Distressed and Inspired - August 26 2011

Other than the fact that the D-Day Landings had happened four days earlier, there was nothing particularly unusual about a June day 65 years ago in Oradour-sur-Glane. But in just three hours that fateful afternoon, the entire 642 villagers were dead and the village itself was a smouldering ruin.

The village has been preserved, as it was, as a permanent memorial to those killed that day and as a permanent reminder that wartime atrocities such as these should never happen again. Unfortunately the visitor's book here does not include the names of those subsequently responsible for the Killing Fields, Rwanda, Bosnia, Sudan and so on.

We were on our way north from the Dordogne towards Le Mans. The direct route through rural France went very near this village. We were glad we had made it a stop-over point, as it is a very poignant reminder of the horrors of war and the inhumanity that mankind is capable of when in the grip of an ideology and given power without rational checks and balances.

The 200 Nazi SS soldiers would each have had a mother of their own but that did not stop them herding the mothers and children into the church before gassing and machine gunning them and shooting the men, then setting fire to the town.

All around the town were poignant reminders of the families who lived there. Sewing machines, burnt out motor cars. Various shops were possible to recognise, the church had not escaped either. This was a very sombre place, and the weather reflected this too. Heavy storm clouds were all around us, but fortunately a lull in the rain allowed us to walk around.

We carried on through the rain until we reached Saint Savin, where the sun finally came out for the first time that day. This attractive town has an 11th century abbey church, now protected by UNESCO. The interior contains an amazing series of 12th century Romanesque frescoes. They cover the Old Testament stories from Creation to the Ten Commandments.

Not far from here is Angles-Sur-L'Anglin. This features as one of the attractive small towns of France, and we agreed. Set on a river, with the remains of a ruined castle up on the cliff top, this town would rate among the high-lights of the trip. We should have been so overwhelmed by it's beauty, that we took a hotel room there, but instead, we found the closest camp site in a village nearby and

no sooner had we put up the shell of the tent, when the heavy rain we had experienced for most of the day returned. But all was not lost, after it cleared up again, we walked to the restaurant in the small local town, and enjoyed the best meal of the trip so far. No tourist town this, no English spoken, but we figured out the menu and had a beautifully presented, truly gourmet meal.

Dawdling down the Dordogne – 25 August 2011

As expected, we were woken by rain once more but the thunder was a very lack-lustre affair and the rain was all over by the time it was a decent hour to arise. Driving up river we visited Domme which had its weekly market day and thus abundant crowds of tourists milling around.

Having surveyed the scene from the fabulous viewpoint at the edge of town we wandered back past all the shops crammed with the artisans wares all vying for the tourist eye and tourist Euro.

Dropping back to the valley floor we returned to Castelnaud, and just happened to be there at a suitable time to re-visit the patisserie, after we had slogged up the hill to the chateaux. It really was not worth the climb and we felt sorry for the serfs who rebuilt this castle 10 times during the 100 year's war.

The castle was the English base and Beynac just down river was the French base. Whether it says anything about who won; or the contrast between English and French design flair; or what; is hard to say but Beynac is world's apart in terms of tourist appeal.

Again it is a hot hard climb from river level to the Chateaux at the top of Beynac, but the views are great and the buildings along the route very attractive.

Wherever you are, looking down on the Dordogne, it is hard not to notice the stream of canoes and kayaks paddling down river and since we had a vendor based at the beach a few yards from our campground we decided to join the throngs of happy paddlers. From La Roque-Gageac to St Vincent-de-Cosse is 9 km by river

and you can take as long as you like to drift, swim, or paddle down as there are shuttle buses returning you to the start point every hour. By the time we had finished photographing Beynac we realised that we were close to an hourly departure time and if we hurried we would make the next bus, or have to wait an hour; we made it with 10 minutes to spare.

After a swim back at camp we set off to find the viewpoint looking over the great loop of the Dordogne, it was frightfully disappointing compared to the other views we have seen in the last two days. Carsac was just around the corner so we carried on to look at the beautiful Romanesque Church, which did make the trip worthwhile.

It was the perfect night for a picnic, but the pull of Le Roque-Gageac was too strong, so we walked back again to eat on the roof terrace at the other end of town enjoying the two specialities of the area – foie gras salad for entree and walnut gateaux for desert. By the time we finished, the town was flood-lit, making attractive reflections in the river.

Discovering the Dordogne – 24 August 2011

We knew the forecast was for thunderstorms on Wednesday, and we heard some thunder in the distance at midnight, but at 5.30am it started in earnest overhead. It was such a contrast to the perfect sunset the evening before. The lighting and thunder playing games with us, sometimes nearly overhead, then moving away, only to come back again. It played this game over and over, to the accompaniment of torrential rain.

After a couple of hours, it stopped and we hastily began breaking up camp. We had only got as far as the bedding and inner tent, when it returned. So we relocated to the camp buildings for breakfast, then used the next lull to roll up the very soggy tent and put in a large plastic bag. We then had a shower while the rain continued to provide nature's shower, and we were off in the rain. Fortunately the thunderstorms had moved away and after a few false starts, the sun came out more and more frequently.

The Dordogne river valley starts to get more interesting after Bergerac. This town has a beautifully restored old centre. We passed through several pleasant country towns, and the visual treats really kick in once you get to Castelnaud. But just before that, we made a diversion to visit Les Milandes. This is a romantic looking castle in a wonderful position, high above the Dordogne Valley. The castle was the home of Josephine Baker, an American who found fame as a Paris cabaret singer and exotic dancer. The story of her life and the costumes she was famous for, made the visit very interesting.

Our lunch stop (we had intended to eat at the castle, but lunch waits were 45 minutes) was Castelnaud, just down the road. This stunning spot beside the river, has the most essential picnic asset – a great patisserie (in fact we bought lunch here three days running – great walnut tarts, walnuts are one of the specialities of the area). After our riverside picnic, we set off to visit the Marqueyssac Gardens.

We had seen pictures on the Web, and they are stunning for those (like us) who are captivated by clipped box hedges. The gardens were developed for 30 years from 1861 by Julien deCerval, abandoned and then in 1996 restored to their former glory. The chateaux and gardens occupy the entire flat area at the top of a massive cliff – in fact an entire flat topped mountain.

A very strategic spot above the river. A military owner before Julien, moved 2500 tons of rock to make a large straight ride, to exercise his cavalry charger. A track navigated the cliff top, and from a belvedere at the far end, we looked down on the stunning village of La Roque-Gageac and close by, a camp site, also on the banks of the Dordogne.

After exploring the gardens, we drove back to the river and managed to secure a riverside site at the campground. As we planned to stay for two nights, its position was brilliant, right in the heart of the most interesting part of the Dordogne, on the river and near a 'must visit' village.

We erected the very wet outer shell of our tent, and set of to explore Sarlat, 10k away. We had visited this by chance in an earlier visit to France, but not explored the surrounding area. We were very impressed by Sarlat last visit, so were interested to see if second impressions after seven more year's of travelling, matched our first. The quick answer is 'yes', Sarlat is definitely a must visit village when in the Drodogne. It is full of wonderful medieval buildings, a large square and masses of narrow fascinating streets.

Back at the campground, we made our way along the river to our own stunning village – La Roque Gageac. This beautiful village is built on pretty much a steer cliff, there is just enough space between the buildings and the drop into the river to fit two lanes of traffic, but no footpaths so it is “walk, or drive, with care”. Up above the river side buildings, narrow paths lead to a beautiful small châteaux, a church and houses. We dined beneath an ivy clad châteaux, on the rooftop terrace of a restaurant, our table right above the Dordogne. We were able to dine and watch a group of six balloons rise from the other side of the river.

To Bordeaux and Beyond – 23 August 2011

Even though the storm predicted by the camp receptionist was pretty much a non-event, the strong winds and grey threatening skies were enough to get us up promptly in the morning. This was probably a good thing, as the rest of the day fitted together nicely, with enough time for everything.

First up, we stopped by the remote walled medieval village of Brouage, once a thriving port, but as the sea receded and left it miles inland, it's prosperity declined. The village is built on heaps of ship's ballast thrown overboard over many years. This provided good foundations to build this maritime city.

The walls are still intact, and make a marvellous circular walk. Its regular grid of streets and neat and tidy original houses are still lived in and the whole place has a very monochromatic cream stone look.

From here we travelled south to Bordeaux. The old city is now a UNESCO site, and definitely worth a visit, with an 18^th century heart, built along the river bank. But modern enhancements have improved it, in particular, the Place de la Bourse has a shallow flooded area, fed by small fountains in a cycle of off and on. This provides endless fun for children (and older), and great photo opportunities!

Bordeaux also provided us with the best ever ice-cream experience. A shop advertising it's wares with a picture of an ice-cream flower, attracted our business, on a very hot afternoon. The deal turned out to be that you paid for the size of cone you wanted and then could choose any number of ice-cream/gelato flavours, which after they were selected, were fashioned into a flower. Delicious and an art-work!

We dragged ourselves away from Bordeaux, before rush-hour traffic, and travelled west to Saint-Emilion. This wonderful town is situated in the heart of Bordeaux wine country. The drive there passed some chateaux, for which the area is famous. Saint-Emilion is a stunning little town. There is nothing particular to do there, apart from purchase bottles of Bordeaux as every second business seemed to be selling the local output. However, we climbed a tower to admire the town, before walking the town and of course buying a bottle of famous Bordeaux for a picnic tea.

This proved to be a good idea, because we next purchased bread, cheese, ham etc to make up our picnic, and set off for a camp ground in the next town. This seemed pretty straightforward, but after cruising the town twice and following signs that lead to nothing, we resorted to the GPS to find us a campground. Following this method was even more alarming, as we got onto more remote and narrow roads, and wondered if there would even be a campground at the end.

Finally we reached the spot and discovered the campsite did exist, and what's more, it was right beside the Dordogne. Our picnic tea provisions were then critical, as there was no nearby town to eat in, and we had the perfect setting for a picnic; sitting in the sunshine on the riverbank. A little church beside us kept reminding is of the time, as we sat below a chateaux and enjoyed the last of the sunlight; a perfect end to a wonderful day.

From Brittany to Ile de Re – 22 August 2011

After packing up our campsite, just as the rain moved in, we had coffee in the fabulous walled town of Guerande. The drive from here to our next stop of La Rochelle, had little of interest. But by doing a detour inland, we were able to explore the area of Marais Poitevin around the town of Coulon.

The inhabitants of the area have reclaimed the land by digging a series of canals. These provide the area with attractive waterways, which are now a tourist attraction. We enjoyed driving around the area, and in particular, the town of Coulon.

Saint Martin-De-Re on the Ile De Re, is an attractive town built within one of Vauban's forts. The idea of camping inside a Vauban Fort had real appeal, but the guide books all agreed that there are no camp sites (or hotel/chambres de hote beds) available in July or August, without booking ahead. We decided we would try for the Municipal Campsite, which is sited in two arms of the actual fort.

The sign on the gate said 'Complete', but we decided to play the part of ignorant foreigners, and see if they had room for one small tent for one night, and in fact, they had one site left. But we had no sooner checked in and paid, when the receptionist told us to tie the tent down well, as they were expecting a storm to come through tonight. That was discouraging, but as it turned out, pretty much a non-event.

We enjoyed walking around the town in the hot sunshine. The island is said to have a special microclimate, second only to the Cote D'Azur. We certainly found this to be true, as we had left the mainland threatening to rain, for the island enjoying hot sunshine.

Within the Vauban Fort is the port, and surrounding that were lots of cafes. The whole town has a wonderful holiday (and very touristy) feel. There is a great view of the town and harbour from the top of the church tower. As we enjoyed the view, we noticed a bride in an amazing gown walking along the road, with accompanying groom and photographer. We took a few photos of her walking far below, looking remarkably like an ostrich at that angle.

Shortly after, they appeared at the top of the tower looking extremely hot and bothered, quite a feat in a beautiful long wedding gown, to have photos with this brilliant background. We enjoyed the rest of the afternoon walking around, and a great meal on the harbourside; really a memorable spot.

Brittany – 21 August 2011

Brittany has always seemed an exciting destination,but the problem is the volatile weather. The forecast was pleasant and fine for the weekend only, so we decided to explore Morbihan. This department in Brittany has some beautiful walled towns, with medieval castles.

Sadly, Fougeres was still overcast when we left, and our next destination, Vitre, was no better. Both towns have wonderful castles, walls and old towns. They were very picturesque, in the sunshine they would have been even more amazing.

The low cloud and mist cleared as we drove to Josselyn. This town is very captivating, with fine old town centre and a stunning castle. The sun was out in force and we enjoyed the beautiful summers day.

From here we travelled south to the coast, to Vannes. This is another old town with most of its medieval walls intact. The town is lovely, but more impressive are the wonderful gardens around the walls on the south side of the town.

Vanne is on the Gulf de Morbihan. This large Gulf is flooded with water from the Atlantic through a narrow channel, and there are many islands in the Gulf. We decided to visit the fishing village of Le Bono. The is one of the many villages on the coast around the Gulf. The village was cute, and we nearly spent the night there, but as there was plenty of afternoon left, decided to push on towards tomorrow's destination.

This meant that we came upon an unexpected beauty spot, the medieval town of Guerande. This has the circular town walls and moat intact, with the original town gates. We totally fell in love with this town, and after exploring, found a camp site nearby.