France
- 19 posts
Carcassone
I know, I know, I know. Another day, another damned walled medieval city. But look, the Medieval period went on for a long time, plenty long enough to build a lot of these places. And even though they’re similar, there are enough differences to make each one interesting. Carcassone,
Toulouse II
We booked one of those around-the-city bus tours for this morning. I thought I’d be taking a ton of photos, but took none. Although we saw a lot, the bus never put passengers in a position to take photos of the things we passed. So let me take up
Toulouse I
We arrived at our AirBnB apartment in Toulouse after a nerve-wracking two hour drive from Rocamadour. Why nerve-wracking? Not because of the French drivers, they are on the whole much better and much more courteous than in Seattle. Not because of the Autoroute speed. One hundred thirty kilometers per hour
Rocamadour
I wouldn’t blame you if you’re getting a little tired of medieval towns hung on cliffs. I think Rocamadour will be the last – at least for a while. We drove an hour east to visit this place because Mary Anne read that it is the second most visited
Beynac-et-Cazenac
Eleanor of Aquitaine was really something! First she marries a French king, later an English one. But she was much more than arm candy. Eleanor was a strong, smart woman who helped the Périgord region prosper, lived into her eighties (twice the average in those days) and was the mother
Sarlat-la-Canéda
The hub of this part of the Dordogne region is the town of Sarlat-la-Canéda. I’ll call it Sarlat from now on. As everyone’s favorite American tourist, Rick Steves, says, there’s nothing “special” about Sarlat, its appeal comes from having a large, well-preserved medieval center. in case you’
La Roque-Gageac
The big draws in this part of the Dordogne are the prehistoric cave drawings and outdoor activities. I’ll show you our little village which stretches right up a sheer cliff and includes an ancient cave dwelling similar to those of the natives of the American Southwest. Then you’ll
Saint-Émilion
We’re in the Dordogne region now, which is to say the area along the Dordogne river. It’s famous for a number of things including great wine, ancient cave drawings, and picturesque villages and chateaux. That’s a lot to see, leaving little time to blog about it. On
Rions and Cadillac
Let’s get one thing straight at the outset: it’s cahd-e-lach not cad-a-lack. OK? OK! Done. Today we set forth with something of a jet lag hangover to see what was interesting in the nearby area. If your idea of “interesting” is the BIG SITES, God bless you and