Brief Notes on Trip to Dordogne/Lot and Barcelona
Oct 28th, 2009, 01:57 PM
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Brief Notes on Trip to Dordogne/Lot and Barcelona
Background of this trip:
We knew that a trip to France and Spain less than three months after returning from three weeks in Indonesia was a bit piggy; not so easy on our work lives or our treasury but itches, as it were, must be scratched!
So we planned to sleep cheap and eat very well. Mission accomplished. So much has been written about the Dordogne and Lot valleys on this board that I’ll just note places we stayed and liked or didn’t, ditto for activities and dining and limit the narrative trip report. Many, many thanks to all who responded to my questions and special thanks to Stu Dudley and St. Cirq for your expert advice.
We flew LAX-Paris-Bordeaux on Sept. 10th and overnighted at Hotel Majestic in Bordeaux (119E including parking). Very basic small room by even European standards (3 star) and staff were far from welcoming. Upside was attached garage and very convenient for walking the city. The restaurant the hotel recommended, Belle Epoque, was pal mal but I've had much better meals in Bordeaux.
En route to St Cyprien the next day we had lunch in St. Emilion; the weather was sunny, about 82-84 degrees and the town was not overrun with tourists (compared to two previous visits).
Le Chevrefeuille B & B in the tiny hamlet of Pechboutier, 3 miles from St. Cyprien was our lodging for the following two nights. The Bread Room (65E) was full of character. Our private patio looked out on a large open lawn. The owners work very hard to keep everything running smoothly. Breakfast and dinner under the ivy covered terrace was lovely. The Sunday market in St Cyprien was small and orderly. It takes no more than an hour for a thorough tour. IMO it lacked the eye jollies of the small markets in Provence.
Font de Gaume was a highlight in this area. I was much more moved by this cave than I expected to be. The knowledge and enthusiasm of the English speaking guide added a great deal. Getting tickets can be a challenge, since only 12 people are allowed per tour and only two English tours a day in mid September. Sara our B & B hostess was kind enough to get tickets for us in advance. You can contact F de G via email [email protected] and purchase direct, no exchanges.
After F de G DH and I enjoyed a very tasty lunch in Les Eyzies at Hotellerie du Passeur; lovely view of the river from the terrace. The Museum of Pre History just up the road was done brilliantly and a pleasure to visit.
We stayed in Sarlat four nights at Les Cordeliers, run by Brits Amanda and Chris Johnson. Our room, #2, was huge and well appointed, a screaming bargain at 69E/night.
We had outstanding dining experiences while in Sarlat area
at Le Metarie and Auberge La Plume d’Oie. ([email protected])
Both are small places (seating maybe 40) with old world charm, sophistication and great hospitality. Both were world class dining experiences. There was a posting that Mark Walker of Le Plume d’Oie was ill. He is physically healthy and his food is divine. But he is sick at heart and grieving the tragic death (in July) of his wife, of 28 years, Hiddy. He'd be pleased to hear from those who know him.
A third dinner at Les Delices de Lauralice (Place Beauvau; phone 05 53 30 29 00) was quite a find. We stumbled upon it as we were grazing for a “light” dinner. Again a tiny place, excellent food and service. Preparations less nuanced that the two above and offerings more the standard Perigord fare (duck, duck, duck), but still very fine food, wine and ambience.
Le Presidial, which I expected to be our premier dinner was a disappointment. Not a large or creative menu, brusk, indifferent service and too big a venue to feel the personality of the chef in the dishes.
Favorite Sarlat activities:
Strolling around town, hanging out in cafes and parks
the Saturday market
a picnic in the rain in Cenac at river’s edge. We’d planned to have our picnic on a two
hour canoe trip but the sprinkles became showers intermittently, so canoe cancelled. the feudal castle at Beynac
the falconry show at Chateau des Milandes
getting lost on one lane roads amid stunning scenery
I didn’t enoy
Lascaux II. Way, way too crowded to “feel” the place and the power of its history (pre-history actually).
Buying a new tire for our rental car; a huge metal implement tore the tire to shreds. We
called EuropeCar and they affirmed that the tire problem was ours.
We knew that a trip to France and Spain less than three months after returning from three weeks in Indonesia was a bit piggy; not so easy on our work lives or our treasury but itches, as it were, must be scratched!
So we planned to sleep cheap and eat very well. Mission accomplished. So much has been written about the Dordogne and Lot valleys on this board that I’ll just note places we stayed and liked or didn’t, ditto for activities and dining and limit the narrative trip report. Many, many thanks to all who responded to my questions and special thanks to Stu Dudley and St. Cirq for your expert advice.
We flew LAX-Paris-Bordeaux on Sept. 10th and overnighted at Hotel Majestic in Bordeaux (119E including parking). Very basic small room by even European standards (3 star) and staff were far from welcoming. Upside was attached garage and very convenient for walking the city. The restaurant the hotel recommended, Belle Epoque, was pal mal but I've had much better meals in Bordeaux.
En route to St Cyprien the next day we had lunch in St. Emilion; the weather was sunny, about 82-84 degrees and the town was not overrun with tourists (compared to two previous visits).
Le Chevrefeuille B & B in the tiny hamlet of Pechboutier, 3 miles from St. Cyprien was our lodging for the following two nights. The Bread Room (65E) was full of character. Our private patio looked out on a large open lawn. The owners work very hard to keep everything running smoothly. Breakfast and dinner under the ivy covered terrace was lovely. The Sunday market in St Cyprien was small and orderly. It takes no more than an hour for a thorough tour. IMO it lacked the eye jollies of the small markets in Provence.
Font de Gaume was a highlight in this area. I was much more moved by this cave than I expected to be. The knowledge and enthusiasm of the English speaking guide added a great deal. Getting tickets can be a challenge, since only 12 people are allowed per tour and only two English tours a day in mid September. Sara our B & B hostess was kind enough to get tickets for us in advance. You can contact F de G via email [email protected] and purchase direct, no exchanges.
After F de G DH and I enjoyed a very tasty lunch in Les Eyzies at Hotellerie du Passeur; lovely view of the river from the terrace. The Museum of Pre History just up the road was done brilliantly and a pleasure to visit.
We stayed in Sarlat four nights at Les Cordeliers, run by Brits Amanda and Chris Johnson. Our room, #2, was huge and well appointed, a screaming bargain at 69E/night.
We had outstanding dining experiences while in Sarlat area
at Le Metarie and Auberge La Plume d’Oie. ([email protected])
Both are small places (seating maybe 40) with old world charm, sophistication and great hospitality. Both were world class dining experiences. There was a posting that Mark Walker of Le Plume d’Oie was ill. He is physically healthy and his food is divine. But he is sick at heart and grieving the tragic death (in July) of his wife, of 28 years, Hiddy. He'd be pleased to hear from those who know him.
A third dinner at Les Delices de Lauralice (Place Beauvau; phone 05 53 30 29 00) was quite a find. We stumbled upon it as we were grazing for a “light” dinner. Again a tiny place, excellent food and service. Preparations less nuanced that the two above and offerings more the standard Perigord fare (duck, duck, duck), but still very fine food, wine and ambience.
Le Presidial, which I expected to be our premier dinner was a disappointment. Not a large or creative menu, brusk, indifferent service and too big a venue to feel the personality of the chef in the dishes.
Favorite Sarlat activities:
Strolling around town, hanging out in cafes and parks
the Saturday market
a picnic in the rain in Cenac at river’s edge. We’d planned to have our picnic on a two
hour canoe trip but the sprinkles became showers intermittently, so canoe cancelled. the feudal castle at Beynac
the falconry show at Chateau des Milandes
getting lost on one lane roads amid stunning scenery
I didn’t enoy
Lascaux II. Way, way too crowded to “feel” the place and the power of its history (pre-history actually).
Buying a new tire for our rental car; a huge metal implement tore the tire to shreds. We
called EuropeCar and they affirmed that the tire problem was ours.
Oct 28th, 2009, 04:05 PM
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Thanks, Robbie.
Funny how the Sunday market in St-Cyprien, which is sprawling and wall-to-wall people in July and August, becomes "small and orderly" by September.
Did you drive over one of those "bornes" and shred the tire? I almost did that once.
Funny how the Sunday market in St-Cyprien, which is sprawling and wall-to-wall people in July and August, becomes "small and orderly" by September.
Did you drive over one of those "bornes" and shred the tire? I almost did that once.
Oct 28th, 2009, 07:12 PM
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Nice report Robbie.
We are doing a similar thing to you. We went to France and Spain in July and are heading off to Vietnam for a month after Christmas.
Work is okay about it (I am a part owner so hard to say no) and it is a quiet time for business in Australia luckily. Our finances - meh! You only live once right?!
We are doing a similar thing to you. We went to France and Spain in July and are heading off to Vietnam for a month after Christmas.
Work is okay about it (I am a part owner so hard to say no) and it is a quiet time for business in Australia luckily. Our finances - meh! You only live once right?!
Oct 28th, 2009, 08:22 PM
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No, a borne is actually a generic term, but in this case means one of those things that you activate with a parking pass that makes a large metal cylinder that prevents you from entering a space go down to street level automatically, and that reinstates it after you've driven through. They can do major damage to a car.
Nov 4th, 2009, 09:13 PM
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Now to finish, after life rudely intervened this past ten days.
Lot Valley (and back in to the Dordogne again)
Domaine de la Rhue was our lodging for points east of Sarlat. Our room was full of old world charm with a large modern bathroom (130E). Our private terrace afforded wonderful views. Better have a GPS or great sense of direction for getting back to this inn, on a tiny road, in pitch darkness.
I especially liked the towns of Martel and Turenne where we spent some hours walking. The countryside driving north to Turenne was gorgeous. I liked St. Cere a lot; it had charm and a real ”lived in” feeling, not as precious as Autoire or Carennac, tho both stunning storybook villages. We both enjoyed the remains of the castle at Hautefort and the museum of ancient medicine in the village nearby.
We spent two night at Le Mas Azemar in Mercues (3 miles west of Cahors). What a wonderful 17th C home. Our beautifully appointed room (107 E including ample breakfast) afforded views in two directions. My favorite view was to the west with horses grazing below the window, a cluster of quaint period houses in the mid ground and the Chateau de Mercues crowning the hill in the distance.
Claude and Sabine were wonderful hosts. One evening we dined at their huge kitchen table with several other guests. The French-Spain train sites were on the fritz during the weeks when I wanted to buy our train tickets, so Sabine went in to Cahors and bought them for us two weeks before we arrived! This kind gesture ignited my excitement about this forthcoming trip.
I loved the scenery in this region of the Lot; the drive to Figeac particularly. I found the network of caves at Pech Merle extraordinary. An English tour would have really helped.
Cahors held my interest for a few hours. After touring the interesting Resistance Museum, we strolled along the walkway beside the Lot River, as it winds its way around the town.
On our 12th day, we drove from Mercues to Narbonne to take the train to Barcelona. Turning in the car was fraught with some anxiety since I’d had a small run in with another car as I exited the rental car lot in Bordeaux. Our Europecar car was in such shoddy condition, the addition of another nick or two was of no interest to the clerk who inspected the car, whew.
The train ride, just under four hours, was fun and the beautiful views of the Med made the time fly. We had two medium suitcases and two tiny ones stowed on the train. As my husband was adjusting our luggage in the storage area, one man began lecturing him about the weight restrictions on these trains. With irritation, the man asked my husband “Why do you have so much luggage?” to which DH replied “I have a wife!”. Everyone within earshot chortled and the tension passed.
I’ll post notes on Barcelona in Part II.
Lot Valley (and back in to the Dordogne again)
Domaine de la Rhue was our lodging for points east of Sarlat. Our room was full of old world charm with a large modern bathroom (130E). Our private terrace afforded wonderful views. Better have a GPS or great sense of direction for getting back to this inn, on a tiny road, in pitch darkness.
I especially liked the towns of Martel and Turenne where we spent some hours walking. The countryside driving north to Turenne was gorgeous. I liked St. Cere a lot; it had charm and a real ”lived in” feeling, not as precious as Autoire or Carennac, tho both stunning storybook villages. We both enjoyed the remains of the castle at Hautefort and the museum of ancient medicine in the village nearby.
We spent two night at Le Mas Azemar in Mercues (3 miles west of Cahors). What a wonderful 17th C home. Our beautifully appointed room (107 E including ample breakfast) afforded views in two directions. My favorite view was to the west with horses grazing below the window, a cluster of quaint period houses in the mid ground and the Chateau de Mercues crowning the hill in the distance.
Claude and Sabine were wonderful hosts. One evening we dined at their huge kitchen table with several other guests. The French-Spain train sites were on the fritz during the weeks when I wanted to buy our train tickets, so Sabine went in to Cahors and bought them for us two weeks before we arrived! This kind gesture ignited my excitement about this forthcoming trip.
I loved the scenery in this region of the Lot; the drive to Figeac particularly. I found the network of caves at Pech Merle extraordinary. An English tour would have really helped.
Cahors held my interest for a few hours. After touring the interesting Resistance Museum, we strolled along the walkway beside the Lot River, as it winds its way around the town.
On our 12th day, we drove from Mercues to Narbonne to take the train to Barcelona. Turning in the car was fraught with some anxiety since I’d had a small run in with another car as I exited the rental car lot in Bordeaux. Our Europecar car was in such shoddy condition, the addition of another nick or two was of no interest to the clerk who inspected the car, whew.
The train ride, just under four hours, was fun and the beautiful views of the Med made the time fly. We had two medium suitcases and two tiny ones stowed on the train. As my husband was adjusting our luggage in the storage area, one man began lecturing him about the weight restrictions on these trains. With irritation, the man asked my husband “Why do you have so much luggage?” to which DH replied “I have a wife!”. Everyone within earshot chortled and the tension passed.
I’ll post notes on Barcelona in Part II.
