Perigord in July 2012 – Saint Nazaire to Sarlat-la-Canéda

Jeanne vacationed in Perigord with her family when she was a child and talked it about so often that we knew we had to go there together. With three weeks in Brittany this summer, we finally a stretch to spend a good amount of time in this region famous for its cave art, castles and food.

On the road

As always, we packed our lunches for the road trip and left her parents’ in the early morning. After heading down the familiar highway to Nantes, we took a turn to the south toward the world’s greatest wine region, Bordeaux.

Taking the tollway in France isn’t nearly as scenic, but with a trip of over 300 miles, it was a matter of practicality. We were in Bordeaux for lunch.

Saint-Emilion

From Bordeaux we headed inland, first passing through the remarkable Saint-Emilion and its countless wineries lining both sides of the route: Gorgeous old manor houses surrounded by endless grape rows, the still-green grapes hanging heavily on the vines.

Wanting to get to our destination, we had to keep moving rather than stop to sample Chris’ favorite wine. It was a tough choice.

The Dordogne

Once past Saint-Emilion, we chose to take the local route rather than the highway, and followed the signs toward Bergerac, famous for being the hometown of the well known Cyrano.

While the drive was scenic so far, it took a significant turn to the gorgeous once we left Bergerac and began the drive along the Dordogne to Sarlat-la-Canéda. The route follows the river, crossing it many times, and offers remarkable views of castles and manor houses every few minutes.

100 Years War

This area was the front line of the 100 Years War between what was essentially two rival French kingdoms…the one running England (House of Angevin, descended from William the Conqueror of Normandy) and the one running France (House of Valois).

The Dordogne runs through the heart of Aquitane, one of several regions of France that were part of the English empire. Fortifying the river was essential for the English wanting to hold on to their continental possessions.

The war’s results were three-fold. It essentially created the identity of the English, the identity of the French, and ended the use of the French language in England. As an American married to a French, it changed our lives.

Sarlat-la-Canéda

Just in time for dinner, we arrived at Sarlat-la-Canéda, a medieval city that maintains most of its 14th Century look. We were booked at a small bed and breakfast in the forested hills just outside the village. We arrived at Les Petites Charmilles and were very happy to find it a charming place with very friendly English owners.

Our next days plans were to to begin to tour the local area, starting with the Rocque de Saint-Christophe. This adventure can be found here.