JACK-DORDOGNE (NEW)-Introduction
Jack/Travel
bastides, crossed by the river Dordogne, the Isle and the Vézère, with
numerous grottos of our forefathers from the Stone Age.
The Dordogne is called the most beautiful river in France. Spectacular
scenery packed with castles and world-renowned cave art are among the
rewards of this landscape, where sunlight mixes with shadows and
history mixes with rural French culture. Watch carefully, maybe
Richard the Lion heart will emerge from the mists of the Dordogne at
Beynac.
It's not that difficult to get in a vacation mood. See the green hilly
landscapes, with birch-tree woods and walnut trees, with here and
there some small village with the silhouette of a church bell tower
and fortified walls in the background.This area of southwest France is
rich with honey-colored stone villages with tile roofs, lush gardens
and palatial châteaux waiting to be discovered.The Dordogne which
claims legacy to the battle between the royal houses of France and
England in the Middle Ages is full of hilly, rural back roads perfect
for discovering. Particularly famous are Périgord truffles, highly
prized subterranean fungi, and a particular gastronomic delight in
France. Foie-gras (prepared goose liver) is another sought-after local
speciality. Walnuts are one of the main agricultural products of
Dordogne and the department is the chief French producer of
strawberries and tobacco.
Celebrated cuisine based on truffled paté, foie gras, and confit and
the wines of Bordeaux and Cahors is well provided for by the
ever-present village market. For a true taste of rural France, in an
area rich with natural beauty and history, come ride the fantastic
road of the Dordogne.
Our forefathers lodged in caves, where they left many testimonies of
their presence. Like the complete valley of the Vézère is scattered
with prehistoric spots. The most famous is off course the GROTTES DE
LASCAUX and the ones visible at LES EYZIES. Don't make a mistake: if
you talk about the Dordogne you mean the Périgord and the other way
around.
Dordogne means now the departement in the northeastern part of the
Aquitaine, issued from the historical region around the rivers
Dordogne and the Isle. The population also prefers it to be called
Perigord.
Immerse yourself in this timeless landscape. Pass more than a dozen
chateaux. Some are stern and austere, perched high on impossible
cliffs, glaring across green valleys. The number of castles, bastides
and abbeys seems endless: Beynac, Biron, Bourdeilles, Castelnaud,
Hautefort, Jumilhac, Losse, Monbazillac, Puyguilhem and Puymartin.
Others sport turrets and fanciful carvings, nestled among gardens.
Discover other histories of pilgrimages, battles and caves revealing
prehistoric paintings of Cro-Magnon man. Sheltering the history is a
lush and varied landscape. Chestnut and hazelnut forests cloak rolling
hills. Houses are built of warm golden limestone, graced with brown
shutters, and scented with a whiff of wood smoke. Let the meanders of
the Dordogne River carry you through history.
But the departement is called the Dordogne, which covers an area of
9,060 sq km, with a population of 380,000, largely made up of
limestone plateaus crossed by the Dordogne and six other rivers. It
has a temperate climate, though summers are hot and dry. The higher
lands are often covered by forests of oak and chestnut. Picturesque
river valleys support a rich variety of local agricultural produce.
The capital of the department is Périgueux, but we will have the time
to see all this in more detail in next articles.
. We cycle along the Dordogne, Lot, Vézére and Célé rivers where the
rocky ramparts and turrets of fortified castles soar above the
treetops. This area which claims legacy to the battle between the
royal houses of France and England in the Middle Ages is full of
hilly, rural back roads perfect for cycling today. In prehistoric
times, artists used the cave walls in the many grottos as their canvas
to create elaborate paintings. Celebrated cuisine based on truffled
paté, foie gras, and confit and the wines of Bordeaux and Cahors is
well provided for by the ever-present village market. For a true taste
of rural France, in an area rich with natural beauty and history, come
ride the fantastic road of the Dordogne.
Bibliography
The recently excavated lithic and osseous assemblages from the Early
Aurignacian site of Abri Castanet (Dordogne region, France).
Three Rivers of France: Dordogne, Lot, Tarn, by White, Freda and
Michael Busselle( ed. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1989)
The Lost Upland: Stories of Southwest France by W. S. Merwin
Le gisement Castanet, Vallon de Castelmerle,Dordogne, par D. Peyoni
(Dordogne).