Le Tour de Doug Part 2: Dordogne (or Aquitaine...or Périgord...)

This ancient region of France goes by many names: Périgord, Aquitaine, Dordogne. Which is correct? Apparently they all are, to an extent. “Périgord” was the ancient kingdom that thrived here. The river Dordogne runs through it, and today this “départment” (France’s equivalent of a state) is called Dordogne. And it is one of 5 départments that make up the greater region known as Aquitaine. And to clarify one additional point for those of you who might shop at L’Occitaine, “Occitan” is the dialect spoken in Aquitaine. But I digress...


The important thing here is that, whatever you call it, it is a beautiful part of the country that most tourists never see. It is one of the few “untouched” regions of Europe that retains its rugged, natural beauty and a pastoral way of life. The landscape is dotted with family farms, charming villages, and 1,001 ancient castles. It is the most famous source of foie gras and truffles (which was lost on me, as I like neither of them!), as well as nuts and wines and other delicacies of the earth. Finally, the area is also known as the “Cradle of Mankind” due to its wealth of prehistoric sites including the “Sistine chapel of prehistory”, Lascaux.

I stayed in the small town of Sarlat-la-Canéda, in the heart of Périgord Noir (Black Périgord—there is also Green Périgord, White Périgord, and Purple Périgord!):










These geese, on the Place aux Oies, mark the location of the ancient live foul marketplace:


Motoring about, my first stop was at Beynac, with its imposing medieval fortress perched high on a hill:





Continuing my drive through the valley, I first thought it was odd that a highway there was named after Josephine Baker...then I visited the Chateau des Milandes—and it turns out she lived there for much of her life! The interior is now a museum dedicated to her but truth be told I didn’t go in—just wandered the gardens and continued on my way:




Some other castles and views around the Dordogne...





My next stop was the town of Domme. This is what is known as a bastide, a fortified medieval town on a hill. In the case of Domme, it is not only charmingly well-preserved but also offers the best views of the Dordogne:






My last stop was a short distance away: Rocamadour. It’s in the neighboring départment of Lot. I only learned upon arriving that it is best visited in the morning—rather than at sunset—at least for taking photos, but it hopefully these will give you some idea: it is a nearly vertical city built into a cliff and has for centuries been a holy pilgrimage site:





Next up…we visit the city of Evian (yes, that Evian) and the Alps!! BUT BEFORE WE GO…A FEW PARTING SHOTS!



But do they know the way to San Jose?:


I don’t know what’s more exciting...the fact that they have an entire museum dedicated to nuts or the giant nuts next to the sign:


Me and a famous French icon:


“Fahrt” is always funny:


I found this display for an ice cream place moderately disturbing:


I also found this ad disturbing, in part because it was on the side of a tanker truck:


And finally, is it just me or is the name of this clothing store completely illegible?

Le Tour de Doug Part 1: Loire and Poitiers

Bonjour (as they say here in France...see? I’ve told you I’m fluent). My road trip has begun in earnest and in a few days I’ve already seen so much—so let’s get right to it!

After landing in Paris I immediately drove to the town of Blois in the Loire valley:



And after some much-needed rest I headed out to see two of the most famous châteaux, Chambord and Chenonceau.

Chambord is the largest castle in the Loire and was built as a hunting lodge by François I. Built in the early 1500s, it has 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces, and 84 staircases; but the most famous feature is its elaborate and fanciful roof.






It has some lovely interiors...


...but the most famous feature inside is the “double helix” grand staircase, said to have been designed by Leonardo da Vinci. An optical illusion, it has two sets of stairs winding around one another so that people can see each other on the stairs but will never meet:


It makes for some funky pictures when you’re at the bottom:



And at the top you can walk out upon the roof and wander among its ornamentation:


Next was Chenonceau (not to be confused with the town next to it, which is Chenonceaux...really). It is best known for the way it straddles the Cher (the river, not the singer—although I’ll bet she’s been straddled plenty of times as well):





There are some interesting stories associated with this particular château. King Henry II gave it to his beloved mistress Diane de Poitiers. Needless to say, his wife Catherine de Medici was not pleased about this, and right after he died she kicked Diane out and made herself at home. It was she who extended the castle over the water. Judging from her portrait, she was a handsome woman:


In a much later bit of history, the Cher was the border between occupied and free France during World War II, so the château was half in French territory and half in Nazi territory. Several thousand French Resistance fighters used it to sneak through during the war, and the Germans were ready to blow it up. Thankfully they didn’t.

Chenonceau also has some lovely gardens:





One other feature was what I like to call “The World’s Worst Wax Museum”. For an extra fee you can visit this small museum set up in the old stables to show what life was like at Chenonceau back in the day. The only reason I went was because my guidebook said that one of the wax scenes was of Catherine de Medici giving Diane de Poitiers the boot—and that sounded fun. Unfortunately, this scene was not actually there—and the ones that were there were terrible. Here’s a stunning depiction of ol’ François and Diane:


And I don’t even know what the hell these are about:





I spent the night in the city of Poitiers. Although I hadn’t planned on any sightseeing there it seemed lovely, so I did walk around a bit. It’s a very ancient city with a much earlier style of architecture:



The Église Notre-Dame-la-Grande is the oldest Romanesque church in Europe:




The interior is especially striking, as it is decorated in unusual colors and patterns:





Finally, the Baptistère Saint-Jean is said to be the oldest religious building in France, period—built in the 4th Century by the Merovingian kings (they were the early “Kings of the Franks” who had cool names like Dagobert!):



Next up…the ancient and gastronomical region known as Aquitaine and/or Périgord and/or Dordogne!! BUT BEFORE WE GO…A FEW PARTING SHOTS!



Sign on the roof of Chambord:


This is the logo for the children’s tours of Chambord...looks suspiciously like a copyright infringement, no?: