Day 22 - Chateauroux on the way into the Loire Valley

Châteauroux lies on the Indre River 250 km (155 miles) south of Paris and 142 km (88 miles) south of Orléans. Châteauroux is the capital of the Indre department in central France and the second-largest town in Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called Castelroussines or Castelroussins. Châteauroux is one of the communes awarded the grand prize by the Concours National des Villes et Villages Fleuris, a beautification initiative begun in 1959. The castle from which the city takes its name was built in the latter part of the 10th century by Raoul, prince of Déols.The old town, close to the river, forms a nucleus around which a newer and more extensive quarter, bordered by boulevards, has grown up; the suburbs of St. Christophe and Déols lie on the right bank of the Indre.

Châteauroux inherited its name from the "Castrum Dolis", which became Château Raoul, founded between 917 and 927. It remained a "modest town" until the Revolution, and grew to its present size in the 19th and 20th Centuries. The town is situated on the edge of the immense State-owned forest of Châteauroux, which is dominated by sessile oaks, and the Brenne national park, a land of water and hedged farmland. In these delightful surroundings, the town has been able to safeguard and develop its natural environment. The Indre runs through the town, creating a kind of green valley, with little bridges, footbridges and paths where you can wander along the Indre without ever having to use or cross tarmac roads.

Day 21 - Loire Valley Travel

We are moving through the Loire Valley, stopping at B&B's and small hotels as we move from Dordogne, mid-west country to the north. We do this for the next five days, heading ever north to Normandy. Meanwhile, great chateaus and wineries mark the countryside all along the trip. It is exquisitely scenic. A feast for the eyes. We had heard about this and read about it but actually touring and stopping and viewing is beyond words.

Day 20 - Dordogne area - Foie Gras de Canard (Duck Liver)

Tomorrow, Friday, is market day. We love the town markets. They sell everything a person needs. BY THE WAY, I DID GET MY BERET.

Here is a picture of Velouté de foie gras de canard, (which is a very thick, creamy foie gras (duck liver) soup). We are in foie gras country. I used to enjoy calves' liver for a meal. Sort of got turned off in later years when I let my mind contemplate what exactly I was eating. So here we are in the area where ducks and geese are force fed in order to develop the biggest, healthiest livers in fowl that once can. The process is called gavage, and hoses are placed humanly, we are told, down a goose neck, to fill and fatten the bird and its liver. Then the livers are harvested, and I guess the rest of the gooses and ducks too. But the livers become rendered into foie gras, the speciality spread for crackers. Well it's actually more sophisticated than that. Goose lives is the best apparently, smooth and refined. I bought and have eaten duck liver, cheaper, and a bit stronger in flavour. That was 5 euros which is about $7.50 CA. But Goose Foie Gras Entier, the actual liver itself is very expernsive and a small jar may be 25 euros. Christine doesn't like the taste of this at all, so it is all mine. I have had about enough of it myself.

Day 19 - Le Buisson de Cadouin is where the Duckhouse is located

If I didn't make it clear, the Duckhouse title for our little gite (holiday house), derives from the fact that the building did serve as a duck raising house/shed before its conversion into this modern cottage. All appliances and kitchen and furniture is brand new and we were the very first guests the hosts have ever had here. All the stuff comes from IKEA an hour away in Bergeron. By the way, there is a town called Bergerac not far from here - remmember Cyrano de Bergerac, uh uh? with the long nose and unrequited love?

Le Buisson de Cadouin is situated at the crossroads of the departement’s main towns, the historical and tourist sites of the ‘Périgord Pourpre’ and the ‘Périgord Noir’ and of‘Bastide Country’. The town itself has developed around the train station and its railway network linking Bordeaux and Sarlat, Paris and Agen.

Le Buisson de Cadouin is also a cultural centre with a forward-looking, active library and an arts cinema. It is twinned with St Marcelline in Quebec.

Day 18 - Dordogne - visiting Sarlat and nearby Cave Drawings

Sarlat is 35 kms away from the Duckhouse. It is a wonderfully quaint city with a well known and busy weekly market seen here.


Cave Drawings
In the Perigord Noir within a 20 km radius of the city of Sarlat there are hundreds of caves with prehistoric sites with drawings, even theme parks. Several that we find attractive are the following.

Lascaux II was closed since 1963 because of algae and calcite and then in the past ten years demanding restorative work was done in parts of the cave. The reason for visiting these is the restored wall paintings.

Cap Blanc offers three dimensional friezes featuring almost life-sized horses that seem to jump out of the wall and the claim is made that these are 13,000 years old.
Font de Gaume contains thirty of the most beautiful cave paintings, most from about 12,000 BC. About a mile south is Les Combarelles, with a profusion of intermingled engravings of many animals, the horse being represented most frequently.

La Roque Saint Christophe is a stronghold in a limestone cliff, occupied from Cro-Magnon to relatively recent times. It features one of the largest natural terraces in Europe, with a great view of the river. Close by is the Prehistoparc, where children can see how life was lived by Cro Magnon. There are good walking trails here.

This is a painting of the town market

Day 17 - Dordogne Cadouin

We are staying near Cadouin, a beautiful little town about 35km from Bergerac and 40 km from Sarlat. It is not far from the Dordogne River.

Cadouin is famous for its abbey. Founded in 1115 by Robert d'Arbrissel and taken over by Cistercian monks in 1119 it became one of the most important in the area. It became a pilgrim centre due to a piece of cloth said to be part of Christ's shroud. Pilgrims flocked to the Abbey which became part of the pilgrim route to Saint Jacques de Compostelle in Spain. Important pilgrims welcomed by the abbey included Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard the Lion Heart. The shroud is now known to date from the 12th century but the Abbey remains worth a visit. The main attraction is the beautiful cloister in gothic style. There are many fine pieces of stone sculpture inside but many are damaged. In the French Revolution faces of religious statues were systematically destroyed throughout France. Cadouin Abbey is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the pilgrim route to Compostella.

Part of the Abbey buildings, now beautifully renovated, now house the youth hostel in Cadouin. Take a look the buildings are lovely.

Next to the Abbey, the Halle at Cadouin is different to many in the area as it is set on stone rather than wooden pillars.

Around the halle and wandering through the streets there are lots of lovely buildings and there are some very interesting shops with furniture, pottery, pictures etc made by local artists. Some pieces really are very good.

Cadouin has a medieval festival every year during the second fortnight of August. This is a great time to visit the town and many people will be dressed in medieval costume.

Day 16 - Dordogne and our residence, The Duckhouse

We are 35 miles north of Sarlat.





One week is hardly enough time to visit all of the the Perigord Noir area. We are in the midst of history, ancient castles and fortifications, prehistoric painted caves, natural beauty, and great cuisine. We are saving money therefore by renting a vacation house for this week. We are pleased that we have a car because despite the fact that there is good train coverage of the area, most of the allure of the Dordogne is found in the countryside. The map above shows the relationships between Sarlat, Les Eyzies, and Montignac, a golden triangle of history and prehistory. It doesn't take much driving to cover this area, the distance between Sarlat and Les Eyzies is only 10 km.

Day 15 - Gina's Birthday

A NEW LEARNING
It is my daughter in law Gina's birthday. And we are not closeby to celebrate with her. It's not polite to tell a woman's age so I won't. My son turned 39 in February and she is four years his junior.

This is our second full day at the Duckhouse. The front door of the cottage opens into a sunny kitchen / dining room, which features cabinets, a ceramic stovetop, a full-size electric oven, a fridge and a microwave. The small dining table has four chairs. From the kitchen, four steps lead down to the living room which is what you see here and it has a television with English channels and a DVD player. A sofa can be converted into a bed. French doors open onto the dining terrace and garden. Next to the living room, the bedroom has a king size bed, a chest of drawers and closet space for hanging clothes.

Day 14 - Driving to the Aquitaine/Dordogne region

Today we are leaving Lourmarin in Provence to drive our rental car to the Aquitaine/Dordogne region where we are staying for one week outside the village of Le Buisson de Cadouin Dordogne. We have rented The Duckhouse at Praderies Bas - Amid tranquil gardens with a stream and large pond. It's a Cottage with 1 Bedroom, Sleeps 2, and enjoys a Garden. From here we will travel out during daytimes when we choose to see vineyards, caves and more.

We are reasonably sure of the route we will take to the Dordogne and generally we have planned to drive on secondary roads which require more time but which we anticipate are more scenic with numerous villages and no tolls along the way. This is our first lengthy drive with the little Renolt vehicle called the Twingo. What a thrill these days are. We are both realizing that we could have arranged our weeks so differently, to see more regions rather than staying in one place for as many days. When we dreamed the trip it was with the desire to stay and live with the locals for a while so we need to be satisfied with our choice.

Day 13 - Whatever Else this day is, it's the Anniversary of Dad's Death

Day 11 - The first of May is May Day. It is observed by an assortment of customs depending upon the country and locality. Here in France on May 1st, 1561, French King Charles IX of France received a lily of the valley as a lucky charm. He decided to offer a lily of the valley each year to the ladies of the court. At the beginning of the 20th century, it became custom on the 1st of May, to give a sprig of lily of the valley, a symbol of springtime. The government permits individuals and workers' organisations to sell them free of taxation. It is also traditional for the lady receiving the spray of lily of valley to give a kiss in return.

In western countries May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, which celebrates the social and economic achievements of the labour movement. As a day of celebration the holiday has ancient origins, and it can relate to many customs that have survived into modern times. Many of these customs are due to May Day being a cross-quarter day, meaning that (in the Northern Hemisphere where it is almost exclusively celebrated) it falls approximately halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. See Wikipedia entry for May Day.

Yet for me this year May 1st is the first anniversary of my father's death at the age of 93. Had he lived, Edward Richard Unruh would be 94 years of age today. I thought reaching 93 and living on his own and with the doctor's opinion that he was in good health was a significant accomplishment. His sweetheart Tina, my mom, preceded him six months earlier. He did very well. I loved them both very much.

(the photo is of our terrace view from our second floor at La Petite Mason in Lourmarin.)

And by the way this is our Last Day in Lourmarin before we move on to The Duckhouse at Praderies Bas / Aquitaine/Dordogne / Le Buisson de Cadouin. The Duckhouse is the cottage where we will live for one week.