Sarlat, La Roque Gageac, and Domme

Sarlat really comes alive on Saturdays with its market up and down all the streets in the old town. We spent most of the morning browsing, and Elizabeth found some real treasures.

This afternoon we drove to another nearby tiny village called La Roque (The Rock) Gageac which has also won the “Most Beautiful Village” award. The village is literally sculpted out of the rock between the river and the cliffs. There’s one small street that runs parallel to the river and then a few levels of homes stacked above. People live here (pop 450), and no cars are allowed on the few cliff roads, not even to deliver large items or furniture. It’s believed to inhabited since prehistoric times! You can see where the troglodyte fort was located. There is evidence of cave dwellings dating to 12 century. The fancy castle was built by a rich Englishman in the 18th century.

We took an hour cruise on a gabarre, a flat-bottomed boat like they used long ago on the Dordogne River to carry barrels of wine. These actual boats were used by Johnny Depp in the movie “Chocolat”! It was relaxing on such a beautiful sunny day and gave us great photos of the village.

We decided to visit one more “Most Beautiful Village” today and what a treat it was for us! Domme with a population of 925 dates to the 12 century and is a bastide village way up on a hilltop cliff. A bastide, I learned, was a walled city with the square in the middle and a grid of streets built during the Hundred Years Wars to protect its inhabitants. Parts of the original walls and gates are still there. Walking the promenade along the ramparts for an incredible panorama of the Dordogne Valley below was spectacular. There is actually a cave system under the town square, and it’s believed that the templars were imprisoned and killed here. We also enjoyed our usual village tour on the “petit train” and the best ice cream cone! There were lots of cute shops, and I bought a pair of earrings at an art gallery. I could have stayed here a lot longer. May once again be my favorite place!Read more