Perigord

Sarah told us of the time that she ended up at dinner in New York City at a fancy restaurant called Perigord. While passing storybook villages, vineyards that trailed off into the horizon, and castles that sat atop the hills, we could understand why a restaurateur in one of the food capitals of the world would choose this charming area after which to name his business . It might also be that Perigord is known for having the best food in France. We were happy to be here. We began our time in Perigord at a street market in Montpazier. We wandered the little town, picking up pastries and bread, cheese and fresh fruit. I loved watching the towns folk visit with each other, content to leisurely spend the morning picking out fresh produce with their neighbors. Both the men and the women wandered the streets with baguettes and fresh greens poking out of the most adorable woven baskets.

Our next stop was Castelnaud, a medieval castle looking over the Dordogne River. This was truly a highlight for the children. We climbed up the cobblestone pathways through the village that sat in it's shadows. I stopped to point out that this was a perfect example of feudalism. The nobleman's castle and his knights protected the commoners below, but not without a large share of their earnings paid in return for their safety. We had learned about feudalism, so it was so exciting to see first hand the remains of this form of rule. We also had learned about the structure of castles. We all looked forward to seeing if this castle did indeed have such elements as a moat that was used to keep enemies from tunneling under the walls, a gate house in which barbarians could be trapped, and slanted walls built at angles that made it impossible to scale but from which hot sand could be poured.

On our way out we stopped for ice cream. I chose Perigord, which was a cream ice cream filled with walnuts, a local product.

We found it irresistible to spend at least part of the day wandering from village to village. We found real bories, castles overlooking the valley and chateaus that have been turned into bed and breakfasts. We were also on the look out for "Belle Towns", such as the one found in The Beauty and the Beast. What more fun could a backseat full of little girls have than to drive through the French countryside spotting water wells, town squares and little shops, any of which could be imagined with Belle scampering to and fro. Such towns had names like Beynac-et-Cazenac and La Roque-Gageac.  

We stopped at the Marqueyssac Gardens, which were impressive. The gardens jutted out from a chateau for acres, hanging above the Dordogne Valley. The chateau was under construction, but the out buildings were still picturesque. The kids wandered along the shaded paths, into a chapel, under waterfalls, through play grounds, up tree houses and past peacocks.

At the end of their exploration, they came upon the children's maze. It was perfect for a good game of hide and seek.

Our last activity for "Day One" in Perigord was a bike ride through quaint French villages. We took a baguette for a snack and stopped along a little stream for our treat. The girls picked flowers and the boys explored the area, with Ezra searching for the perfect stick to bring a long. 

At night we ventured out into the square of our town, Sarlat-la Caneda, looking for dinner. The area was full of life, with street cafes open late. We passed on the fois gras, or fatted goose liver, for which this area is known, and ended up with a warm goat cheese salad, steaks and French desserts.

The next morning I fulfilled a promise that I made to Jonathan. I rented canoes for Sarah and the four oldest. They drifted a few miles down the Dordogne River, passing more castles and quaint towns and floating under bridges.

What originally piqued my interesting in staying in the Dordogne were the caves. Found below the surface are prehistoric works of art covering the walls of caves. We took a tour (in French!) of Lascaux II which is a magnificently painted cave, with horses and cattle covering the walls. It is actually an exact replica of the original, which no longer can be toured. We had a four hour drive to Tours ahead of us, so our stay was not long, but we decided that the Perigord area is one in which we would love to return.