D - Le Region Dordogne

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Its reputation precedes the Dordogne Region of France. It is said that every time you turn a corner in Le Dordogne, you will find a château or manoir (manor house).  This, I can attest, is true and I fell in love. I got a crick in my neck trying to see everything, and my finger developed a callus from taking so many photos, LOL! Not only that but it is "home" to Cyrano de Bergerac. This is a region made to attract anyone with an active imagination. The past is firmly alive and drawing more and more visitors every year. My husband and I were ready to sell up in the States and move here by the time we left. Oh all right. I know, my imagination is still primed. Hope you enjoy this little jaunt. I would do it again, and hope to soon, because we only scratched the surface.
For more information/images, go to:
http://www.northofthedordogne.com/towns.php

The film "Ever After" was filmed in part here at le Château de Hautefort.

"The" ball, took place right here

The château's gardens (full of topiary art) are very well maintained

The long taller bit in the back isn't a hedge, it's an arbor ....

and here we are inside it. You can see the tree trunks, and how large this actually is

On to view cliff dwellings centuries old

A rendition of how La Roque St. Christophe might have looked during one of the many eras it was in use.

How it is now. Notice it was used on the lower perches as well

A model of how it might have looked

Literally perched in/on the cliff

Here you can see the depth of the cave in some areas. This easily housed at least a hundred people, if not more, at a time.

A stairway used over the centuries with a "guard" at the top. They used a ladder at the bottom for safety. Could pull it up when having unwanted company.

To give us an idea of how this part might have been used

There were geese EVERYWHERE!!!!

A true little gem of a place steeped in antiquity and cuteness.

These "Cabanes" are hundreds of years old

There hand built stone roofs are unique

One of those châteaus out in the middle of nowhere. Have no idea what it's name is

This "small" chapelle St. Martin is also in the middle of the countryside

The name of the chapel above

Where the "Dor" and the "Dogne" meet to create the Dordogne

Kiwi vineyards are as numerous as grape vineyards here

Where we stayed with some friends who are now family, literally!

This is the back of their house...

Roman ruins museum

Roman tile work

A strange and lonely tower all on its own...

The beginning of a tour through a writer's home

The home of Michel Eyequem de Montaigne, a prominent renaissance writer, find out more about him here

In the tower was his writing room

Now the only ones there are visitors and the bats hanging from the ceiling

Le Château Montaigne from a distance

I don't know the name of this one. We stumbled upon it, as per the saying about this region.

A very lonely, bare looking place it felt quite stark

Red shutters really make it stand out against the gray skies

And another one we saw through the trees as we drove by

Someone has fun making these I'm sure, right beside a vineyard

Le Château Feodal de Beynac

A little history, if you can read French!

We walked all through the town and had lunch here

Notice the small triangle-shaped windows on this house. These are typical to the region

Farther along the road we turned the corner and saw this...Don't know its name either,

but it sure is picturesque. The sky cleared as we made our way around it

The Château de Castelnaud draws visitors from all over Europe.

The chateau is now a working museum, with real trebuchets and areas for young folks to sword fight, practice archery and see jousting in reality.

The small town below is very picturesque as well

On this house you can see a type of window dressing typical to this region

In the village itself are tiny lovely streets full of houses and shops

Greenery everywhere and interesting stone masonry

This is actually a balcony overlooking the small "rue" that runs behind the house

Another "manoir" (manor house) we found around the corner...

And then we saw Les Milandes, the château which belonged to Josephine Baker

Over the river in the distance another nameless château pleasing all eyes who happen upon it.