Blogs from Sarlat-la-Caneda, Aquitaine, France, Europe

Well Goose really reverted to type again and used the SatNav and this time he really got me into a few pickles including single track roads a cliff that overhung and we only just got under it (with him stood in front of the van directing me - at that moment the accelerator pedal seemed very inviting!!) - so as you can all imagine I was not a happy camper and that is putting it mildly especially as the Motorhome needed AdBlue again. All I can say is the air in the Motorhome was Blue with me shouting what have you got me into again. Anyway I think our motorhome is an AdBlue alcoholic if there can be such a thing. At a garage Mike is asking for Ad Blue in French. He says Ad Blue, ... read more

Last night I had dinner at a restaurant that specializes in local cuisine, so I ordered an appetizer of foie gras (see photo). It was very good and I enjoyed it, but I don't plan to make a habit of eating goose liver. I spent today tooling around the Dordogne River valley in my little car. The first place I visited was the Chateau de Castelnaud, a medieval castle that changed hands seven times during the Hundred Years War (roughly 1350-1450). It has been restored and now houses a museum on armaments of the Middle Ages. I've visited a number of castles in Europe - quite a few of them on this trip - but this is the best one so far. Not only is the castle restored and explained, but there is a commanding view ... read more

On Friday we arrived in Sarlat-de-la-Caneda, our base for the Dordogne region. We spent the afternoon exploring parts of this wonderful, intact medieval town. On Saturday, we set out to visit the villages of Montignac, Lascaux, Beynac et Canezac, and La Roque Gageac. Montignac was our first stop. It is another medieval village. At Lascaux, we descended into a cave to view rock paintings that were completed by Cro-Magnon man in the Palaeolithic period, 20 000 years ago. These paintings were extraordinary, but we were not able to take pictures. We then proceeded to Beynac et Canezac, which is also a medieval village on the Dordogne River. There is a huge castle at the top of the cliff overlooking the village (as with many villages in this region). The final stop for the day was La ... read more

Hugo has fallen in love. With Framboisiere. We drove the prettiest roads from Tamnies to Sarlat today, and by the time we got into town everyone was peckish and I was dying for a real coffee, which did not disappoint. The next thing we stumbled on was a little boulanger/patissier on the Avenue Gambetta that is destined to become a daily destination from now on. Everyone tried a different cake - from chocolate jaffa delights to fruit flans to eclairs - but the clear winner was Hugo's Framboisiere. The lightest layers of almond sponge, sandwiched together with real raspberries and raspberry cream, and lightly dusted with icing sugar then cut into fingers. Until now, he has been a little shy about trying some French, but he has wrapped his tongue around this word, and it rolls ... read more

With this post we will again be up to date. There has been a little bit of slippage in the last few but, with any luck, we will get back to posting each week. Sarlat is a village in the Dordogne Valley in South West France. A lovely little village in a picturesque valley If you are a tourist looking for plenty of things to do and see there is enough to keep you busy for a long time. If you are simply looking for a place where you can sit and chill out, with enough restaurants, cafes and bars to meet your needs then it will work for you. Or if you want to ignore the world and sit on top of a hill contemplating beautiful scenery and contemplating whatever it is you want to ... read more