Day 9 – Sarlat, Eyrignac, Souillac and LA TREYNE

We left Les Eyzies towards Sarlat where the history of the south of France seems to coalesce in a direct confrontation between the protestant humanist reforms and the catholic reaction. A fascinating town. Our lunch – which by now had added roast chicken and TWO tarts – was followed by the wonderful gardens of Eyrignac which were adored by all members of the garden club.
Souillac provided magnificent C11 sculptures and the story of a man who made a pact with the devil but still came out on top. The group were quieter than they have been for a while…..
La Treyne is just perfect – but I have yet to find the picture.

From Jim’s journal:
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.