Dordogne
 

For a # of reasons, not the least of which is that I, the husband, just finished reading the 6th and last "Ayla" book, "Land of Painted Caves", we are going to the Dordogne in Sept. '11. I am interested in viewing caves that were inhabited, not necessarily painted. Are there tours of such caves and which town would be best for this activity? Also, what might be a recommended hotel (with a/c a must) in the recommended town? 350 euros is our general area of cost. More questions later.

per night?

None of the caves were inhabited, so not sure what you're after. There were abris and other areas like the Village Troglodytique de la Madeleine and the Roque St-Christophe that were inhabited, but way later than the prehistoric age, and Magdalenian man emphatically did NOT inhabit the caves - that's why it's so interesting that they actually migrated there just for artistic purposes, whether to do chromatic paintings or to worship a bear or other culture. I think your husband needs to stop reading Ayla and read some actual history. You could start with Abbé Breuil.

For 350 euro a night in the Dordogne, you can probably rent a castle.

Not all caves were painted. Some were drawn, seem more primitive than the painted ones, and yet the drawings are 4,000 years younger than the painted ones. It bother one of our friends who believes in the idea of progress.

Also, you will not need air conditioning in September!

I second the recommendation for the Roque-Saint-Christophe, near Les Eyzies. This is a fascinating series of caves carved out of a limestone cliff, occupied over a period spanning thousands of years. http://www.roque-st-christophe.com/iphone/en/index.html

Do not neglect the painted caves while in the area. It is an experience that inspires awe. I especially felt that way at Font de Gaume, also near Les Eyzies. Reserve in advance by e-mail to [email protected]

Hi 330,

In addition to the above:

See "Les sites de la préhistoire" under "Le Périgord préhistorique" at http://www.hominides.com/html/lieux/lieux.php

http://www.grottederouffignac.fr/

http://www.hominides.com/html/lieux/...pech-merle.php

((I))

As StCirq notes, the caves in the Dordogne with paintings were apparently not inhabited, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't see them - the ones I saw were among the most amazing things I have ever seen, and I've been fortunate enough to see some pretty amazing things!

Until my recent trip, I hadn't really thought about what makes something a "cave." The caves I saw with prehistoric paintings were the kind where one must pass through one or more passageways to enter an interior space that is otherwise closed off from the outside. So these caves with paintings were not directly open to the air.

The Dordogne does have some places where people lived that are sort of cave-like -- deep (but open) recesses, sometimes carved by nature into what are now more-or-less cliff faces. I would have referred to these "rock shelters" as "caves", but from what I learned on my trip, the distinction is important because at least in this region, no chromatic art has been found in rock shelters and no evidence of human habitation has been found in caves with chromatic art. I'm not an expert - I'm just saying what I heard and read. If I'm wrong, I would love to learn more!

La Roque St. Christophe, mentioned above, is one of the rock shelters inhabited by humans over many centuries, and I found it quite interesting. The Abri de Cap Blanc is another such area, perhaps even more special because prehistoric people produced incredible deep reliefs of horses there and also left signs of habitation.

Hope that helps!

The French version of land of the painted caves has maps of which caves the author is describing. If you go to www.dons maps.com , the site covers a lot of useful info and makes some of the connection. You can also go to the PIP when you get there for info on all the caves. I suggest however that you get reservations for Font de Gaume ahead of time.

ST Cirq...after visiting a long string of caves, I am dying to read a good bio of Abbe Breuil in English. Can you recommend any? Thanks! Ps..will do a trip report once I am home. Too hard to type much on iPad. but we did hike through your lovely village.

Italy again, I will do an internet search, but offhand I can't recommend anything by or about Abbé Breuil in English. Everything I have ever read by and about him has been in French, and almost all of it purchased at the wonderful maison de la presse in Les Eyzies.

Italyagain: Here's one, though I know nothing about it:

http://www.amazon.com/Abb%C3%A9-Breu.../dp/B0000CLX7S

Thanks. I just ordered it, so it will be waiting for me when I get home. Nice to have something in that pile of mail to look forward to. We loved all the caves so much.

330-In Les Eyzies we rented an apt for a week for 250euros. Was nice to be able to cook and do wash.

Many of Breuil's own writings have been translated into English. For a list,including sources, go to http://www.showcaves.com/english/exp...le/Breuil.html.

I will have to see if my library has them. Wish i had read some of this before my trip. But its never too late. But I did read some Brian Fagan which gave me the background on the artists themselves.

Read "The Caves of Perigord" combining story of the cave paintings, WW 2 Fr resistance with England's help, and a present time romance. Someone on Fodors recommended it and it's a perfectnovel for visitors to Dordogne. In Loubressac there is a plaque in tribute to the resistance fighters .

Yes- Caves is an excellent read.