The Vezere Valley» Vezere Valley Dordogne France

Cave once River

admin — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 20:02:55 +0000

Another one of my personal favorites, this very deep and windy cave was once a river. You can clearly see in the cut out ledges the various depths the water used to be.
This cave is well hidden, and has clearly been used for 1000′s of years for various purpose’s.

This cave can be explored on Walking Dordogne’s ” Valley of Caves” trip and “Ode to the Neanderthal” trip

www.walkingdordogne.com

Chateau Beynac

admin — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 19:49:41 +0000

The castle was built from the 12th century by the barons of Beynac (one of the four baronies of Périgord) to close the valley. The sheer cliff face being sufficient to discourage any assault from that side, the defences were built up on the plateau: double crenellated walls, double moats, one of which was a deepened natural ravine, double barbican.
The oldest part of the castle is a large, square-shaped, Romanesque keep with vertical sides and few openings, held together with attached watch towers and equipped with a narrow spiral staircase terminating on a crenellated terrace. To one side, a residence of the same period is attached; it was remodelled and enlarged in the 16th and 17th centuries. On the other side is a partly 14th century residence side-by-side with a courtyard and a square plan staircase serving the 17th century apartments. The apartments have kept their woodwork and a painted ceiling from the 17th century. The Salle des États (States’ Hall) has a Renaissance sculptured fireplace and leads into a small oratory entirely covered with 15th century frescoes, included a Pietà, a Saint Christopher, and a Last Supper in which Saint Martial (first bishop of Limoges) is the maître d’hôtel.

At the time of the Hundred Years’ War, the fortress at Beynac was in French hands. The Dordogne was the border between France and England. Not far away, on the opposite bank of the river, the Château de Castelnaud was held by the English. The Dordogne region was the theatre of numerous struggles for influence, rivalries and occasionally battles between the English and French supporters. However, the castles fell more often through ruse and intrigue rather than by direct assault, because the armies needed to take these castles were extremely costly: only the richest nobles and kings could procure them.

The castle was bought in 1962 by Lucien Grosso who has lovingly restored it.

Les Eyzies 2

admin — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 14:52:16 +0000

Les Eyzies de Tayac, situated in the heart of the Vezere Valley, an unspoilt area of great natural beauty with rolling hills, tranquil rivers and fascinating cliff and rock formations It is home to the world’s most beautiful caves, troglodytes and other prehistoric artifacts.
Les Eyzies is the home to the National Prehistoric Museum which houses one of the world’s most complete collections of prehistoric artefacts. It is also home to famous attractions such as Font de Gaume, Grand Roc, Abri de Cromagnon, Combarelles, St. Martin of Tayac and lots more. It is here in Les Eyzies ( Abri de Cro Magnon) that the link was discovered between Prehistoric Man and Modern Man