Bookmarking to follow. Good start!

That sounds like a great vacation house. Big enough for a guest so next time invite me.

Périgord is the Ancien Régime name of the province. Dordogne is the name of the area as a département.

BTW, I finally just got around to reading the first portion of your report. I enjoy the way you write so it doesn't so much matter what you saw and did as much as how you write about it. And I like how you're writing about what you did and saw.

Thanks for the plug about my "Country Villages and Fall Foliage" report but sadly it seems to have slipped quickly and quietly into anonymity. I'll be looking forward to the Barbizon portion of your report. There are so many great villages like that in close proximity to Paris. I wish people would spend a week vacationing just in the region around Paris so they could see for themselves just how many little gems are out there and most of them completely undiscovered by foreign tourists. If you go back to Barbizon you know I'll have lots of recommendations for villages and sites to visit near there. In fact, I recently discovered that the region near there is absolutely full of prehistoric cave art. No masterpieces like Lascaux but loads of engraved art and mysterious symbols. I plan on discovering some of these soon so you know I'll report back when I find something. Anyway, I'm waiting for your next installment.

Michael: thanks so much. I should know that by now. I love the word: 'Perigord"

FMT: The villages around Paris have always interested me, and I would love to do such a week's trip. Maybe I will fantasize about that for a while. Meantime, your photo-essays will spur me on!

Michael: Thanks. I should have remembered that.

FMT: Thanks for the encouragement. I would love to spend a week or more checking out towns around Paris. Barbizon was just a taste, and I'd love to go back there too!

I agree with FMT--a big house like that could accommodate a few Fodorite hangers-on.

Looking forward to the next installment.

Glad to see the report continue...

Awaiting your report to glean tips for our trip to the Dordogne in March. thanks.

Looking forward to the rest of your TR, tac.

We, too, used Simply Perigord to rent an old stone house in a tiny village a few years ago, and it was one of my favorite vacation trips ever.

Just curious... is this the place you rented?

http://www.simply-perigord.com/rentals/view/PRE158

Yes, Mr. go - This is it!!
Thanks for putting up the site, I wasn't quite sure how to do it. the photos are quite accurate, but the kitchen seems to be missing.
That is unfortunate, since it was a fine kitchen, which included the dining area, which we all used as "command central"

the grounds are also lovely as is the pool. We all woke up happy on the first morning, as we wandered around investigating all the rooms, and all the outdoor spaces. there is an apple orchard, and we picked apples, as well as a fig tree, laden with delicious figs! we made good use of them too!

the house was in a very small village, and pretty far from the usual desirable sites of the Dordogne, but we all fell in love with it, and have many happy memories of our week. We a ALL felt we should have planned two weeks there, so we wouldn't be torn between wanting tostay around the pool, take walks, and just chill - AND the pull of all the delights of the Dordogne.

Others have written much about spending time in this area, and I was able to use so many Fodorite suggestions of places to go, but there is so much to see, that even though we had been in the general area 15 years ago, we hardly scratched the surface!


First morning, we sent the two Johns out to the supermarket, and they aquitted themselves very well.
We planned to pick up more food at the Sarlat market, so we left as early as possible for that venue.
although very crowded, we managed to find parking places, and walked only a short way to where the action was, and there was a lot of action!

Only problem was we had split up and gone in two cars and we hadn't quite planned who would buy what!!

by sheer luck, we four ran in to the other four at just the right moment. We picked chickens for dinner and Sarlaidaise potatoes, and the sweetest tomatoes I have ever tasted!! they are called "coeur de boeuf" - have ridges at the top (sort of like pumpkins, but only at the top) so not like our beefsteak tomatoes.
I know that others have said that the best chickens are at another market (can't think of the name at the moment) and that could be true, because although good, it was not the best chicken ever. a few bottles of wine made it better and better (and we got great red wines at the supermarket in Lalinde for very good prices!)

The market is crowded, but great fun, and well worth visiting. We were mostly interested in the food, but there were lots of other things being sold: clothing, gifts, candles, fun to see and chat with the sellers, and pick up souvenirs!

We took the advice of Stu Dudley (I think it was) who said to go early to Sarlet, then leave for Eyrignac garden, and eat lunch at the garden.

and that will be next!

This area is on our list for next Sept. Can't wait for more of your report.

I am enjoying your report! I want to go back to the Dordogne area right now.

First of all, the better roasted chickens are said to be at the St. Cyprien market, so I thought I'd repeat that info.

Secondly, sorry about the typos in last post, I was writing on my iPad last evening, which I should never do since it's hard to make corrections, even in "preview" (or more accurately, I have yet to figure out how!)

Sarlat is a busy town, to be sure, and I tend NOT to like crowded touristy places, but it was very much worth while!

The town itself is quite lovely, and you will see later, if I remember to say it, that we went back on a non-Market day, just to see the lovely buildings, and to figure out why it is so well-regarded and known.

I could even consider staying in Sarlat, as long as I had a way to get out of town rapidement! (probably easy to find a rental or a hotel that would allow that) Mostly because there is plenty to do there, and lots of restaurants, so one would not want for diversion.

There is at least one big hotel: Hotel Montaigne, right in the center of town, and several others. Also many good rentals I'm sure. (I thought Le Presidial had some good looking apartments)

We all left around 12 and drove on up to Les Jardins du Manoir d'Eyrignac, which is in Salignac, not far to the north east of Sarlat.

This was a huge highlight for all of us, as we are, au fond, a group of garden lovers (and their long suffering husbands!) However, I think I would say that this and Les Jardins de Marqueyssac (another day) were absolute highlights of this trip, and for more reasons than just the gardens themselves.

Here is French garden history at its best. This is an ancestral home, with the centerpiece a stunning 17th century manor house, rebuilt then after its earlier destruction. This has been a family property for 500 years, with 22 generations living here, without a break. It is the epitome of French gardening: lines, vistas and repetition. This was the style developed by Le Notre at Vaux le Vicomte and Versailles.

It is topiary heaven, with a stunning hornbeam walk, and so many vistas I couldn't count. Everywhere one looks there are incredible HAND-clipped box, hornbeam, yew, cypress, even apple trees. There are 10 acres of impeccable lawns and almost 10 miles of hedges!

I could go on and on, but I'll try to stop, and just give you some good info about a visit there. But please do not miss it, if you even just think you like gardens.

We had a very nice lunch in the cafe at the garden, delicious salads, but of course duck confit for the lovers thereof. A lovely spot where one can sit on the terrace and contemplate the views of the gardens.

I must also tell you that I discovered that one can rent a house on this property. You can find the details on the website and we actually, with permission, went and peeked in all the windows of the smaller stone cottage, and I would NOT hesitate to spend a week there. (We once did that with friends at Powys Castle gardens in Wales, thru the National Trust, and it was heaven!)

You can camp there, park free, picnic, there's a nice gift shop, it's really a winner. Take a look at the web site for photos of it all, and much more info. www.eyrignac.com

The afternoon was almost over, so we did what I think I might like best: we wandered back "home" taking a meandering route on back roads, but stopping in Saint-Genies to walk around this lovely medieval town, thanks to a tip from a recent visitor to the area. It was quiet and it was lovely, and most worth while. Nobody ever writes about this one, so our meandering was rewarded. It always is! I recommend it highly, as have others on this board, especially in this part of France.

Oh, forgot to say, coming up:

PRE-HISTORY AT ITS BEST (with no reservations)

I like your travel style taconic and the way you write about your experiences. It's been at least a half dozen years since I've been to Sarlat bu the last time I went it was out of season in October and we stayed in a hotel in the old ramparts. Our room was in one of the old towers and it was one of my most memorable hotel stays. Can't remember the name of the place. You know I'll be looking forward to the pre-history part of your report.

WOW! I just looked at the Eyrignac website which I haven't done in a few months, and I see that people can now have drinks and/ or dinner with the owners!

not sure if I'd like that much commercialism, but don't let it put you off. as a matter of fact, knowing my garden travel group, I think we would all go for the whole thing, because we are all so curious and would love to see the house. (My husband says I am on an "eternal house & garden tour" - which is true)

also there is a lovely chapel near the manor house, with contemporary stained glass windows, sort of Matisse-like.

bookmarking

thanks for sharing your travels with us. It's been a very enjoyable read please keep the posts coming.

Piccolina: thanks for the encouragement, and I'm loving your adventures in the new "Me, Myself and the Dordogne!"

by way of preamble, I should say more about arrangements, reservations, etc.

We found that one definitely should have reservations for Sunday lunch (probably almost anywhere) in France. we messed up on our Sunday in the Dordogne, and ended up in a cafe where we had good enough food, but not as good as we might have done

Sunday was our drive to Les Eyzies and the marvelous Prehistory Museum. We debated for two days, all eight of us have fairly strong opinions, and we range from the "plan each hour" to the "let's wing it" schools of travel. It was a challenge for me, the lawyer/mediator!

But I was in vacation mode,the result of which was, either out of inaction, or too much wine, (the previous evenong) we set off for Les Eyzies and the museum on Sunday morning with NO RESERVATIONS ( with apologies to Anthony Bourdain.)

I am not sure if you told us...but, how many cars did you have for the eight of you? Did you usually stay together and see the same sites each day? I am enjoying your report!

Hi Kansas: We had three cars this year. Four of us drove from Paris, and drove because we had to wait for E's plane to get in, and couldn't chance a late plane (which it was by 3 hours!)so didn't reserve tgv tickets.

One other couple was coming from Bordeaux airport, and the fourth couple was taking the train from Paris to Bergerac.

Last year, each couple had a car, since we all came from different places. We were trying to lower our carbon footprint this year, which seemed to work.

We two couples rented in Paris, shared the week's rental while we were in the Dordogne, then we kept the car and our rental-partners went with couple # 4 back to Bergerac, and took the train together back to Paris, while we stayed in the Dordogne for another couple of days, then we drove back slowly to Paris (in the continuing report, which I'd better get back to!!)

This time we went to see the same sites, trading people around, so each couple had a chance to join one of the others for the day's drive - and we went to the same places, and lunched together. Except for one day, when DH and I didn't want to go to Rocamadour but the others did (we've been there, staying nearby later in trip, it was a 2 hour drive) so we went on our own to Montpazier, Moliere, and wandered around that area.

When we went to Tuscany a year and a half ago, each couple had a car, went their own way, sometimes met for lunch, sometimes didn't.

It worked well both ways, but this is a very laid back group, despite all the "knowledgeable tour directors" among the women!

The Musee de la Prehistoire, in Les Eyzies was our Sunday morning destination, (the last Sunday in September) and we went without reservations, and had no problem at all, walked right in. We parked on the main street where there were at least two easy parking lots, and walked about a quarter mile to the entrance.

This is a most impressive museum, way beyond what I thought it would be. And of course, the topic is mind boggling.

"Humans have only been living in Perigord for 450,000 years."

"Homo sapiens arrived in France only 35,000 years ago. This was Cro-Magnon man responsible for the cave paintings in Lascaux, 17,000 to 18,000 years ago. Quite recently, in fact."

Do these quotes not boggle the mind?

So here, my friends, in this perfectly gorgeous part of the earth, beneath the earth lie treasure troves of the history of mankind.

We spent two or three hours at the museum, where the information is very well organized, and displayed, so that it was pretty easy to learn some basic facts, and the whet the appetite for more. I brought home a book, called "Perigord Prehistory" which is going to be a continuing winter read.

DH and I have been to Peche-Merle many years ago, and were impressed, but I think it took this trip, and our visit to this museum (plus finally, a visit to Lascaux II) to realize the vastness of the history in this region -- and the history goes on and on!

It is situated up high against the rock outcropping, so one can see how the cave people lived, even from the inside of this contemporary building, with almost all glass walls.

You must just go and see for yourself. I don't remember the entrance fees, but you can easily garner most of that info. on the web. I apologize for not having some hot links here, (I always so appreciate them from others, so mea culpa)

Our lunch that day was a mish-mash of unplannedness. But as usual, we had fun. We sent out scouting parties all over the town, to see what restaurants were open and had room, gathering up at the tourist wine shop every now and then to discuss options. Meanwhile, those of us who opted out of the search shopped for wine in the aforementioned place. Which also had some nice little gifts and clothing in a corner in the back. Very nice people, who helped us with our search, and were about the only place open on Sunday afternoon.

After frantic searching, knowing that restaurants close by mid-afternoon, we went to the Cafe Brasserie de la Mairie, which had ONE table, and there were 8 of us! OY! But the folks there were more than nice to us, we had passable food, in my estimation, just OK, but I see that it is the #1 place to eat in Les Eyzies according to TripAdvisor. I would not denigrate it however, since we were hungry and happy to be there. Chacun a son gout.

I must confess that we all decided to go bak to our house after lunch, and contemplate the delicious looking pool, (in the 86 degree weather) and try to figure out how to get in it when no one brought a bathing suit......

Next: A MORNING IN LALINDE, THEN BEYNAC CASTLE, JARDINS DE MARQUEYSSAC, LA ROQUE GAGEAC, DOMME - VIEWS BEYOND VIEWS

Lucky me, I got sent in to town with one of the "John's" early the next morning to get groceries and croissants. I happened to come down stairs early, and I was more than happy to go, not having been in Lalinde before.

We arrived at the supermarket half an hour before it opened, so we of course went to the town square to find a cafe!! First we went to the proper boulangerie (we were told to go to the one with the red awning!) and had purchased a delicious looking bunch of croissants and pains chocolat.

We went in to the cafe, ordered our coffees from a very friendly lady, who was deep in conversation with some 'regulars.'
When we asked if she had croissants, whe said "Non, mais, un moment...." and she called to a young boy nearby, and was ready to send him to the boulangerie to get us croissants.

We quickly told her that we had our own, but that we did not want to insult her premises by bringing in our own food. "Pourquoi pas?" said she, "bien sur!" A very welcoming gesture, which led us to sit out front for a long time munching away, and drinking in not only our coffee, but the entire morning 'scene.' What a pleasure just to people watch.

We almost forgot our original destination, the supermarche!

this was a day of more sites in the Dordogne, after our return from the InterMarche.

We started at Beynac and its castle, a charming town on the river, topped by a magnificent castle, with most all buildings in the honey colored stone. There's fairly easy parking down by the river and most of us couldn't resist hiking up to the castle, only to find out later that we could have driven to the top.

Our next stop was the amazing "suspended" gardens of Marqueyssac. Yep, that's what they call them on the brochure. Don't think for a moment that this is some kind of vaudeville act, or a hokey touristy place.

Far from it. Here is a former private chateau with elegant gardens, again topiary, in the style of LeNotre, which spread all along the crest of a butte that is perhaps two miles long.
"Les Plus Beaux Panoramas du Perigord."

I don't see much written about this place, but we went on the suggestion of friends who had been in the Dordogne in August.

The topiaried (is that a word?) gardens are intriguing, the lovely trees made the pathways shady on this very hot day, and the views back to Beynac, over to Castelnaud, and further along, La Roque Gageac, and the meandering valley of the river itself, left a very strong impression.

It is worth spending time here: there are several ways to walk the paths to the far end, and all are lovely. There is a grand allee, a promenade des hauteurs, and a promenade des falaises. All offer magnificent views, and we all fell in love with the place.

So wasn't it nice that they also have a most attractive terrace for lunch! We sat drinking in the view and enjoying some wine and salads (well, at least for me, a delicious large green salad with those sweet tomatoes and warm cabecou cheese.) While we ate the peacocks were wandering around, but not too terribly close, just sharing the view. And a little ways away, one of the many gardeners was hard at work, clipping the topiaries by hand, as they do twice a year. No electric clippers allowed here!!

Since it was such a gorgeous day for views, we tore ourselves away, to get a look at what Domme had to offer. And though, I confess, the word "nap" kept popping in to my mind, I couldn't resist a walk up thru the center of that equally charming town, to the very top where the Esplanade Hotel sits, and seeing yet another magnificent view of this enchanting country.
Even if you have no time, go to Domme, as another poster has suggested, you will not be sorry when you see the view.

I think the Esplanade must be a great place to stay, and I can confirm that the ladies' room is very upmarket and comfortable.

This perfect day had a perfect ending, when John the gourmet/gourmand made us a most delicious pasta dinner with a tomato, garlic, basil and goat cheese sauce, along with a perfect salad from the market made by dear G. Also from the market was a walnut cake which we topped with fresh strawberries. One of the joys of having a house to stay in.

And by the way, walnuts are a huge crop in the Perigord, and we passed many a grove of walnut trees.

Next day; WE WANDER ALONE

Thanks for your reply, taconic. I am enjoying your trip report immensely.

I'm taking notes like crazy as we hope to visit the area next Sept. You seem to travel in a similar style to us, so much of your trip is going in my file. I very much appreciate the web sites included.

So happy you enjoyed L'Orangerie and Guest Apt. on Ile St. Louis. Which apt. did you stay in?

Thank you for the report. There is lots of useful information for my trip next year.

Tpayt: We stayed in MARGUERITA, on Quai d'Anjou. Great location, just a block from Metro Pont Marie. but dark, because on ground floor. About it much more when we get back to our week in Paris.

Kansas and nwtraveler, thanks for reading. I should try to be less wordy, but sometimes I get carried away as the good memories come flooding in!

taconic - It sounds like you were having way too much fun on this trip. I want to party with you!

The rest of our group really wanted to go to Rocamadour, but DH and I had been there 15 years ago, and basically we belong to the group that thinks it is a 'drive by' - plus we were going to be near there when staying at Domaine de la Rhue after our week together. (Oh, and it was almost a two hour drive!!)

So, we decided to follow a different drummer for the day, though I confess it is hard to leave these wonderful friends. It would be difficult for me to express what a congenial and loving group these friends are. They are all so different, so wise, so funny, so inclusive, so adventuresome, well, you get my drift.

We had wanted to do some wandering south of the Dordogne, and Montpazier had been touted by some fodorites, so we headed in that direction.

On our way, we decided to go through Moliere, a tiny town, not much mentioned anywhere, but I had picked up on it, can't remember exactly where.

This is a delightful, mostly unspoiled village on high ground overlooking a valley. Hardly anyone was there. I think we were only the second car in the village square. This is a small version of a 'bastide' town, with just one bar/restaurant. Around the corner down the street the only vestige of a commercial enterprise was a pottery studio, with some of the potter's work in the windows. Not very good.

In the corner of the square, was a tall square two storey tower. I could see some placards on the walls of the tower, so I assumed they would tell the history of the town.

Lo and behold, the placard was titled 'A louer' Yes, this medieval tower was for rent: two bedrooms, bath, sitting room/kitchen combo; a walk-up with stained glass windows!! The price was exceedingly low, so if anyone is interested.... It's a quiet unfinishd English bastide town, according to the Green Michelin guide. It was built by Henry II of England, who also built Beaumont, Lalinde, and Montpazier.

On thru the lovely country side, with no where to go, but arrived at Montpazier by some route or other.

(More later; trouble with Time Machine)

OK, Time Machine backup fixed. Never did find out what was wrong! But it works.

The middle of that day was spent in Montpazier, which is a much larger bastide town, than Molieres. and busier.

I think it is worth seeing, but it was noon-ish, it was hot, and it looked overrun with tourists compared to Molieres, where we were the ONLY tourists - (so we must always think of "point of view" when we read each other's reports.) There were really only a few people at the patio restaurants in the square.

We had lunch, not in the chic place near the edge of town (called Bistro 2) because, frankly, the menu did not appeal.(I was beginning to think that every menu in this part of the world consisted of maigret, confit, and foie gras.)

Anyhow, we thought there was another restaurant down the street, which indeed there was. We had a passable meal, and wandered around the shops. I very much liked the buildings in the square, and I think would have like it much more, had we sat down in that square and had our lunch there, rather than inside.

They say that this is one of the best preserved bastide towns, also built by Henry II. Definitely worth a few hours walk around.

On our way back to home-base, we stopped in Beaumont, partly because DH has a colleague by that name, and to buy batteries for the camera. It's a pleasant place, probably worth a stop, as are most of these towns. You will always find a garden, or a building that you love, esp. if you are a photographer.

We passed Chateau de Bannes above Beaumont, a fairytale castle, which would probably be worth a visit. This 16th Century building sits perched on a rock spur and is flanked by round towers with pepper pot roofs. (That's more of less direct quote from the Green Guide.)

I'd say just wandering around this part of the world is rewarding, no matter whether you have any planned route or not, there is always something wonderful and rewarding to see.

We spent a fun evening at home, hearing about the 330 (or whatever number)of steps the others had climbed in Rocamadour, running, in the case of John, who has hiked the world over, and much more slowly by the other John, who has eaten the world over.

I must report that my friend, C, brought me back a gift from Rocamadour, to show that I was missed. I would suggest that all who go to this pilgrimage town stop at La Chic Echappe, on rue de la Couronnerie to get some chocolate soap!!

Christine.kerfant@wanadoo.fr

I never want to use it, because I love the smell, and it is no-cal!

Next up: LASCAUX II, after a frightening disappearance of keys!!

Next up: LASCAUX II, after a frightening disappearance of keys!!

Now THAT is how you tease a story, folks.

Great trip report so far, tac. We covered a lot of the same ground on our trip, and this is taking me back!

Well, it's funny now, but it wasn't when it happened!

Love Eyrignac. Love Marquessac a bit less but it's still very fine. I'm sure I've been to Molieres -- the name rings a bell. Cadouin, Monpazier etc are favourites. Top venue on that side of the Dordogne (fully the equal of the preceding, IMO): Chateau de Biron.

You'll see loads of photos of Eyrignac, Biron etc etc in this Facebook album:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1161671238391.2025514.1126123095&type=1&l=8e87491a44

Ted: your photos are super. I loved especially your excellent shots of Eyrignac. They are much better than mine. Maybe it's just as well that I don't know how to upload photos.

that was a particularly good set!

We went to Autoire and Collonges and several other towns because you suggested it, so thanks much.

Ok, Mr.-Go (et al.): Here's the story: September 28 was the day we all wanted to go to Lascaux II.

DH and I had a chance to go there 15 years ago, but I the un-knowledgeable snob, said NO, we only want the authentic "real things."

So, being older and smarter, I readily agreed to this joint venture.

After breakfast, and filling the washing machine with clothes, etc., decisions were made as to which couples would go in which cars, etc. after some discussion, and out the door went the first foursome. The second foursome, including moi, took a while to lock all the outside doors, and as we went out the last door, our driver looked in the key tray (where we all left our keys each night) (don't get any cute ideas here!) and he picked up the one set of car keys left, and said: "These are not the keys to our car!" I knew immediately that he was correct, cuz the locking/beeping device on "our" Renault Scenic was an odd one (sort of like a slim iPhone.)

However, that was really the only set of keys in the tray.

He said: "Sacre Bleu!!" or a reasonable facsimile thereof. We looked at each other for a while, we looked at the cars left in the drive. there were two. One was the Renault, but we had no keys. The other car matched the remaining set of keys. So maybe someone took our keys last night by mistake. We decided it would be OK to take a look in the other bedrooms, which we did.

No keys anywhere.

We were then left with a sort of Hobson's choice.

Do we stay here all day, and pick apples and figs? Maybe go swimming? Drink all the wine?

Or do we drive a car in which none of us is a authorized legal driver? Woe is us, (or whatever Peanuts would say.)

I did not like this much. No one liked this much.

Apparently one of us grabbed a set of keys, thinking he would be driving that day, stuck them in his pocket and forgot about it, when the other guy decided he'd drive that day. All unbeknownst to us inside the house, locking doors all over the place.

Finally, and of course, you can't tell anybody this, somebody in our foursome decided we would drive to the appointed meeting spot (the parking lot of Lascaux II) AND that that somebody would drive VERY VERY CAREFULLY.

Which is what we did, practically inching along back roads all the way, and we arrived before the others did. The culprit still had no idea what he had done.

Such is life, and we lived through it. Maybe a lot of you have driven a rental car when you were not an authorized driver. In fact, I have probably done it myself in past trips to Europe, when I was young and more adventurous. But in these days of abundance of caution, we were a bit skitterish.

Soon enough, everyone forgot about it, as we had arrived at Lascaux II with no reservations, hoping to either get tickets right away, or for after lunch,\.

As it happened, we were just about in time for the last tour before lunch, and there were a few spots left. And it was an English tour! In fact, all 8 of us were able to join this group.

Only a limited number are allowed in the cave at one time. I soon learned why. Unlike Peche Merle where DH and I had been years ago, this one is really quite small.

I have to say, NO ONE should miss seeing this. It is absolument incroyable! I was totally speechless and felt that I was in the presence of greatness. I have rarely had such a feeling. To think that these remarkable images were created in darkness or semi-darkness, and so magically alive, is almost too much to believe.

The tour is a short 40 minutes, but full of information, including the remarkable story of how two young boys found the cave very much by accident.

No need to say any more except: Go there.

Glad the key mishap worked out okay! We ran out of time before seeing Lascaux II. I LOVE having more and more reasons to go back to this area. I am enjoying your report so much. Traveling with friends is very special.

The more of your TR I read, the more I want to tour the region next. Sept. This year we only went to Paris as we planned it a very short time before we left, but we really missed extending our stay into the countryside.
Loved the "chocolate soap" idea. I have so many friends who would like that. Was this what it looked like?
http://www.worldmarket.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10918659

If you were to choose 2 towns to stay in the region, which towns would they be? We're thinking Sarlat and ? but we're not locked in to Sarlat. Appreciate any suggestions after your in depth adventure.

tegale---enchanting photos. I enjoyed them all, but being a cat person, the black & white cat in the heart shaped opening was so cute.

Kansas: thanks for your continuing encouragement. There is just so much to see in the Dordogne, and it is also worth just wandering around!!

Tpayt: actually the chocolate soap I've got looked exactly like a brownie, cut from a pan-full! In fact, my friend handed me the package, but said, "do NOT bite in to it." I ddn't know what she meant until i unrolled the tissue paper!

I think I might stay in an apartment in Sarlat, or one of the central towns, despite some misgivings about the crowds on market days. and then perhaps over near Rocamadour, though as you can tell, I don't love that town.

You could not go wrong in staying at Domaine de la Rhue, where we stayed this time as well as fifteen years ago. A delightful county up-scale BnB, with lovely fields, walls, walks, pool, perfect French Provincial furniture, large rooms, charming owners. Many fodorites love it!

If you want to be out in the country and want a house, I would just look for something central to the area.

St. Cirq, Stu Dudley, Carlux and many others have good recommendations for specific towns, with specific restaurants, etc.

Tpayt: I hope you are also following along with Piccolina's current report about a holiday in the Dordogne. She has lots of great information, and it's a thoroughly charming report. (as was yours of Paris!)

I see your chocolate soap, and raise you opium soap...

http://travel.webshots.com/photo/2606016100053249937HNwFop

Oh, WOW -- and what does that do for you, Mr-go???? If it's like my chocolate soap, (one whiff and I'm in chocolate heaven) then one whiff must put you in heaven for a long time!

Hmmm -- did you find it in Isle sur la Sorgue?

did you find it in Isle sur la Sorgue?

Yes. Our DD spotted it among the 20 or 30 varieties at that market stall, and ms_go took the shot.

taconic---thanks for the tip on Piccolina's TR. I have no idea how I missed it, but I just spent a good amount of time reading it.

Sorry I'm getting slower and slower with this report. Suddenly got very busy with work.

Why am I still working? (Oh, yeah, to go on these trips

Next up will be:

TWO BIG FOODIE PLACES: BISTRO d'en FACE IN TREMOLAT
and LE MOULIN DE L'ABBAYE IN BRANTOME.

I have heard of both, have eaten in neither -- so await yr post with bated breath

Well, as you who are reading can see, we are a group who is happy eating at home. but some of us are foodies who like to try the restaurants we've all read about.

such was the idea of booking a table at Bistro d'en Face, the bistro of the chef at Le Vieux Logis, which is in picture perfect Tremolat. any of you would love this town and the Vieux Logis, "il vaut la peine" as they say, worth a trip just for the Hollywood set. the Logis has beautful gardens, and the town has a charming square.

Many fodorites have enjoyed Le bistro, so we stopped by and made a reservation for dinner for 8. When we arrived, we were greeted by a waitress, who did not seem happy to see us, and who was, FWIW, English, not French.

Now I will be the first to admit that the sight of 8 friendly Americans in a small bistro would not make me jump for joy, but this poor gal looked as though it was the end of a 48 hour shift. She looked exhausted and overworked, and was, shall we say, brusque. and the place was full.

We were given an unappealing table with very bright lights that could not be turned down, but when one of our very gentlemanly guys asked about a possible change, she mention that we could sit by the kitchen, but we'd be crowded and in the dark. We chose to stay where we were.

Despite this rough start, I have to say that the food should have been much better.

I started with a salad with goat's cheese and walnuts which was very good. Then I had grilled dorade with spinach and fennel confit. There did not seem to be any fennel taste at all, but it was certainly edible, just nothing to write home about. My dessert of fresh figs and ice cream was good, not great.

I might have ordered more challenging food, but there probably wasn't much on the menu, or I was not in the mood for a challenge! So , I hate to do it, but I have to give it a B or a B minus. (Oh, and we all agreed that the house wine was "ng"

The de or is charming, but definitely done with the upscale tourist in mind. And as I said, the town is perfect.

The next day made up for it all -- great weather, diverse experiences, a fabulous lunch and a great discovery!

Obviously I mean "decor" seem to have left out the "c" - used the iPad, not always a good idea for posting.

By the way, TEDGALE, if you are reading, and I hope you are, did you, (and everyone else) know that you can rent a house at Les jardins d'Eyrignac?

We looked at both rentals, and the small one looked very very charming, and it sits just by the dahlia garden and the potager. Wonder if you are allowed to pilfer veggies??? Hmmm.Having looked at your rentals in the past, I think you would like it. Two bedrooms, one bath, very quiet, and your only neighbors would be the owners of that fabulous stone house, with its own chapel. AND the owners now can be dined with!! Well, well!

Just to add some more facts about these two restaurants, about which I write tonight, both are Relais & Chateaux, with excellent reputations.

Our meal at Lou Peyrol, in St. Marcel du Perigord, the non- Relais & Chaeaux, was so much better than Bistro d'en Face, and eaten right in the family dining room, (the child's potty chair was in the charming rest room! - so no airs there!)(But consummate professionalism in the rendering and delivery of the meal.)

And our meal at Le Moulin de L'Abbaye in Brantome, was lunch and was not planned, so all of that "expectation" stuff does make a difference.

Just to set it all in as much context and to be as fair as possible.

but I need a good night's sleep to give the day it's due, and I must off to bed, as I have a trial at 9:30, and then must join all day budget hearings from 12 to 5. (On a Friday, yet! Grrrr.)

a bientot... back as soon as possible.

So let's finish this week in the Dordogne, it's getting so long! And not very cohesive!

On Thursday, really our last day for a full day outing, the consensus was to drive to Brantome. We had all been mesmerized by what we had read and seen photos of, so off we went, even though it was a long drive.

I will spare you the wrong turns and the arguments with our GPS, and just tell you that we got there in the late morning, and all took off in different directions, wandering this Venice-like (well, on a small scale) town, enjoying the waterways, and the bridges, photographing away, and then of course, the massive Benedictine Abbey, which has dominated the town since it was founded by Charlemagne in 769!

As you can imagine there is a lot of history here, complete with Wars of Religion, between the Protestants and the Catholics, sacking by the Normans, rebuilding in the 11th, 14th, and 18th centuries, so I guess the abbey looks pretty 18th century, but still!!

It was a beautifully sunny, hot day, and none of us thought much about lunch, until it was a bit too late to decide anything ahead of time.

As we were walking down a shady street by the Dronne, we noticed the picturesque Moulin de L'Abbaye sitting at the confluence of a waterfall and an "elbow" bridge. This too is a Relais & Chateaux.

Intrigued of course, some of us wandered in to the hotel's patio restaurant on the river. We immediately thought it would be a superb place for lunch, but we had all decided to go back to Lou Peyrol for a nice dinner that evening. And this looked very good, but expensive.

Turning to one of the John's (the one who decides about all things food related) we asked for a reading.

He read the menu for a while, then said, "Let's eat here, if they can take us, but first I will call to cancel dinner, and we will eat leftovers at home this evening."

Sounded like a good plan, and we went for it, to everyone's delight.

I would have to say that for the location and the food, this would be a MUST for anyone going in the direction of Brantome.

The setting was magnificent, the service was flawless, and the food marvelous. The staff was exceedingly accommodating in every way, much different than at Bistro d'en Face. And we were rather late for the usual lunch time. I have to say, there was plenty of staff, not like the poor harried waitress at Bistro d'en Face.

I had two starters: a foie gras napoleon, with toasted brioche, and a lovely small salad, then ravioli with pumpkin and sage. We were served several kinds of bread, and we drank two bottles of a delicious Bergerac wine: a white and a red, so there was a choice. Wish I could remember the name, because both were excellent. For dessert, I had an array of raspberries, ice cream, and pastries with creme anglaise. (can't remember the name.) DH had a more substantial lunch of duck breast, asparagus and roasted potatoes, all quite delicious.

After our desserts, we had coffee and many little truffles were passed around, along with the tiniest "danish" pastries. Oh my, what a lovely experience.

For a long time, we enjoyed the view out along the river, as we sat under the trees, realizing how very lucky we all are.

On the drive home, our driver requested to go on very small roads, and maybe get lost. So the two living GPS-persons obliged.

Now here is where the great discovery of the day occurred. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered hearing about a village called Bourdeilles, which one reached by walking over a bridge, and our small road seemed to lead in that direction.

It is truly a gem of a small town, with a medieval castle, and lots of history of the wars between the French and the English. They even started a Renaissance re-building because of a promised visit by Catherine de Medici, but they stopped when the visit was called off.

Just off the walking bridge, we spotted a charming house on a little island in the Dronne river, with a garden all around and a lovely terrace. What a place to live.

We also discovered that there is a good looking inn at the end of the bridge.

I checked it on the Internet and sure enough, it's a three star hotel and restaurant, called Hostellerie des Griffons. www.griffons.fr

If you look it up, you will see how lovely this setting is. We didn't go in, but I would take a chance on spending a night there, if I ever go back.

After that we got lost a little, and it took us a long time to get home, but it was so much fun, wandering through little villages, finding spectacular views, and just drinking in the beauty.

At home at last, our reward was "leftovers de la maison," omelettes put together in professional fashion by the other John, which together with the leftover wine, made a pretty darn good meal.

Next morning, off to other various adventures.....

The Bourdeilles Renaissance chateau is furnished with predominantly Spanish furniture of the period and worth a visit for that reason. It also has interesting beam construction and it is claimed that its wooden floor was built to be inverted every 100 years or so to even out the wear.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/4304358460/in/set-72157623282383670

Michael: thanks so much for the info and also for your wonderful photos of Bourdeilles. Now I wish we hadn't gotten there so late in the day. But now I have a really good reason to return!

Oh, c'mon now. How am I supposed to sit here and plan Thanksgiving when all I want to do is plan my next trip? Your story and Michael's photos are too, too much for me.

kansas-----you said it all!

This thread has been so informative and interesting and Michael's beautiful photos just added more to the mix.

Kansas and Tpayt: I'm going with you, right after I buy the butternut squash and the centerpiece, and write down everything I have to do before Wednesday, so I can start cooking. How about Friday? -- (JFK - CDG, here we come!!)

Michael's photos are just so good, and I was THERE - but didn't see it all, and I'm pining away for France!!

Thoroughly enjoyed reading your report. It brought back fond memories of our trip to this wonderful region this past June. We loved the Dordogne and plan to return. We didn't get to Brantome and are sorry we missed it. Will definitely get there next time. We stayed in a lovely apartment in Sarlat for 9 nights and really enjoyed staying there. If interested, click on our name to see our trip report. Thanks again..love your writing style.

Thanks Winnick. I read your report back in August and commented at the time. I loved your choices of hotels and esp. Your apartment in Sarlat. I'd wouldn't mind staying there!! Your report was a big help to us in planning ours!

Friday was our last day at the house in Pressignac Vicq. After a pretty hilarious breakfast, (we ladies-in-charge gave orders that we had to eat up all the leftovers for breakfast, before we left.)

So the table was laid, by the guys, with all sorts of oddments, includiing Coke Zero, bits of cake, various yogurts, heels of bread, etc.

The laughter masked our sadness at leaving each other, but we were all also headed on to other adventures: two couples to Paris for the weekend, one couple driving to Geneva, training to Lausanne, then hiking south of Lac Leman into Italy, and ending with a week in Venice!

DH and I were headed to the eastern part of the Dordogne, to spend a few days, once again, at Domaine de la Rhue. Many of you know about this charming B & B, an elegant stone stable conversion, owned and operated by a most elegant couple, who we met 15 years ago, on our first stay there.

On our way, we drove thru Sarlat again, to see the town sans market-goers galore. It was a good idea, as we really saw some of the ancient and unusual buildings.

Lucky for us who visit there, Sarlat was the subject of a major restoration around 1964, so that the ancient charm is intact. It is also the birthplace of many of the values of the French which became part of the value system of the United States.

I just read that Etienne de la Boetie, a Sarlat native and a magistrate in the Bordeaux parliament (in the 16th C.) was also an impassioned writer, who, when he was only 18, wrote a compelling appeal for liberty. That, in turn, inspired Jean-Jacques Rousseau when he wrote the Social Contract. He was also a friend of Montaigne. AND I just learned that M. de la Boetie was the subject of Montaigne's famous Essay on Friendship. I love this quote from that essay: "If I am pressed to explain why I was fond of him, I feel I can only reply because he was himself and I was myself."

You can probably tell that I majored in French Language and Literature! Or is everyone fascinated by bringing these familiar names to life in our travels??

The Lanterne des Morts was finally visible. It's a rather strange building with a conical roof. I had to go look up some of these buildings to see what they really were, as I'd packed the guide book, and my iPad didn't work with no WiFi.

Suffice it to say, there is a lot to see here, besides the two weekly markets, and as I think I said on another thread, I would definitely stay in this town on another trip. I'd find one of the several very nice apartments to rent, which have good prices compared to Paris, and I would probably leave town on market days.

We had lunch at Le Presidial, in the covered garden, which wasn't very pretty.(Well, the garden, itself was, it's was just the decor in the "tent" We enjoyed the food, but the service was pretty slow, only one server for the fairly large crowd. I enjoyed what had become one of my "regular" dishes for lunch, a salad of those incredibly sweet local tomatoes with goat's cheese, while DH had a marvelous foie gras. My dessert was good enough to take a picture of: called "Chocolate Emotion." It was the correct name!!

NEXT: A cirular srive around the eastern Dordogne

Or: if she previewed, as she should, " A circular DRIVE around the eastern Dordogne"

Thanks to Tedgale, DH and I had a marvelous day, driving around the Eastern Dordogne.

We had had an early evening, after arriving at Domaine de la Rhue, (had a buckwheat crepe at L'Esplanade, in Hospitalet, with magical views of Rocamadour, all lit up!)

Now, with Tedgale's suggestions, and Mme. telling us to arrive at Autoire from the South, we went off on our circular trip.

Starting east on the D673. we drove thru Alvignac and Padirac to the Cirque d'Autoire, and down this great mountain drive seeing Autoire way down below us. This might be the best view I've had in years!

We wandered around the almost deserted village, and then drove on to Loubressac through some back road, (maybe the GR 652?)
Realized we'd been there 15 years ago, and the views are still fabulous!. Luckily I checked my watch and it was about 3 minutes to 12 noon, so I ran in to the little local "7-11" called "Les Courses du Jour" and grabbed a couple of sandwiches.

We sat for a long while in the center of this gem of a village, enjoying the use of one of the picnic benches located there, and even enjoyed the VERY clean public restrooms.

Backtracking thru Aurtoire, on another back road, we headed for Montal and St. Cere, then drove to Castelnau on a tiny one way bridge, then back over the bridge and up to Carennac where we also got the "deja vu" experience.

Funny how I remember the places when I see them, but 15 years is apparently too long (now) to remember some of the names.

That evening, Mme. Jooris made a reservation for us at Saveurs des Halles, a restaurant in the center of Martel. This is quite a lovely town, and the restaurant was partially successful, e.g. - my entree was foie gras wrapped in a rather tasteless beef concoction, but the small accompanying salad was a glorious garnish of batons of beet, carrot, jicama and sprouts! Yum! My main was a boned quail in puff pastry, with a lovely red wine sauce and root veggies. Dessert was a quince creme brulee. (more like a "membrillo" covered flan) but I'm being a bit picky. Service was good, it's a nice country town with welcoming people. worth a visit.

Next day, we left Domaine de la Rhue, and started north toward Bourges, but detoured a bit to see some more of these lovely towns, including Meyssac, Collonges le Rouge (so different from all the other towns!) and the magestic Turenne.

Our drive through Turenne was marred by large groups of French tourists, piling off of tour buses, on this Sunday morning, so we quickly got away, but vowed to come back.

NEXT UP: BOURGES CATHEDRAL and then, at last, BARBIZON! (Will she ever finish this report?)

Still with you, taconic, and enjoying the ride. I've been following most of your trip in my Michelin Atlas and I'm noticing that all the places you go are marked as attractions on the map as designated scenic roads, scenic viewpoints, towns with historic churches/châteaux, grottos, ruins etc. I've beaten to death in numerous posts my recommendations for Michelin maps as an essential tool when traveling in France so for anyone who wasn't aware of how useful the maps are your trip report puts the proof to the relentless endorsements I've given them.

Nonetheless, in addition to my beloved Michelin maps the next time I go back to the Dordogne I'm going to be pulling up your report (and Piccolina's too) to get lots of good ideas. Now quit dilly-dallying and take us to Bourges and Barbizon, will you?

Why don't more people go to see Bourges Cathedral? DH wanted to do this, as he had read Pillars of The Earth ages ago, and he had read somewhere (also ages ago) that Bourges was one of the cathedrals that Ken Follett studied before writing the book (tho' it was about a cathedral in England(!)

So, we decided to spend a night there en route back to Paris, and also because some friends had recently done the same and loved it.

Entering the city on a quiet Sunday afternoon, and with quite good directions, we expected it to be a breeze to arrive in the medieval center at our overnight stop, Hotel d'Angleterre.

As we got closer, the streets, bien sur, got narrower and narrower, and suddenly I noticed the streets were swarming with pedestrians! I mean SWARMING. I decided we were driving on a pedestrial only street, so I closed my eyes as DH carried on inching along.

Luckily we arrived at our destination hotel a few minutes later, and exited the car rapdiement!! - ran inside and learned that we had arrived on the day of the once a YEAR Sunday shopping event for the city!

The staff (consisting of one young lady)was more than excellent. She manoevered our car into a parking spot, showed us our very nice room, with Superb bathroom (shower for 6 at least) and put us at ease.

We waded through the crowds of shoppers, but couldn't get much of a look at anything that evening, except the massive outside of the cathedral, and settled on a pleasant dinner at the only restaurant open on Sunday, called Au Senat. Here we had steak frites, delicious, and Ile Flottante, a childhood favorite of mine.

I gather there are several very good restaurants in Bourges, but never on Sunday!!

Oh, and by the way, FMT, you are quite correct about Michelin maps, they are so good, they almost jump off the page, (or the computer!)

Did you go into the cathedral? Was the town itself nice? Likes, dislikes? My wife's father is from that region (Issoudun) but I can't get his opinion on anything. To him old things are "just a bunch of old rocks".

The cathedral and the Maison Jacques Cœur is worth a visit.

are worth ...

Yes they ARE. sorry for abrupt message today, more now:

Bourges Cathedral is a magnificent unity of design. spare, more to my liking. Very Very beautiful bishop's garden, also much to my liking.

Cathedral is smack dab in middle of old town. Just suddenly looms up n front of you. Lovely 5 bay porch, really simple inside, VERY old mostly original stained glass windows, different, superb.

Loved the old part of town, nice mixture of old and new in parts. Wish I could post my photo of the TOPIARY iconic Perrier bottle at the square in front of the tourist office near the cathedral.

Our hotel in tiny square next to Jacques Coeur house, delightful, great room, great service, would have spent much more time, if we could. In fact, the new city looked quite nice and prosperous as well.

After a thorough look around the cathedral, we drove the next day out on the D940 thru Gien to Montargis to Nemours, and to Fontainebleau, finally to Barbizon thru the apple country of the Haut Berry. We stopped and bought picnic supplies from the InterMarche supermarket near Argent, a small attractive town south of Montargis.

Our arrival At Barbizon was late, due to getting lost in Fontainebleau, (which has mushroomed since I was there 25 or more years ago!!

But, Barbizon was super.... maybe not for the reasons that FrenchMystiqueTours would expect.........

to be continued.......

Ooooh, a surprise.

Well, here's the thing: We had an easy day, driving from Bourges to Barbizon, and I was remembering Barbizon from 25 or 30 years ago, my last trip, and was anxious to spend 24 hours in the bucolic countryside south of Paris, perhaps walk in the forest, getting in to the memories of the many artists and writers who were inspired here, etc.

We headed for Fontainbleau, and by the time I broke out my more local map (by now I decided I was much smarter than the GPS, so didn't use it.) I realized that this ares was like Westchester County: one suburb morphing into another undetectably, making for an easy disappearance into a morass.

Which is exactly what happened. Now when DH id driving, and I am navigating, I probably don't have to describe the attendant disaster possibilities.

After what seemed like hours of DH driving aimlessly toward what he thought I was pointing him, and me trying to look ahead and read the map at the same time, I suddenly looked up and realized we were in FRONT of Fontainbleau castle! OY! There was also what the French so lovingly call "beaucoup de monde" -- cars, buses, people, in all directions!

"Which way," says he. "I don't know" say I -- and so it goes, sweat beginning to cover the brows, bad words emerging in the frontal lobe, tongues being bitten so as not to utter same, doubt and fear filling the front seat.

"Keep going straight" I say, "til I can check where we are and figure out where to go next."

We kept driving and by now I didn't even know in what direction, but sort of north, and it was a one-way street for what seemed like miles, so there was no turning around.

Well, it actually was miles! Eventually I saw a railroad station, with parking lot. I asked (probably screamed) at DH to stop there. I went inside and told the clerk in my halting French that I wanted "Barbizon."

NON, she said, "Non, non, non" - she looked very pained, sort of making me wonder how far off track I had really gotten us!!

After a minute I realized that she was saying, in effect, that there was no TRAIN to Barbizon!!

She then gave me two or three paragraphs of directions to Barbizon, which was of course in totally the opposite direction of where we were, and of course I understood only about every fifth word of what she was telling me. But she was so kind and so worried about us, that I just meekly thanked her, and got back in the car.

I figured I had located us on the map, and we would just go back the way we came. There must be a parallel one way street the other way, I presumed. to my detriment. There was a one way street, but it meandered and was by no means parallel to the other.

Eventually, and two gas station stops later for directions, we zeroed in on Barbizon, and promptly got lost again! Once more the victims of one-way streets.

So, long story short, my exhaustion at the time of our final arrival at Les Pleiades, the charming spa hotel on Barbizon's main street, led me, not to a walk in the elegant and beautiful forest, but directly to the spa for a massage!!

Thus disappointing, I am sure, my faithful reader, FrenchMystiqueTours, who would probably expect something more esoteric of a supposed Francophile wanderer in the Ile de France!!

IMPRESSIONS AND EXPERIENCES IN BARBIZON IS NEXT

AND THEN, AT LAST: A WEEK IN PARIS!!

TT - What a wonderful trip you've had. I am just now able to spend time reading your delightful trip report and look forward to hearing about your time in Paris. We hope to visit the Dordogne next time and your information will be so helpful in deciding how and where to spend our time there.

Thanks, GG. The Pleaides hotel spa in Barbizon is wonderful, and would make a great stop i. Or out of Paris.
It is very contemporary, with lovely rooms and bathrooms, a great spa. (and boy, oh, boy, did I need that massage. It was almost not even a luxury!)

We had a nice dinner in their bistro type restaurant, tho there is a more elegant one also. The location is great for wandering the lovely small famous artists town.

There is a quality of nostalgia in the names posted on the buildings of famous artists amd writers who have lived in Barbizon, and you can almost feel the turn of the century ambience when you walk around and see the elegant houses, the war memorial, the little shops, et cetera.
And, walking down the street you can wander directly into the magnificent forest which has made the area so famous. Very special.

Ah, the lovely (ok horrendous) and amorphous suburbs that surround every sizeable town or city in France. How I hate them. An endless myriad of roundabouts that will eventually lead the confused traveler into the industrial/commercial zone or, in your case, several miles in the wrong direction. I was right there with you tt since I'm very familiar with Fontainebleau and I knew which streets you got lost on and where you went wrong along the way. I don't begrudge you your well deserved massage. You earned it.

Thanks, FMT, that's what DH said too. Made me feel better to spend on a luxury when our whole trip was so heavenly. Also, it's like childbirth - you forget about the bad parts pretty quickly!

We enjoyed a walk around town the next morning, bought croissants, and then stopped for a coffee - instead of pricey hotel breakfast.

This town just calls you to walk around, and we had nice beckoning views from our room.

I could easily see spending a week or probably two, in the Ile de France. I just love the names of all those Parisian suburbs, well, maybe not all, but the ones you and Kerouac write about. And the photos are so captivating.

Our drive in to Paris was much easier than I expected. The rental car return was quite stressful, as we went to the wrong place, on bad information from a friend.

Suffice it to say, I needed another massage, but there was none to be had at the time!!

All's well that ends well, and here we were - on the verge of a whole week in Paris, all to ourselves...

I'm going to start a new thread for the PARIS week, since some readers like to focus on Paris. I will try to organize my notes, (and in Paris I DID make much better notes of restaurants, museums, places, etc.)

Still following and looking forward to your Paris report.

A massage was never more deserved! I love Barbizon, so can't wait to hear about it! And another week in Paris? Will await the report.

I just finished "cutting and pasting" lots of your trip report into a new document. I am bound and determined to return to the Dordogne and Languedoc in the near future.

I look forward to the conclusion. Thanks!

Hi Kansas and denisea and Tpayt and FMT and MaineGG and Michael and Winnick and Tedgale and Mr-Go and all:

I, too, just finished cutting and pasting this report for a Dutch friend who is going to the Dordogne next May! I relived the whole thing, and I must thank you all, even those I didn't name for you good comments, your additions to my report, and for your encouragement. This is a wonderful group of people, indeed!

I look forward to reading this report quite carefully tonight. We are thinking about going to Dordogne or Provence in Sept. DH feels Provence will be too similar to Tuscany and I am tending to agree. Finding the diversity of this area fascinating. Any thoughts along these lines for starters?

Wow can't believe I missed reading your report late last year. Brought back some great memories and I thoroughly enjoyed reading of your wonderful time in the Dordogne.
We loved it there!

ttt