Early the next morning we headed south toward the Dordogne river. We were up early enough to see frost on the car windows! The drive south passed through many vineyards. The vineyards and the castle at Neuvicq-le-Château between St. Jean-Angely and Angoulême was a perfect photo opportunity.
In addition to the vines along the tree lined road, there were many small villages. After a few days in the cities of Bordeaux and La Rochelle and trip north on a tollway, this ride was very relaxing.
We had planned on eating in Perigueux, but by they time we got to Brantôme we were too hungry so we stopped at a brasserie. Another restaurant that was very popular with the locals. Everyone seemed to know everyone except us. An older couple across must have been celebrating an important day. They had fresh tulips (from the flower fair down the road) on their table. They savored a glass of wine and later apple tart. Jan had an omelette and I had jambon blanc and fried potatoes. We both had a huge tomato salad. Lunch made us a bit tired, but we pressed on.
While our goal for the day was the village of Beynac, we had hoped to stop at a cave where we could see original prehistoric cave art. The caverns near Les Eyzies-de-Tayac are famous for traces of prehistoric human activity. The first caves we came on were the Grotte du Grand Roc. It's famous for it's translucent stalactites and stalagmites. We asked the lady at the ticket booth which of the nearby caves had the best prehistoric drawings. Font-de-Gaume is one of the best and the only cave with original drawings still open. Lascaux is closed to the public, but a reproduction Lascaux II is open to the public.
We were told that we were lucky. A week earlier and we couldn't have gotten in because school groups reserve the whole day. A few weeks later and we would have needed a reservation days in advance. We had to wait 45 minutes for the next tour! While we waited, I noticed this house across from the cave. I also shot pictures of the cliff containing the cave. The actual cave is about 2/3 of the way up the cliff.
At the right is the cliff that holds the Font-de-Gaume Cave and at the left the cave entrance.
Climbing up to the cave left most of us gasping for breath, but it was worth it. Visitors to the cave must leave all sacks including purses in a locked room, and sould wear a warm coat. No photographs are allowed inside the cave. The picture here comes from a Web site which lists all of the prehistoric caves in the area Grottes ornées et Gisements des Eyzies
This site was first studied scientifically in 1901, but from the grafitti scattered throughout the cave you can see that this cave was visited by people before 1901. Most of the drawings date from 14,000-15,000 years ago. The most impressive thing about seeing these images in person is that you can see how the artists used the shape of the rocks to create a 3D effect. They also showed animals infront of other animals. Considering that all these images were created so long ago by the light of an oil lamp in passages often to small stand in brings home the importance these people placed on these images. The roughly 230 figures in the cave show 80 bisons, 40 horse, 23 mamouths, 17 reindeer and Cervidae, 8 primitive oxen, 4 Capridae, 2 rhinceros, 1 or 2 felines, 1 wolf, 1 bear, 1 man, (4 human hands), plus 25-26 abstract symbols and a number of unidentified drawings.
Even the caverns open to tours are often very narrow and low. The rocks are uneven and light is used only briefly to avoid having the paintings fade. In many ways this was almost a relgious experience, enhanced by the enthusiasm of the guide we had. She was very dedicated to the cave and her presentation showed this zeal.
Many sites give information about cave art. A small sampling follows. An outstanding discussion of cave are can be found at Grotte Chauvet Archaeologically Dated A nice English language site is Font de Gaume. A great site if you can read French is Grotte de Fond de Gaume
It was already 5 PM when we left the cave, so we felt we had to hurry to get a room in Beynac. First we had to get through the market town of Sarlat. We hit a traffic jam that had cars backed up the whole length of the city. By the time we got to Beynac (4 miles away) it was 6 PM. We had a listing for a hotel, but we were tired enough to walk in the door of a different hotel! It was serendipity, the happy accident, since the Hotel du Château was celebrating its grand opening.
The hotel is located in a 400 year old building that has been a hotel for about 150 years. It is situated at the foot of the Château de Beynac. We knew this was the right choice for a hotel when we were greeted by Max the hotel owners' dog. The rooms were bright, cheery and had been completely renovated in the last 3 months. We went for a short walk before dinner, but were happy to settle down to eat. We had Émincés de volaille aux noix (thin slices of chicken breast in a nut sauce) and a Gratinée de Pommes (potato gratin) with a Bergerac rouge. For desert we enjoyed tarte tatin (apple tart).
We weren't the only ones enjoying the restaurant. It was filled with local residents and British tourists. Everyone was having a great time.
