25 June 2012 – Lembras

Yesterday was spent in the area of Les Eyzies-de-Tazac-Sireuil which is the centre of an area containing caves with drawings, paintings and engravings dated from 10,000 to 20,000 years ago. We visited 2 of the caves. Grotte de Rouffignac is a large series of caves running some 10 km. The tour is on a train which wanders slowly through about 1/2 km with stops to inspect points of interest. The artwork is amazingly detailed and accurate, done both by engraving and drawing in charcoal or some form of crayon. The best display is in a large cavern with a flat roof which is covered with bison, mammoths, ibyx and horses. To keep the light to a minimum the background lighting is kept dim and features are highlighted by the guide with a small torch – very frustrating when you are trying to see the whole picture, but adding to the atmosphere and sense of discovery. Our guide was a voluble frenchman who hardly drew a breath in the hour we were in the cave and we were accompanied by a group of around 30 school children on a class trip who were amazing well behaved.

The second cave was Grotte de Font de Gaume which is much smaller – never wider than 3 m. Here the paintings are in colour with shading and outlines. While the details are not as accurate as at Rouffignac the artist has used the contours of the cave wall well – stalactites for legs, bumps for eyes and ridges for the back. Most of paintings were of bison, but horses and reindeer also feature. It is noticeable that great effort is made to detail the tails of the animals. As you would expect some of the paint has faded and I walked past some without seeing then until they were pointed out. Again the lighting was dim and features were illuminated by the guide with a torch. This time the guide was soft spoken and almost reverent towards the paintings. The cave is limited to groups of 12 and a total of 200 a day to limit carbon dioxide levels.

We carried on to Domme, a hilltop village surrounded by walls perched high above the Dordogne river. Completely taken over by the tourist trade, but the views over the surrounding country are great. 

View from Domme

We had been recommended to a restaurant nearby with a terrace overlooking the river, but found it closed. Instead we dined at a hotel in Lalinde under a plaque in memory of a local woman who had involved with the resistance in WWII and had been killed by the Germans.

On the way back we passed Chateau Beynac perched impressively over a small town.

Chateau Beynac

Today we are having a quiet time at the apartment getting ready for the next leg down to Carcasson. The weather a little cooler today with a fine mist that hasn't lifted entirely at 12:00.