We’ve been reading a wonderful book about the Dordogne called Walnut Wine & Truffle Groves that we brought from Canada. It’s been very helpful actually, but we did catch them in a lie today. The author has been going on about how you had to get to a Dordogne market early – like 7:30 - or everything would be gone. We were used to Provence markets that get going when they get going, usually around 10:00.
So, we headed out early to the market in the Plus Beaux Village, Monpazier. We arrived around 9:15, long before most of the vendors. Oh well! At least it was an interesting bastide town, meaning that it has a city centre that can be totally closed off from the outside and therefore protected. Dawn wanted to stop for a coffee here in the square and I said we couldn’t afford the time. She wasn’t happy.
Our next destination was the relatively unknown but spectacular chateau of Haut Biron. Of course we got there before it was open, but like most of these chateaux, the distance view is usually the best part of the chateau anyway.
We were now as far south as we planned going so we headed north passing through more bastide towns like Villereal, St. Sabine and Beaumont-du-Perigord.
By the time we crossed back over the Dordogne, we realized we were as close to Bergerac as we were likely to get in this trip, so off we went to Bergerac. Up to this point it was a nice dry day.
Bergerac is the closest larger city to us – Sarlat only has around 9 000 people. We found some parking in the centre and wandered about, mainly looking for the famous statue of Cyrano de Bergerac, of which we’d seen pictures. We found the cathedral totally wrapped in scaffolding, but after purchasing some Bergerac wine, we asked the merchant about the statue and low and behold, it was just down the street.
Mission accomplished and with the rain once again beginning, we headed back towards St. Vincent la Cosse. Once in the car, the heavens unloaded. Where is all this rain coming from? We continued our drive to the partially completed bastide of Molieres and on to the Abbey at Cadouin.
We decided that since it was shortly after noon, we’d try the interesting looking restaurant with a great view of the Chateau Beynac, just outside Beynac. Today for lunch, we sampled another local specialty – potatoes cooked in goose fat. I could feel my arteries closing up. They were however delicious, but neither of us cleaned our plates.
By now it was lovely, sunny and hot, so we thought we should try to fit in the gardens at the Chateau Marqueyssac, which were only a kilometer away. We pulled into the parking lot still uncertain whether the weather was going to cooperate. We thought we heard thunder in the distance.
But we thought, “What the hell” and entered. I had no idea of the scope of this place. I though it was just a small garden. It turned out that it was a 25 minute walk from one end to the other. Once again, we weren’t sure whether or not we should start out on this 25 minute trek, but it looked like the storm, although massive in the north, was skirting us.
The gardens were amazing and the views of nearby chateaux were astounding, like La Rocque Gageac
and Chateau Fayrac across from Chateau Beynac. In this picture of Chateau Fayrac, you can see Chateau Montrecor in the distance and our village of St. Vincent la Cosse behind it.
We made it to the belvedere at the end of the plateau on which Marqueyssac is built with thunder building in the distance, but no rain. Turning back to the chateau, I led us astray down a path called the “poet’s way”. I would have called it “the garden path”, because that's where it lead me, in circles, nowhere in particular. Dawn recommended against this route. She wasn’t happy.
By the time we made it back to the right path, the storm had closed in and the skies once again opened up with a starter of hail this time. We were still a good 20 minutes from our car and sought temporary shelter under a gazebo, but the thunder was moving in, so off we went in the pouring rain. Dawn wasn’t happy.
By the time we made it to the car, we were totally soaked. I might add that we had the foresight to take our raincoats with us. We discovered that they are only good for so much moisture. Did I mention Dawn’s unhappiness?
At the car, Dawn stripped off her coat and pants not wanting to get the seats wet. I figured if I was soaked, the car seats could get soaked too. Fortunately we were only a few kilometers from home, so Dawn was hoping not to be stopped by police anywhere.
Back at Les Hortensias, we stripped down - Dawn didn’t much left to strip down. Dawn had a warm bath and I plied her with a nice Meursault to make amends for leading her astray. Dawn was happier! And the rain continued!
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