A peaceful moment away from the hustle and bustle of Sarlat's Saturday Market. We wandered in through a back door not even knowing we were entering a church. This one, not as grand as some we have visited in the past, was very pleasant.
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Showing posts with label Sarlat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarlat. Show all posts
Sarlat Market
We have mentioned how Market day is one our favorite experiences as we travel through France, the whole of Europe for that matter. I just ate my way through this particular market and, now,"I am the Walrus koo-koo-kachoo..."
The Saturday market in Sarlat is a lot larger than most that have experienced in other locations. A huge portion of this one is made up of crafts people selling handmade goods as well as the usual produce vendors.
Scarves, baskets, shirts, in addition to the food, of course, are just a few of the items we found ourselves parting with our money for. There are so many small trinkets, and what not, that it is sometimes hard to pass them by.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The Saturday market in Sarlat is a lot larger than most that have experienced in other locations. A huge portion of this one is made up of crafts people selling handmade goods as well as the usual produce vendors.
Scarves, baskets, shirts, in addition to the food, of course, are just a few of the items we found ourselves parting with our money for. There are so many small trinkets, and what not, that it is sometimes hard to pass them by.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sarlat, Beynac, La Roque Gageac, and Castelnaud
Bleak skies didn't stop us from getting out early this morning to try and capter Sarlat before it was over run by tourists. Damn tourist getting in the way. The grey skies didn't stop us from getting out, but sure limited the photo opportunities.
The road was calling our names after we finished breakfast, so we headed to some of the nearby sights to see what we could see. First stop, Beynac et Ceznac, a remarkably beautiful town on the river, with an equally remarkable castle on the hill immediately above clinging to the top of the cliff.
This, and every other place on today's visits, transport you to another time and place. The most striking thing is the difference in the stone here versus the old villages that we have visited in the north of France. While in the north the buildings are all grey and cold, here they are all a golden hue, giving the towns a much warmer glow.
Beynac sent us on our way, after a few hours, to the tiny town of La Roque Gageac that has been carved from the cliffs that rise steeply from the river. There is still evidence of the more ancient dwellings built into the face of the cliff high above the town.
La Roque is embraced by those cliffs and the river, making this petite jewel well worth the time to visit.
Castelnaud stands sentry over the river valley on what used to be the English side of the river during the Hundred Years War. The castle at Beynac was the French equivalent. Castelnaud is one of the most interesting castles that we have ever visited, because they have taken the time to collect a variety of middle ages weapons, several trebuchets among these. Though replicas, they lend a real authenticity to the surroundings. This castle, and Beynac, have been restored so well that you are able to experience the way it must have really been almost 500 years ago.
An interesting side note is the difference in the stature of the people then compared to now. For me especially, these trips back in time can be a bit challenging as the doors are almost all about chin level to me, and when we climb the spiral stairs in the towers it is easier for me to ascend them using hands and feet as if I were climbing a ladder rather than standing upright to walk the stairs.
All on all, a very successful day in the Dordogne River Valley of France.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
The road was calling our names after we finished breakfast, so we headed to some of the nearby sights to see what we could see. First stop, Beynac et Ceznac, a remarkably beautiful town on the river, with an equally remarkable castle on the hill immediately above clinging to the top of the cliff.
This, and every other place on today's visits, transport you to another time and place. The most striking thing is the difference in the stone here versus the old villages that we have visited in the north of France. While in the north the buildings are all grey and cold, here they are all a golden hue, giving the towns a much warmer glow.
Beynac sent us on our way, after a few hours, to the tiny town of La Roque Gageac that has been carved from the cliffs that rise steeply from the river. There is still evidence of the more ancient dwellings built into the face of the cliff high above the town.
La Roque is embraced by those cliffs and the river, making this petite jewel well worth the time to visit.
Castelnaud stands sentry over the river valley on what used to be the English side of the river during the Hundred Years War. The castle at Beynac was the French equivalent. Castelnaud is one of the most interesting castles that we have ever visited, because they have taken the time to collect a variety of middle ages weapons, several trebuchets among these. Though replicas, they lend a real authenticity to the surroundings. This castle, and Beynac, have been restored so well that you are able to experience the way it must have really been almost 500 years ago.
An interesting side note is the difference in the stature of the people then compared to now. For me especially, these trips back in time can be a bit challenging as the doors are almost all about chin level to me, and when we climb the spiral stairs in the towers it is easier for me to ascend them using hands and feet as if I were climbing a ladder rather than standing upright to walk the stairs.
All on all, a very successful day in the Dordogne River Valley of France.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Chinon to Bellac to Sarlat
We started today with a lovely breakfast at the Diderot Hotel with many jam choices that are made on the premises. I was hoping to see the friendly German couple there that we met last night, but they were not down yet. Our first day at the Diderot we met with one group of bikers from England and another from Switzerland. They were all in high spirits and fun to talk to. I was almost talked me into cross country biking.
We checked out about 8:00 and took off down the road. After about 2 hours, we decided to stop and have a snack. For no apparent reason we chose Bellac for this pause in the trip. What we found was a sweet quiet town with a lot of simple charm.
We knew that it would be another 2 hours before we reached our destination so we took a long stroll around the town, picked up a couple of pain au chocolat, and Fantas. And, then back in the Twingo we hopped.
We were very ready to leave the A20 highway and starting to doubt our GPS when we finally saw the signs leading us to Sarlat. We were blasted with close to 90 degree temps. when at last we rolled into the square in front of our hotel, and threw open the car doors.
We dropped off the bags, freshened up a bit, and went out to find lunch since it was now about 2:30. We were immediately in love with Sarlat. We started snapping photos like crazy tourists. Oh, yea we are crazy tourists. ;)
-
Sarlat features fois gras, so there are a lot of goose figures around. We are heading out again this evening.
We checked out about 8:00 and took off down the road. After about 2 hours, we decided to stop and have a snack. For no apparent reason we chose Bellac for this pause in the trip. What we found was a sweet quiet town with a lot of simple charm.
We knew that it would be another 2 hours before we reached our destination so we took a long stroll around the town, picked up a couple of pain au chocolat, and Fantas. And, then back in the Twingo we hopped.
We were very ready to leave the A20 highway and starting to doubt our GPS when we finally saw the signs leading us to Sarlat. We were blasted with close to 90 degree temps. when at last we rolled into the square in front of our hotel, and threw open the car doors.
We dropped off the bags, freshened up a bit, and went out to find lunch since it was now about 2:30. We were immediately in love with Sarlat. We started snapping photos like crazy tourists. Oh, yea we are crazy tourists. ;)
-
Sarlat features fois gras, so there are a lot of goose figures around. We are heading out again this evening.
Location:Sarlat, France
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