Au Revoir, la Dordogne

Our last week in la Dordogne started slowly; after a month and a half "on the road," both Carol and I needed a little down time, so we didn't stray too far from Beauvert. We took some short walks from our gîte, and one lovely "randonée" outside the town of Les Eyzies. (Remember our first randonée, when we managed to get spectacularly lost?) This time, it was uneventful - if a walk in the French countryside on a sunny day can be deemed uneventful.

Jean-Pierre and Danielle invited us to dinner Tuesday evening. Once again we were treated to Jean-Pierre's culinary mastery, Danielle's marvelous desserts and satisfying conversation on an evening we wished would not end - metaphor, perhaps for a visit that we wanted to prolong. We started with wine and a dish of walnuts harvested by Danielle. This night was seafood night. We started with Coquilles St. Jacques, beautifully presented. I found myself, not for the first time in la Dordogne, practicing the art of prolonged chewing in an effort to make the sumptuous taste last as long as possible. The main course was also an ocean fish, named in French Rouget for its reddish color. They were small - three to a person - and possessed a delightful natural salty taste. Then, the pièce de resistance - a pie-sized flan created by Danielle. Ummmm! Throughout the evening, we enjoyed our hosts' delightful company and good conversation. What could be better than good food with friends - anywhere, in any language?

On Thursday, we set out on our only long automobile exploration of our entire stay. At our hosts' suggestion, we drove over 160 kilometers to the caves at Pech Merle. Along the way we drove country roads high above the surrounding farmland that afforded us views that seemed to be endless. We were in the region of Lot. The villages seemed more modern, neat and tidy than in Dordogne, where every dwelling seemed to be hundreds of years old. The farms were larger; there seemed to be more activity. But we weren't swayed; Dordogne had already won our hearts.

The caves at Pech Merle are larger and more geologically interesting than Font de Gaume. The drawings on the walls were older and more primitive. We found the site interesting, but not as stunning historically or culturally as Font de Gaume. If you're in the region and have time for only one, Font de Gaume is it.

Jean-Pierre and Danielle told us that if we went to Pech Merle, we should be sure to visit the pretty hill town of Saint Cirq Lapopie, just down the road from the caves.


Saint Cirq - un des plus beaux villages de France - sits high above the River Lot, providing spectacular views. It was late in the afternoon of a day late in the tourist season, so it was pretty quiet. We found an open restaurant with wine but no view. Since we wished to tarry amid such beauty more than drink wine, we chose to visit the ruins of the fortress, which afforded the best views. Then we walked the streets a bit before pointing the car for home.

In Europe, pointing your car doesn't always mean that you'll be moving in that direction, at least not on the schedule that you had set for yourself.

And then, it was Friday, the 24th, our last full day in la Dordogne. I looked back over the breadth of our adventure to the early days of feeding Wes, changing his diapers and chatting with him about the important things that grandparents have to say to their infant grandsons. Back then, we walked Spud and Bella, drank Dutch beer with Ben, enjoyed Ellen's culinary creations and got lost on bicycles with regularity. So much had happened. And now it was time to... clean the gîte! That knocked the memories out of the forefront. We got a head start the night before, and promised ourselves one more country walk as a reward for a job performed to Carol's exacting standards.

The walk would be to the Chateau de Commarque, an unrestored twelfth century castle not all that far from Beauvert. Road signs pointed to the traditional approach to the chateau, but Carol found a spot a kilometer or two away that would reward us with a pretty stroll through the countryside.

The results were familiar. Actually, we were not lost. When I took this photo, we could see the chateau through the trees off to our right. To our left rose a steep rocky cliff that kept us from wandering too far astray. The path was not well-used, and it took a little while to find our way. But the intrepid Americans prevailed, enjoying the wandering the entire time.

We emerged from the woods at the base of the fortress and were rewarded with beautiful views of the unrestored castle. I've told you in earlier posts about impressive restored chateaux we visited. Chateau de Commarque was closed, but as we gazed up at its magnificence, we were enchanted by the powerful and haunting remains of its former glory. Once again, we were alone amid the natural and historical splendor of la Dordogne. We lingered, allowing the ghosts of long ago work their magic on us.

These are the remains of the village at the base of the chateau's domineering cliff, where servants, merchants and tradesmen who provided their services to the chateau lived.

We learned later - as we researched on the internet at Beauvert, glass of wine at our side - that in July and August, the lonely, magical spot we had visited is so crowded with visitors that English language tours are given hourly!

This was our last Dordogne adventure. Ahead now lay Paris, which I'll tell you about in my next posting. But I must finish my Dordogne journal by introducing our hosts, about whom I cannot say enough good things.

Jean-Pierre and Danielle Caron-Lys, the owners of Beauvert, have made their home a special place. From the moment we arrived, when we found them waiting outside their home and waving to us (alerted, I suppose, by the sound of our car's approach in the serene valley), Jean-Pierre and Danielle treated us with gracious warmth. Chief among the delights we experienced during our stay in la Dordogne were the times we got to visit with them. If we saw them outside doing chores or sitting on their patio on the warm autumn sun, we felt a rise of excitement at the thought of visiting and telling them of the day's adventure.

Their pleasure at hearing us recount our day's wandering was genuine. They offered ideas and insights on places to see that we hadn't known about. (Their knowledge of the region of la Dordogne is extensive. In fact, I invite you to check out Jean-Pierre's own blog, which reveals their knowledge of the region as well as their own fascinating interests. It's a good way to practice your French, but you can get the gist of much of what they have to share, with a little reliance on context and, of course, photos.)

Jean-Pierre and Danielle were so helpful and so kind to us, day in and day out. In addition to tips about the region, they were eager to help us with any question, any problem that arose. When I had my unpleasantness with our rental car (a little scratch or two, a bit of a dent), Jean-Pierre looked at the damage and in his best English exclaimed, "Sheeet!" He seemed even more upset that I was! He proved invaluable in calling the car rental agency in Brive and later helping me to translate my letter to the agency - a necessity for making sure that they did their part in providing necessary documents for insurance.

And all the while, we grew more relaxed with them, more comfortable in our conversations, eager to visit with them and to chat. As I wrote in their "Livre d'Or" - the "Book of Gold" - their guest book, I felt that among all the memories we were leaving la Dordogne with, one of our fondest would be the memory of our hosts who had become our friends.

Au revoir, Jean-Pierre et Danielle. Jusqu'à ce que nous nous réunissions encore.