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Yesterday was very foggy in the morning and so it was noon before we headed off, going east. The landscape became much more rugged with huge cliffs and the twisting River Lot in the valley. We went to Grotte du Peche Merle, huge caves with prehistoric paintings. Because of rocks falling down to block the entrance, the caves were undisturbed for 12,000 years, hence the preservation of the paintings. They protect the caves by limiting the number of people allowed in each day, so that the temperature and humidity is not affected. Some of the paintings were 29,000 years old. In some places there were old paintings in red with "newer" ones in black over the top. We were able to have an English tour which was great. We have found our French is not very adequate. Cameras are not allowed, of course, in the caves, but we bought postcards and took some pictures of them. As well as the paintings, the caves themselves were quite spectacular, and one really unusual feature was the 'pearls'. Water came down at some point and spun pieces of limestone around making them totally round and smooth. Very unusual!!
Our second stop was the Medieval town of St-Cirq-Lapopie perched atop a cliff. The Chateau would have stood on the highest cliff, but is now just ruins. The church and town are still there, and really give you a trip back into the 13th century. The old tile roofs, seen from the higher viewpoint of the chateau ruins, look weathered but still serviceable. Going by the size of the parking lots outside of town, this place must be swarming with tourists in summer. On this early evening, there were just enough people sipping espressos and wandering the village, to make it welcoming and give some idea of how it must have looked so many centuries ago.Read more