Crazy, your trip report has been wonderful, and your pictures are just as gorgeous as your Umbria pictures were. The Dordogne has been high on my list for several years now, and I had DH sitting with me going through your pictures for about the last hour!

Can I ask how it compared to Umbria? I know that France is obviously quite different from Italy but I'm just curious because both the Dordoge and Umbria seem to have quaint little hill towns and seem to possess similar qualities.

Can't wait to read the rest!

Tracy

Well, having spent 5 weeks in Umbria in 2006 instead of in my beloved Dordogne, I think I have a bit of a handle on the similarities and differences.

I find the Dordogne more rustic and laid-back and geographically appealing. The towns and villages of the Dordogne are almost uniformly pretty and well kept, whereas in Umbria if a place isn't one of the "most beautiful villages" it can be kind of unattractive. I think the landscape of the Dordogne is softer in general: you get the rolling hills and deep forests and then a few majestic rocky gorges, but generally speaking it's a soft landscape. Umbria is more vertical and the vegetation is more stark and looks more "landscaped."

The food's divine in both places. Actually, I would admit I think I would prefer the local Umbrian diet over the local Périgord one - more variety, less caloric, less reliant on innards.

The people are very different. The Périgourdins are generally fairly reserved but polite until they get to know you - then all open arms and warmth. The Umbrians are more instantly expressive and welcoming.

I love both places, but my heart's always in the Périgord.

Kelly: We love your photos. A lot of them were strikingly similar to ones we took just a year ago. And the ones that weren't just the same looked so familiar anyway!

It's an absolutely gorgeous evening tonight in the Fox Valley of Illinois...but all we can do is sit here on our deck and wait for your next trip report installment. Great stuff so far. Brava!

tcreath...I think St. Cirq pretty much hit the nail on the head there.

I found the Umbrian towns we visited lovely. So many flowers everywhere. I liked the architechure but find the french style a little more engaging with the different colored shutters and variety of stone work.

The Dordogne and Lot countryside is pastural...vibrantly green and you can tell that farming is integral to the community. I found there was a little more industry in Umbria and the factories could be quite unsightly.

I loved both...we didn't have very good luck with the food in Umbria. We had much better food in Tuscany and I think I like the Italian diet a little more. The french are certainly more inventive with their cuisine and the presentation impeccable.

I found the people in the Dordogne and Lot not only polite...they were very patient and kind to us. Although we were treated quite well in Tuscany and Umbria, I felt more warmth from the people we encountered in the Dordogne and Lot. In all our trips to France, we connected more with the people in this region.

I have to say that I have a hard time chosing between Italy and France...so I don't. I spend one year in France and the next in Italy and will often split my vacation time between the two. Unfortunately, my vacation time has shrunk over the past few years since I can't be away from the office for an extended time period.

I think you would love this region. The driving is very easy and we had no issues with parking. The towns are lovely and there is some much to see.

Thank you ms go for your kind comments. Your trip report was very helpful to me when I was planning and your photos got me really excited about our pending trip. I love the way you have them displayed..quite a unique format.

Day 7...Sunny and bordering hot

Today our main destinations were Monpazier and Biron Castle.

We stoppped at Belves along the way and had a coffee, but it was not a town that was particularly interesting for me.

Monpazier however was a jewel of a town. The architechure is very interesting and the town so photogenic. We enjoyed just wandering the streets here. We were going to have lunch at La Bastide but it looked like a multi course affair and my stomach was still not very stable.

I had heard that there was a restaurant at the foot of Chateau Biron and thought it might be nice to sit outdoors for lunch.

I will mention now that all gesiers and fois gras are not created equal. I ordered a salad hoping that it would be similar to the one I had at La Trielle....not even close. The gesiers were large chunks with the texture of liver and a similar taste. The fois gras was quite gamey...so I bypassed both and ate the greens. I can't remember what my husband ordered. We saw on the menu that they make their own pomme frites so we had ordered some to share. They were the best french fries I've ever had...how good can fries be...they were really tasty with almost a sweetness, a hint of salt and vinegar. Meal cost with a demi of rose was 28E.

Chateau Biron is a very interesting castle. They loaned us a quide book in English which helped get the most out of our self guided tour. They've left numerous movie sets in tact which creates a mood in the interior.

After our visit here, we were undecided if she should visit Cadouin or I had heard there was a similar town to Monpazier called Monflanquin.

I regret our decision in hind sight as Monflanquin does not have the charm of Monpazier...and I have heard several raves about Cadouin since our return. All was not lost as I had a very good cone of pistachio icecream there.

Our dinner plan was to go to a neighbouring town called St. Martial de Nabirat. It always pays to reserve in advance. In this case, we got there and it was their night to be closed.

We looked at the menu for the restaurant in Cenac and it didn't hold much interest for us. We decided we would head to La Roque Gageac to the Belle Etoile.

We could see Rick Steves and his crew on the terrace of the Belle Etoile and we were unfortunately told that the restaurant was full. I think by now I we were unknowingly stalking Monsieur Steves.

Since we had several drinks down the street at the Plagnes earlier in our trip, we decided to give it a try for dinner. We ate on their terrace upstairs.

I decided that I would not do the multi course meal as my stomach was still blah. We ordered a salad Nicoise to share and I had the Magret in a tasty sauce with Sarladaise pototes...both were very good. My husband had cassoulet which was just ok. Meal with a demi of rose was 49E.

It was a lovely evening so we ended our night with a stroll along the river. Very romantic setting...just loved this little town of La Roque.

Another wonderful day in the Dordogne. Photos posted on my website for this part of the trip.

C4T

I would also like to thank you for your effort in posting your trip report and sharing it with us in this forum.

In the ideal world, how much time would one spend in the Dordogne, not so much to see all the sights, but to get a true feel of the region? Is 3 weeks sufficient? And which town will be the ideal base?

s

Hi Swagman...thank you for your kind remarks.

Three weeks would be lovely. We saw quite a bit in a week but two weeks would have been ideal.

I would say that most of the points of interest are within a 20km radius of Sarlat. I preferred to be in the area of La Roque Gageac, Beynac or that general area. There are many alternate choices listed on this website that would be equally convenient.

Good luck with your trip planning. Get a copy of Stu Dudley's itinerary when he gets back from holiday in Provence. He's gone for 4 weeks if you can wait.

I loved looking at your beautiful photos this a.m., after being gone this weekend! Figeac looks much prettier than I imagined! Thanks so very much for posting them.

Running into Rick Steves and being part of his filming sounds like great fun! I hope to see you in his Dordogne episode! We've run into Steve Smith in France,(never Rick himself) and he was very interested in the small places we like to stay. One is now included in the France book!

Thanks so much again for your excellent report, I'm enjoying it very much!

Thank you St. Cirq and Crazy4travel for your response to my question. Both of you summed up my impressions of Umbria quite nicely. I loved the region, but do have to agree that there were some rather unsightly areas and quite a few factories. While we enjoyed our stay there we started to tire of it after three-four days, which I found surprising.

The Dordogne interests me because it seems to be a more picturesque version of Umbria, and the terrain looks more appealing.

Its always so hard for me to pick out a vacation destination because I want to go everywhere! We are considering the Dordogne for next year, but are both aching to go back to Croatia so we will see what happens. In the meantime I will live vicariously through this trip report!

Tracy

For Swagman: I would certainly stick to your original plan to spend 3 weeks in the Dordogne. We always recommend people spend at least two.

One week means that you have to rush from one 'highlight' to another - the chateau at Beynac, La Roque Gageac, Sarlat market, etc.

While these are lovely - that's why everyone wants to see them, you miss the real joy of the area, I believe, which is the small villages, rolling hills, hidden chateaux, lovely churches that are a little off the beaten track - the best are the ones you find when supposedly 'lost.'

Plus you get time to just have a breather, read a book, have a walk, go out for lunch, without feeling that you HAVE to be doing something.

Regarding Umbria, we spent two weeks in eastern Tuscany/Umbria, and unfortunately had pretty bad weather, lots of rain and fog. Since we hardly ever got to see the light which many people rave about, perhaps it isn't fair to say that we weren't impressed. We much prefer the Dordogne - but then since we live here, in what we still think, after 13 years, is the most beautiful place we've ever been. I drove home from Sarlat Saturday evening in our wonderful light, with dark sky ahead, sun breaking through, and once more was struck by the beauty of this area. I do this drive at least 3-4 times a week, and never tire of it.

What a fun report! It's good to know that our stay at La Belle Etoile two years ago was ahead of Rick Steves' show.

and I was all excited that I had "stumbled upon" the Belle Etoile and pencilled it in for our "one night stay on the trip south" for next summer. What happens to places featured on Rick Steves? Do they just get harder to book, or do they get more expensive and less needing to "earn" the business?

Rick Steves it would be next year when the episode aires so I'm not sure exactly when it will be. If you book early, you should be the mad rush. Summer is busy in the Dordogne from what I understand so early booking would be required in any case.

Hopefully it won't be like the Cinque Terre and become totally overrun by Rick Steves fans.

Sorry...forgot the said in the beginning of that sentence. Rick Steves said....

Sorry again...shouldn't try and post while at work. That should have said "you will beat the mad rush" if you book early.

Day Eight...Sunny and hot

We were off to Sarlat for the Wednesday market. The main road approaching town was under construction and choked with traffic. We found an open parking spot but decided to turn back to the car when we realized we were still more than a kilometer from the old town.

After circling around, we found the entrance to the public pay parking lot at the bottom of town. By this time, I told my husband that I hated Sarlat...two minutes later when we reached the old town...I said I take it back...I love Sarlat. It is an instantly likeable place.

As we were walking through the market, I spot Rick Steves and his film crew. Ok...now I'm officially stocking him ala Kathy Bates from Misery. I consider telling him that I am his biggest fan and I'm going to follow him all over Europe until he puts me in his whole series.

The Wednesday Market was quite large so I envision the Saturday Market to be very extensive like the St. Cyprien market. We wandered through the lovely side and back streets for several hours. I very much enjoyed the architechure and feel of Sarlat.

Our next stop of the day was Jardin d'Eyrignac. We had a light lunch consisting of Omelettes and Salad. Total bill including a demi of rose was 26E. Again, the omelletes were just ok for me..lacking in taste.

The gardens here are beautiful and they have a nice picnic area near the parking lot. The audio tour is a nice touch as it gives you a very good commentary on the Gardens, their history and the grooming involved to keep them.

Next we paid a visit to the Walnut Mill. We had a short tour showing how the walnut oil is made followed by a tasting. It's amazing to see that little has changed with the process through the years...I guess if it ain't broke...don't fix it.

We had dinner reservations for Belle Etoile in La Roque Gageac for this evening. Our meal started with a glass of Vin de Noix followed by some mixed pasteries. Next we were both served a small bowl of Salmon Bisque.

Steve ordered sliced marinated monk fish for his entree and sliced duck with cheese dumpling for his main course.

I had an Artichokes, fois gras salad for my entree and Chicken Supreme with mushroom risotto for my main course. My husband and I both agreed that we never had chicken that moist and tasty.

Steve had the flaming creme brule for desert. I had the bananas with Rum sauce and Vanila icecream.

Dinner was very good and reasonable at 74E including a demi of rose.

A stroll along the river brought another perfect day to and end.

Day 9...Sunny and hot

We had an 11:00am appointment for an english tour at Font de Gaume. We had booked in advance by email with a requirement to call 48 hours prior to confirm by phone.

At the ticket booth, there were several people in line without reservations. They were told that the tours were sold out until July but so many tickets per day would be held without reservation. Those would only be released each morning on a first come first serve basis.

After our ticket purchase, we went into town to look around and have a coffee. The town was more interesting than I expected with the river cutting through and the cliffs on the opposite side.

I was told the 11am would be in English. When the tour guide arrived, she conducted a survey to see if all the people booked were English. There was one couple that was french so we were advised that the tour would be in french. I had been forwarned that this was common so I was prepared for that possibility.

Font de Gaume is interesting and the tour director extremely controlling. I can understand that since the cave is on the brink of closing that they are protective about not touching the walls etc. This tour guide took it to the extreme and everyone in our group found her a little too intense. I was glad I was able to see this cave as it may not be open to the public in the future.

There are numerous cave dwellings around this region. The most extensive at La Roque Christophe. We didn't do the inside tour but it was still worth stopping for a few photos. The road narrows here through the cliff and I was amazed to see the tour buses make their way through the tiny opening.

We timed our lunch stop for St-Leon-sur-Vezere as we were told it was a very quaint town...it was. It would be a beautiful spot for a picnic on the river.

We arrived to Lascaux II in plenty of time for our 3pm appointment, which had been reserved and prepaid by email. The English tour here went ahead as planned. I found it interesting but didn't feel the same excitement knowing it was a reproduction. I know that they have taken pains...10 years to recreate an exact replica..but it didn't hold the same facination for me as Peche Merle or Font de Gaume. I definately think it's worthwhile to visit but it would not top my list.

Our dinner plans for the night involved Sarlat. We quickly found parking in a lot across the street from the Coulverine Hotel and ate dinner on their outdoor patio.

We started with a coucous cucumber appetizer.

Steve had Chicken skewers with chutney in a flax seed phylo pastery for his entree followed by sea trout with peaches, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

I had Fois gras on toast with rhubarb as an entree and Duck with articoke in a phylo packet.

I had a ensemble of chocolate deserts to finish and Steve had fruit in sweet wine.

We felt the chef really tried and the presentation was nice but it fell short of a great meal....it was good but just missed the mark for both of us. Dinner with a full bottle of rose was 79E.

We took an after dinner stroll to get some photos of Sarlat at night. The sky was starting to look menacing and we got back to our car just in time for the downpour. The thunder and lightlening storm that followed was one for the books.

Even the mice were afraid of the storm. As we enjoyed a nightcap, one ran in under the door..scurried across the room and into the place next door through a crack. All night I could see that web of woodwork in the bedroom ceiling as the lightening lit up the room....a bit scary.

interested in hearing about your cave experiences - sounds like the tour guide at Font de Gaume put a damper on your experience. Interesting to hear your reaction to Lacaux II. I must say in reading about it I had the same thought (that it is the age, and not the art itself that is compelling) Interesting that it sounds like that was your reaction!

I'm not sure if anyone is still following along but I'll finish up the last two days. My photos have all been posted to:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/crazy4travel

Day 10..Sunny..then cloudy...then sunny with scattered showers late in the day

I was surprised to awaken to blue sky and sunshine after the storm from the previous night. Our plan for the morning was a visit to Chateau Castelnaud.

The Chateau has been restored from utter ruin. I wasn't sure I would find the museum of medieval warfare interesting but it is really well done. We saw a collection years ago in Innsbruck that was mostly body armour and it was a little much. I like the way they've interspersed the collection with various displays and videos here.

There's an English guide book that they'll loan you and some interactive displays throughout the visit. I think that this Chateau would be particularly interesting for children.

I wanted to make a short detour to the town of Daglan to have a look. This is a charming town a little off the beaten track...but then again nothing in this region seemed to be very far. This would make a nice base as it has all the services you could want but also retains a sense of the original character that I felt Domme lacked.

In the afternoon, we made our way to the Chateau des Milandes. There is a museum dedicated to the memory of Josephine Baker and her life. I found the collection and chateau quite intriguing since I knew little about her or her history. The most wonderful part of the visit is the falconry show which should not be missed.

For our last evening in the Dordogne, we had made dinner reservations on the terrace at the Belle Etoile in our favorite town of La Roque Gageac. Unfortunately another weather system was moving in and so were we...to an inside table.

We started with a vin du Noix. We were both served a medley of pasteries followed by a mushroom bisque.

My entree was fois gras prepared three ways and my husband had the Oeufs cocottes aux morilles a la creme (I can't quite remember exactly what that was but mine was heavenly).

We both had the beef Limousin au pecharment which was quite good. We rarely order beef when in Europe but we were happy for the change. We also both had the creme brule for desert.

I ended my meal with a shot of Liqueur de Chataigne which is really potent but good. Total cost of meal 103E including a demi of rose...a demi of red wine and coffee for my husband.

We took one last walk on the river and said goodbye to our special place.

Day 11....rainy and cool

We were on the road before 8am to make our way back to Toulouse. The car was due back by 11am and by the time we circled around Blagnac twice to find a gas station, we had only a few minutes to spare. I must admit that the signage is really good and we had no real trouble finding the airport.

Avis was very efficient returning the car and it took little time to process the paper work.

We originally planned to take the shuttle into the city but since it was pouring rain we jumped into a cab. The cost into the city was 25E with tip.

The Hotel Wilson Square is on the budget end (2 stars) but very central to the airport shuttle and oldtown. The hotel says it has been renovated but I think that was 10 years ago. We really need to stick to a minimum 3 stars hotel in future as I've found two stars to be too unpredictable.

It took us some time to get motivated to venture out in the rain as it was very chilly as well. What we saw of Toulouse, we very much liked. It reminded me of a small Paris...stylish and chic. Had the weather been better, I'm sure we could have found plenty to do here and the shopping is great if you have deep pockets. I've never seen so many lingerie shops.

We enjoyed our lunch and dinner but the meals are not noteworthy enough to recommend the restaurants.

Departure day....took the airport shuttle which cost 8E for the two of us. We reported 2.5 hours prior to departure and there was no one at the Lufthanasa counters. We asked at another counter and were told 90 minutes prior to departure to report back. Last year at Rome airport we had two hours and almost missed our flight...what a difference.

We had a 3 hour flight delay in Toulouse but luckily our connection in Frankfurt was not affected as we originally had a 4.5 hour layover. No lost luggage this time around so all in all a good trip home.

I'll add some overall impressions from our trip tomorrow.