church was an important stop on the St. James of Compostella Pilgrim’s Way, following the Vezelay Route. The church was built in the shape of the Greek Cross with five distinct cupolas and a 12th Century bell tower. Following our visit, we have a couple of hours for shopping through the ancient and narrow streets of the old city. The Wilson’s pause briefly at St. Louis Square. The gals then begin a search for something heart-shaped as a gift for Lani. The guys find a coffee shop for some cappuccino and some rest (gift for Buzz? Are you kidding!). up Two local “birds” drive by and honk, building the ego of the guys. The heart purchase having been made, we drive to the start point of our late morning hike—near le thot. First stop is the Chateau de L’Hern, the “jinxed castle,” only a shell of which remains. Among other things, the castle’s owner was poisoned by his wife, a woman he should have known had the potential to do him in. We picnic along the trail. After lunch we hike on to Montignac on the Vezere River. Then we take the van to our next hotel—the Manoir de Hautegente near Coly, a charming manor house hotel with the Roethe and Schmicker rooms in a converted stable adjacent to the main house. This hotel was formerly a 13th century forge, later converted to a manor house and hotel, burned down in the 1950,s and rebuilt to its original grandeur. Total hiking this day – 6 miles. We are warned that on the morrow we will have our longest hiking day (10 miles) for those up to the challenge.
Day 8 (Friday, 16 October 2009) Coly/Montignac & Environs: Following breakfast at the hotel, we walk from the hotel to the Abbey Church of St. Amand de Coly. This church was constructed in the 12th Century on the site of an earlier abbey chapel, and combines gothic (plain square columns and corners) and roman (more rounded columns) styles. It was reconstructed in the 19th and 20th Centuries. At St. Amand we meet “Eleanor,” a gentle yellow lab who will be our companion for the next 5 miles despite Peter’s efforts to send her back whence she came (I hope Ben reads and appreciates this sentence). We continue our walk past the Chateau of La Grande Filolie, an attractive 15th Century castle set in a charming woodland setting, and then on to our picnic site at Les Combes village. We sit in chairs in a courtyard next to a small farmhouse owned by a most charming Madam, who provides us with two varieties of Foie Gras made at her farm. Eleanor finds several play mates and seems to get on just fine with them, contrary to Peter’s earlier assertion that Eleanor would be chased away by the local dogs when we reached our picnic destination. In the afternoon, we continue our walk to Lascaux—the site of perhaps the most renown of all the caves with prehistoric paintings. This cave was discovered accidentally in 1940 by four teenage boys when a small hole at the entrance of the cave opened up after a tree was felled in a storm. The boys crawled through a small crevice and slid down a pile of rocks into a cavern now known as the Great Hall of the Bulls. The boys took an oath never to divulge the cave’s existence to anyone. However, four days later they told their school science teacher of their discovery and he immediately explored the cave, recognized its significance and notified pre-historians in Paris of the find. The cave, with its myriad paintings of primarily bulls, horses, and stags painted by Cro Magnon man over 17,000 years ago, was open to the public until 1963 when it was closed to prevent damage to the paintings. Of interest, while the paintings of animals are many and realistic, only a single depiction of a human can be found in the cave—and that is an unrealistic stick figure of a man, deep in the recesses of the cave. Between 1972 and 1983, French authorities completed a complete reproduction of the first two rooms of the cave at a nearby site (Lascaux II), including the Great Hall of the Bulls. It was there that we had the pleasure of a brief lecture on the cave’s paintings by Christine Desdemaine Hugon, followed by a tour of the reproduction cave. A most memorable day. On our drive home, we drop “Eleanor” back at St. Amand in the hope that she belongs there and will find her owner. Then on to our hotel, for a brief rest, the usual cocktails and a wonderful dinner. Total hike this day – 10 miles for Jim, Nita, Rick, John, Bobbie, Rich, Cathy, Bob. Six miles for the others.
Day 9, (Saturday, 17 October 2009) Montignac to Les Eyzies de Tayac Sireuil. Another hearty breakfast and a drive to St.Leon sur Vezere where we begin our walk along the Vezere River. We visit the Church of St. Leon sur Vezere and then continue our walk to our picnic site overlooking the river valley in what Peter describes as the “cradle of human civilization.” We continue our walk with the Vezere River on our right and the glorious cliffs of limestone on our left—a most spectacular hike and a highlight of the trip. We continue on past the famous shelter of La Roque St. Christopher to the village of Tursac where we end our hike. We learn during this hike that trails marked with red and white stripes are part of the national trail system while trails marked with yellow stripes are local trails. We board the vans to our next hotel—the Du Centenaire in Les-Eyzies-de-Tayac on the banks of the Dordogne River. This hotel will close in a few days and the entire operation is apparently run by two managers who act as receptionist, concierge, waiters, busboys and housekeepers. Total hike this day – 9 miles.
Day 10 (Sunday, 18 October 2009) Competing Castles near La Roque Gageac: We learn this morning that Cal beat UCLA convincingly—Jim wins the pool and is rewarded with bird songs. This is a day to visit grand castles, including two fortified castles across from each other on opposite sides of the Dordogne River. After breakfast at the hotel (which included a dish that some thought was tapioca and others rice pudding) we drive to our starting point and hike to the Chateau de Beynac on the north side of the river near La Roque Gageac. This castle was one of the principal power centers and a fierce rival of the Castlenaud la Chapelle across the river. Owned by the Barons of Beynac, the castle remained in French hands for the entirety of the Hundred Years War (1337 – 1453). It is the epitome of a fortified castle, with its straight and high walls and slotted windows for the archers or for throwing projectiles at the enemy. Wooden pikes added recently to the exterior walls enhance the feeling that the castle is impenetrable. They have also contributed to the site’s being selected as the site of many movies including a Monty Python movie. From here we hike to the Chateau de Marqueyssac, boasting some of the most splendid gardens in the Dordogne, planted in the 17th and 19th Centuries. There are 22 hectares of gardens, six kilometers of paths, and numerous panoramic viewpoints, rockeries and waterfalls surrounding the 18th Century chateau. The topiaries go on and on, consisting of over 150,000 hand-trimmed boxes. After sneaking out the rear of the gardens, we hike to the village of La Roque Gageac where we picnic in an open field—lowlight of the day being the substitution of “fruited bread” for the wonderful tarts available at most other lunches. After lunch, we cross the river to the south side of the Dordogne where stands the Chateau de Castlenaud la Chapelle. Castlnaud la Chapelle was originally built in the 11th Century, burned down in the 12th Century, and rebuilt in the 13th Century. During the Hundred Years War, the castle exchanged hands between the French and English no fewer than 7 time, finally becoming French in 1442 when the French captured it permanently after a three week siege ordered by France’s King Charles VII. The Caumont family, who inherited the castle following the marriage of Magne de Castelnaud to Monpar de Caumont, continued to reinforce the Chateau, completing the mighty artillery tower in 1520. The family eventually converted to Protestantism and protected the castle against catholic invasions during the Wars of Religion (1562 – 1598). After the French Revolution of 1789, the Castle was neglected and became used as a quarry for the construction of local buildings. It was later rebuilt to reflect its earlier glory. Today the artillery tower houses a remarkable museum of armor and weaponry from these early periods—including a wide array of swords, pikes, early guns and cannon and ”trebuchet,” a powerful machine used up to the 16th Century to hurl stone balls at the castle walls in an attempt to cause a breach. Despite their nearness to each other, occupants of the competing Beynac and Castlenaud castles never directly confronted each other—their respective fortresses (Beynac and Castlenaud) being impenetrable by the weapons then available. Rumor has it, however, that the French and English frequently stood on their respective sides of the Dordogne and hurled insults at each other. We return to our hotel where the plan is to have a free night at a restaurant of our choice in Les Eyzies. Peter one-ups us by making a reservation for the entire group at a lovely restaurant adjacent to our hotel—the Moulin de la Beune—another old converted mill, where we have a wonderful dinner in the style of those at our hotels. The hike this day covers 6 miles.
Day 11, Monday, 19 October 2009) Les Eyzies and Environs: Finally a relatively easy day on the feet. We pretty much stay near Les Eyzies on this day. After breakfast we visit the Musee National de Prehistoire in Les Eyzies with our tour leader Christine. This is the premier museum of pre-history in the world, with many artifacts and remains of prehistoric man—both Homo Sapien and Neanderthal. Among the highlights are stone tools up to 2.7 million years old, remains of Cro Magnon and Neanderthal man, information concerning the life style of prehistoric man and the animals they encountered, and displays of carved artifacts and paintings dating to 35,000 years ago. A beautiful example of the art on display is an exquisitely carved stone bull with head turned backward in an almost cubist style. We leave the museum and drive to one of the few remaining caves containing prehistoric etchings and paintings still open to the public—Font de Gaume. This amazing cave—located high up the cliffs on the outskirts of Les Eyzies—has the finest prehistoric paintings still able to be seen by visitors anywhere in the world. The cave entrance is and has been clearly visible for years and so many of the paintings at the lower level of the cave have been obliterated by visitors and graffiti since the cave’s “discovery” in 1906. Unlike the cave at Lascaux which drops down from the entrance, one entering the cave at Font de Gaume must climb upward to reach the far reaches of the cave. Carbon dioxide produced by visitors to the Font de Gaume caves and which could slowly destroy the paintings in the cave can thus escape through the caves entrance. This accounts for the fact that this cave remains open to the public while the cave at Lascaux has been closed for years and is only open to researchers under very restrictive conditions. The caves, which depict primarily reindeer, bison and horses, show an amazing understanding of depth and perception, almost in he cubism forms later adopted by Picasso who visited the caves. Per Christine interpretation, the paintings do not depict the hunt or merely demonstrate what animals prehistoric man confronted (many animals known to exist in prehistory are not depicted), but rather are spiritual in nature. After our visit to the museum, we take a brief walk to the outskirts of Les Eyzies where we see the site (a rock shelter in Tayac) where Cro Magnon man was first discovered in 1868 by geologist Louis Lartet. Interestingly, Cro Magnon is not a scientific name, but the name of the location where the discovery was made. We then return to Les Eyzies to picnic along the banks of the Vezere River in a lovely park in the village. No fruit bread today but rather profiteroles which we devour at our leisure rather than on the run as in Paris. After lunch, those interested drive to the top of the cliffs overlooking Les Eyzies and hike back down to Tayac. Then on to our hotel, the usual cocktails and dinner at our hotel. Total hike this day, only 5 miles (for those doing the afternoon hike).
Day 12 (Tuesday, 20 October 2009) Sarlat to Souillac. Today, after breakfast, we drive to the medieval town of Sarlat (home of needles and sutures), away from the rivers and in the middle of the Perigord countryside. We have a couple of hours to shop and to visit the church in the center of the old town. Rick lights his third or fourth candle in the church and I confess to lighting one for my mother. Bill looks for a bow tie for Peter to no avail. We then drive further into the countryside for a short hike to our picnic site in the countryside. We wave on two occasions to a local farmer who “tractors” to and fro past our picnic site. Roast chicken added to the luncheon menu and two beautiful tarts purchased by Peter in Sarlat. Then another short hike to Les Jardins du Manoir d’Eyrignac, a listed monument and one of the loveliest gardens in the Perigord region. These gardens, planted in the 17th and 18th Centuries combine the French, Italian and English styles to the benefit of all three. A protected natural site of 200 hectares with 4 hectares of maintained areas, the gardens include 7km of formal edges clipped 10 times a year by ten full time gardeners using hand tools, all surrounding the lovely manor house. All clippings and mowing waste are recovered and reused three years later as organic fertilizer. Following our visit, we drive to Souillac to view several beautiful 12th and 13th Century sculptures adorning the entrance to the Abbey Church of Ste. Marie, constructed between 1075 and 1150 A.D. Upon entering Souillac we are leaving the Dordogne Department and entering Lot, a separate French Department to the East of Dordogne. We learn that the Dordogne River runs through several French Departments (“states”) from its origin in France’s Massive Central to its mouth on the Atlantic Ocean. The remainder of our trip will be in the Lot Department. We proceed on by van to the lovely Hotel-Chateau de la Treyne—the final stop on our trip near the village of Lacav. This chateau (a Relais et Chateaux hotel), built in the 14th and 17th Centuries, towers majestically over the Dordogne River. It stands on the site of the earlier Fortress of La Treyne, built in 1342. It is a truly fairytale place for our last stay in the region. Total hike this day is only 4 miles.
Day 13 (Wednesday, 21 October 2009) Lacav and Rocamadour. We arise to another lovely breakfast, this time with the addition of quiche to the menu. For the first time since Paris, we experience rain and a decision is made to visit Rocamadour early and hike in the afternoon if the weather permits. Before that, however, we visit a lovely fortified mill—Moulin de Cougneguet—built on a trace or the Wysse River in the village of Les Alix by Cistercian Monks between 1292 and 1350. Originally these mills served as the local “bank” and were fortified to prevent the confiscation of the grain by warring marauders. The mill operated continuously from 1350 until 1959. It is now open for demonstrations of the milling process. Our “guide” has been working for the mill owner for 30+ years and was able to describe in detail the process for turning the grindstones, fashioning the stones to mill different sizes of flours and then sifting to produce the final product. We then drive to Racamadour—the second most visited site in France after Paris named after St. Amadour. This is a spectacular site on the route of the religious Pilgrims, and the site of the “black virgin,” a small statute in the old Abbey chapel in the upper area of the cliffs. The main church is constructed against the cliff with the wall of the cliff forming the outer wall of the church. The village of Racamadour lies beneath the Abbey church and chapel. A truly spectacular area. Due to the weather we skip the picnic and eat lunch at a restaurant across the river gorge facing Racamadour (Le Belvedere). Several opt for salads. John and Jim replace the offered wine with a beer. After lunch, eight of us opt for a five mile hike from the old mill back to the Chateau—a most lovely final walk. Cocktails ensue with many toasts. Champagne provided by the Schultes is rapidly consumed. We toast to the Schultes and to our leaders and staff and to each other. Our final dinner consists of a Scampi Risotto entre, Maigre fish roasted in a fine bohemian-style tart with parmentier sauce for the main course, and biscuit iced rum, coconut bar and sherbet for desert—plus, of course, all of the usual extras. More wine, more toasts, some special Cognac contributed by Rick and then off to bed and another sound sleep.
Day 14 (Thursday, 22 October 2009) Travel Day: A final breakfast and everyone is packing for travel. The Rissels, Schmickers, Cronks, Nancy and Bob are off to Paris from Gare Brive. They will fly home in the morning except for Rick who is headed for Kuala Lumpur and a scouting event. John and Bobbie leave early to catch a plane in Paris for New York. Roethes leave with Ben, Anna and Esperanza for Toulouse to catch a train to London. Ben will fly to Paris and then on to Valencia. The girls are off to Marseille. Peter awaits the arrival of his son and will do some research for future trips before returning to Bristol.
ALL IN ALL, A VERY LOVELY AND REWARDING TRIP.
Jim Roethe
Trip Participants
Peter Watson—Our Dear Leader
Ben Littlewood—Picnic Chef Extraordinaire
Anna Campuzano—First Assistant
Esperanza Campuzano—First Assistant
Jim and Nita Roethe
Bill and Nath Schmicker
John and Bobbie Wilson
Rich and Kathy Rissel
Rick and Janet Cronk
Nancy Dickmeyer and Bob Sciutto
Buzz and Lani Schu