Leaving the rolling green hills of the Loire Valley, we head further South to the rolling green hills of the Dordogne.
Our destination is the medieval town of Sarlat La Caneda.
Said to be one of the best preserved examples of 14th century France, there is something wonderful about wandering through the honey-coloured laneways in the old town centre.
The beautiful stonework with winding alleyways and cute, touristy stores are a hobby painter's delight. We were fortunate to see many artists at work... some with more success than others.
This fellow set himself up directly below the window to our apartment.
Looking past the cafe, you can see our apartment. We had three windows on the first floor, where we could sit in our living room and watch the tour groups shuffle by.
The central town square was only 15m down the lane, past the arched doorway below our window.
Sarlat is also blessed with plentiful markets, although they were heavily oriented towards the tourists. Foie gras and truffles are the specialties of the region, but our budget and dietary sensibilities found us happy in our role as passive observers.
Not only limited to food, the markets also provided locals with homewares and fabrics. The displays of threads were delightful.
A view of the markets, which spread from one end of the town to the other. Here we look down onto the central square...
...from a vantage point where some local children amused themselves with bubbles. It was a lot of fun to watch, but then again, when aren't bubbles fun?!?
Once the market has cleared from the square, it is taken over by other activities. One day we saw medieval re-enactment fanatics practising bizarre rituals with broadswords. There was also a performance of some local dragon folklore by primary school children. I stopped to watch the rehearsal, while Naomi did her best to be patient.
The following image shows the musical accompaniment.
Perhaps they are biting their nails in fear of the papier-mache dragon!
Near one of the market sites, I saw this self-watering tree.
Earlier, I hinted that we were watching our budget when it came to gourmet foods.
Crepes and croissants have been a happy inclusion in our French diet...
Here I am after some of the best crepes we came across in all of our time in France.
The township of Sarlat is delightful, but there is so much to see in the Dordogne region. I was quite keen to visit Les Eyzies to see the prehistoric paintings, but while organising a rental car...
...we discovered Marqueyssac.
It was a spectacular place. Spreading across a mountain ridge, winding paths connect gardens and idyllic buildings with lush forest in between.
Wandering through the forests, we came across this playful area. What the story is behind it, I'm not too sure.
There is something that makes Marqueyssac stand out - and it is not the sprawling forests or the sweeping views over nearby La Roque.
It is heaven for lovers of topiary.
These gardens were quite a sight, if a little bizarre. We watched little birds flitting about, some had built nests inside the domes of greenery.
The visit to Marqueyssac was very worthwhile. Naomi was an excellent driver, even through the disappointment of our fruitless search for a local radio station.
On the way home to Sarlat, we stopped by the town of La Roque on the Dordogne. Another beautiful location, but unfortunately we fled from the rain and spent much of our time there eating bruscetta. Yes, I know... bruscetta.
Our final image from Sarlat, is of me and a little friend I made while we walked through the town. I'm always on the lookout for critters to play with. This cat put up with my "friendliness" for a couple of minutes, before moving on.
Our destination is the medieval town of Sarlat La Caneda.
Said to be one of the best preserved examples of 14th century France, there is something wonderful about wandering through the honey-coloured laneways in the old town centre.
The beautiful stonework with winding alleyways and cute, touristy stores are a hobby painter's delight. We were fortunate to see many artists at work... some with more success than others.
This fellow set himself up directly below the window to our apartment.
Looking past the cafe, you can see our apartment. We had three windows on the first floor, where we could sit in our living room and watch the tour groups shuffle by.
The central town square was only 15m down the lane, past the arched doorway below our window.
Sarlat is also blessed with plentiful markets, although they were heavily oriented towards the tourists. Foie gras and truffles are the specialties of the region, but our budget and dietary sensibilities found us happy in our role as passive observers.
Not only limited to food, the markets also provided locals with homewares and fabrics. The displays of threads were delightful.
A view of the markets, which spread from one end of the town to the other. Here we look down onto the central square...
...from a vantage point where some local children amused themselves with bubbles. It was a lot of fun to watch, but then again, when aren't bubbles fun?!?
Once the market has cleared from the square, it is taken over by other activities. One day we saw medieval re-enactment fanatics practising bizarre rituals with broadswords. There was also a performance of some local dragon folklore by primary school children. I stopped to watch the rehearsal, while Naomi did her best to be patient.
The following image shows the musical accompaniment.
Perhaps they are biting their nails in fear of the papier-mache dragon!
Near one of the market sites, I saw this self-watering tree.
Earlier, I hinted that we were watching our budget when it came to gourmet foods.
Crepes and croissants have been a happy inclusion in our French diet...
Here I am after some of the best crepes we came across in all of our time in France.
With all of the creative options and fillings, nothing could match the simple melt-in-the-mouth combination of buerre + sucre.
Of course, Naomi kept trying Nutella crepes just in case, but in the end I think she agrees with me (and my belly).The township of Sarlat is delightful, but there is so much to see in the Dordogne region. I was quite keen to visit Les Eyzies to see the prehistoric paintings, but while organising a rental car...
...we discovered Marqueyssac.
It was a spectacular place. Spreading across a mountain ridge, winding paths connect gardens and idyllic buildings with lush forest in between.
Wandering through the forests, we came across this playful area. What the story is behind it, I'm not too sure.
There is something that makes Marqueyssac stand out - and it is not the sprawling forests or the sweeping views over nearby La Roque.
It is heaven for lovers of topiary.
These gardens were quite a sight, if a little bizarre. We watched little birds flitting about, some had built nests inside the domes of greenery.
The visit to Marqueyssac was very worthwhile. Naomi was an excellent driver, even through the disappointment of our fruitless search for a local radio station.
On the way home to Sarlat, we stopped by the town of La Roque on the Dordogne. Another beautiful location, but unfortunately we fled from the rain and spent much of our time there eating bruscetta. Yes, I know... bruscetta.
Our final image from Sarlat, is of me and a little friend I made while we walked through the town. I'm always on the lookout for critters to play with. This cat put up with my "friendliness" for a couple of minutes, before moving on.
1 comments:
With a pancake in his stomach, Guy has never looked more content (except when he pats an animal). Marqueyssac looks just out of this world.
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