Into the Dordogne

Fri:  30^th May, 2014.  A lovely sunny morning…we left the pretty town of Alvignac and backtracked a little to Gramat for grocery shopping, before heading to Rocamadour and booking into a caravan park there, chiefly for the electricity as the fridge has been struggling on the gas for the past few days and was in need of a power boost.  Happily, this seems to have worked and the fridge is now behaving very well, keeping the beer nice and cold!

After lunch we walked to the bus stop, closing windows and hatches before we left as there was rain threatening, and for 3,50 euros each, caught the open top bus

to the ramparts…not a great distance but after the walking and climbing we’ve done in the last few days, the old muscles were complaining so we treated them to a rest. 

It cost 2,00 euros each to visit the ramparts

   which afforded magnificent views over the canyon of the Alzou river

and the walk down to the town along a gently sloping zig zag path didn’t tax us too much. 

Once we’d been through the chapels and taken the odd photo,

 we made our way through the crowds to a café overlooking the gorge and ordered refreshments.  The rain came down heavily while we were there and brought many more customers into the café…when it had eased we strolled along the street to the bus stop for the bus ride up the steep hill back to the campsite.

Sat:  31stMay, 2014.  A little more back tracking this morning as we made our way to Carennac, set on the banks of the Dordogne though still in the Lot region.  A lovely little village, with centuries old, traditional stone-built houses, a former Benedictine priory, a Romanesque church dating from the 11^th-12^th century and unaffected by tourism.

On then through beautiful countryside and lovely little villages, stopping for lunch near the river before crossing into the Dordogne Valley,

and continuing on to Carsac where we called in at a café for coffee and at a glass blower’s studio/shop to admire, but sadly not to buy, some of his exquisite creations.

The next stop was at Monfort, a small village whose castle was not open so photos are of the exterior only.

While there, a little sweetheart about 2 years old, walking towards us with her mother and grandparents, picked a poppy from the side of the path and handed it to Mike. 

He was thrilled, thanked her profusely and in return, gave her one of the little toy koalas we carry around with us.  She was fascinated as she’d not seen one before.

It was only about 9kms then to Domme, where we are staying tonight.  We’re just 500 metres from the town and intend to wander in tomorrow morning to explore, having decided to relax for the rest of today.

Sun : 1^st June.  We made an early start this morning, setting off just after 9.00a.m. for the short walk to the walled village of Domme, high above the Dordogne.  There weren’t many people about at that time so we wandered up and down the little streets unhindered for a while, before all the shops had opened and the tourists came pouring in.  What a lovely village!  What superb views!

 

It was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm all day and we’re back in shorts!

We haven’t travelled far today…our first stop after leaving Domme was at La Roque Gageac just 7 kms away.  Another lovely village, situated between the cliffs and the river Dordogne.  It was very popular today, many families picnicking beside the river, many others eating in the cafes and a couple of small boats cruising on the river, just gorgeous. 

After we’d completed the usual exploratory stroll, we took our chairs to the grass behind the car park and had our own little picnic.   Sitting in the sunshine and people watching was an enjoyable and relaxing way to spend our lunchtime.

A little further down the road and across the river, we paid a visit to Chateau des Milande, built in 1489 and the former residence of Josephine Baker, an icon of the music hall and member of the French Resistance during WWII.  We knew a little about her but have learnt more today of her amazing life.  Photos are not permitted inside the chateau but we made up for that by taking one or two of the exterior. 

Included in the entry fee is a Birds of Prey Show which had just started when we arrived.  We watched the remainder of the show but as the falconer was speaking French, we couldn’t understand the commentary though enjoyed watching the magnificent birds.

It was late afternoon by this time, so we decided we’d had enough sightseeing for today and are now in St Cyprien, ready for some beauty sleep!