To markets we will go!

One cannot visit the area of the Périgord without visiting the multitudes of markets.  Every city, town or village has it's own market once or twice a week!  As a matter of fact, the markets are the life of the small villages and the livelihood of the farmers, and vegetable and fruit growers.  However,  it may come as a surprise that markets are also havens for artists and artisans.  One may see a booth of vegetables right next to a booth of handmade silver jewelry, or a osausage booth right next to a booth for handmade wooden toys!

Les marchés are awaited in these small villages as they will attract additional tourists and bring in additional income to the towns as the booth owners have to pay 1 euro per meter of booth space.  Each town thus has an employee "un contrôleur" walk around the market area, greet the merchants and collect the money, an income to the municipality.  The markets are also perfect places for the tourist to learn more about the local produce, the heritage of the region and just get to know the inhabitants.  

Fresh produce, colorful products, the smells, the sounds and the colors of the markets make for a wonder cultural and civic experience!

Le château de Castelnaud

Castelnaud castle stands beautiful, majestic and solid over the Dordogne river and valley.  

Its construction started in the 12th century, but it was destroyed, rebuilt and added to several times over the years and centuries.

During the Hundred Years' War the château exchanged hands between the English and the French no fewer than seven times!  The castle this became a good emblem of the dangers and defenses of the times.  It was so fortified that it became uncomfortable to live in!  Today, it is a museum of the wars and gunnery of the Middle Ages.

There are virtually no windows! And it has walls all around it.

All types of war machineries are displayed. 

The bastides and fortified cities of Monpazier and Belvès

IMonpazier and Belvès are two of many well preserved medieval towns, better known as Bastides.  Bastides are "modern" towns in what was, at the time, a rather wild and inhospitable part of Europe. The establishment of bastides was a way for rulers to bring the population together in centres which could be more easily controlled and defended than isolated farmsteads or hovels, while helping to develop trade and other activities associated with the town. The bastides, by promoting economic activity, also allowed the lords who founded them to raise more taxes, while ensuring a better standard of living - and also more importantly the status of freemen rather than serfs - for the people who moved into them.

The bastide of Belvès

Most bastides are laid out on a grid pattern, with a central square.  The grid pattern may  have been inspired by the model of the roman "castrum".

 The central square of a bastide is generally surrounded by arcades; the central square served as the commercial hub and market place, and was sometimes equipped with a covered market hall. 

The arcades of Monpazier

The covered market "les Halles" of Belvès

Many of the Bastides have fortifications, towers, walls and gates to protect them from intruders and invaders.

Les jardins de Marqueyssac

 

These are the most beautiful and most visited suspended gardens in the Périgord area!  

While the property has been owned by the same family since 1692, the gardens are only since the 19th century.  Based on the Le Nôtre school of thought, they were modified and embellished by Julien de Cerval.  Influenced by Italian designs, De Cerval planted thousand of boxwood trees, mixing design to reflect the beauty of the countryside and the hills around the property.

The surrounding views

The gardens

All 150,000 boxwood shrubs are pruned by hand twice a year at the end of spring and at the end of fall.

While the boxwoods are quite beautiful and intriguing, the gardens hold many other hidden treasures:

The arched walkway:

The waterfalls

The peacocks who were born in the park and roam freely

And last but not least the mansion 

La roque- gageac

La Roque-Gageac is a gorgeous small village clinging on to the cliffs overlooking the Dordogne river. 

Impregnable, this is the only village that was not captured during the Hundred Years' War.

The Dordogne river has always played an important part in the village's life, both for commercial fishing, and for handling the gabarres (the river's traditional flat-bottomed boats, carrying cargoes downstream.

Nestling between the cliff and the river, it enjoys a genuine micro-climate which has permitted the planting of exotic gardens of Palm and banana trees, giant bamboos, bougainvillea.

The village's narrow streets wind their way between fine old houses, the 12th century church and overlooking the Dordogne river.

Why La Dordogne?

The Dordogne is one of the most beautiful and diverse departments in France.  The area is quite large, perhaps two hours drive from north to south and a similar distance east to west.

PERIGORD NOIR - THE SOUTH-EAST In Perigord Noir, there are many of the most famous castles, towns and villages of the Dordogne region, many in spectacular locations, and with fascinating histories to tell.

PERIGORD PURPLE - THE SOUTH-WEST well known for medieval towns such as Bergerac, on the Dordogne river and with a lovely historic centre, this is a region to discover bastide towns (medieval new towns founded in the 12th-13th centuries). The countryside north of Bergerac is generally forested hills, while to the south one is more likely to see fields of sunflowers and extensive vineyards.

PERIGORD VERT AND PERIGORD BLANC - THE NORTHERN DORDOGNE. Less visited than the southern Dordogne, the north also has its share of market towns and castles, beautiful scenery and picturesque villages, including Perigueux, 'capital' of the Dordogne.

My visits and research are focused mainly on the area of the périgord noir.

Méli mélo about French schools

It was nice to see that younger school children still use cartables!  These are the cute briefcases used by younger French students as backpacks!

Beautiful façade of a collège (nope it is not the same as in English!  A collège is a middle school in the French system)

Note the three words engraved under the  three windows of the second floor:  liberté, égalité, fraternité

Translated, this sign says: "in the memory of the students of this high school, deported from 1942 to 1944 because they were Jews, innocent victims of the nazi barbarism.  With the aid of the government of Vichy, they were exterminated in the death camps.  More than 120 of these children lived in the 14th arrondissement (that neighborhood).     We should never forget them!