Welcome to my playce
The Périgord Noir (http://www.le-perigord.com/webdocA2.htm)
Visiting France occasionally for over forty-five years and regularly (at least once, sometimes twice each year, during the past ten), I invariably return to what I consider the most glorious area in all of this enchanted and magnificent country: The Périgord.
Despite its legal name, the Department of the Dordogne, but traditionally called the Périgord, its name before the Revolution in 1789, this pleasing land lies in the northeast corner of the Aquitaine Region in southwestern France.
This blog has no intention to provide this area’s history or pre-history but, rather, a visual tour of its surroundings with some commentary added occasionally.
For various reasons, the Périgord is divided into four colorful sections: noir, blanc, vert, and poupre. My preference is the Périgord Noir, the most colorful of the four. Its golden limestone, its oak forests; its black truffles; its fields of corn, tobacco, and grain; its walnut groves; and its flower gardens which provide their bounty in adorning its homes, its roadsides, and even its bridges (certainly, a common aspect found throughout France), all present a phenomenal backdrop to the area’s warm, charming, and gracious residents, from farmer to shopkeeper to gentry (and often all three categories found in a single person).
The clarity of its lighting, its wooded hills and valleys, its rock outcroppings, its farmlands and storybook villages, its caves, its prehistory from Neanderthal to Cro-Magnon, its history from the Romans to Charlemagne to the Hundred Years War to the Wars of Religion and the French Resistance, its splendor, its food, its people, the Perigord Noir knows no equal.
(Incidentally, you’ll notice that I focus particularly on one village, Cénac-et-Saint-Julien, simply because here is where I spend most of my time when not briefly visiting other areas in France. Furthermore, I wish to salute the various enterprises in Cénac that have served me well.)
Cénac-et-Saint-Julien
With one main street and but a few climbing towards Domme or towards gently rolling hills, Cénac has all the conveniences necessary for a healthy and healthful life:
Mayor's office
a launderette and B&B,
La Pierre de Meule
(0)5 53 28 93 19
two bakeries,
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
Les Delices de Pito
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
two butcher shops,
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
four pleasant restaurants,
Restaurant le Pauly
(0)5 53 28 30 10
A bar and four dining areas (one outdoors) for excellent repasts
Escanto
(0)5 53 28 20 51
Extraordinary crepes for lunch, dinner, and dessert. A decent bar as well.
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
La Traverse
(0)5 53 31 15 38
A bar, a varied menu (including pizza), and hotel rooms
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
La Promenade, offering a bar, a restaurant, hotel rooms, and tobacco
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
a pharmacy,
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
a bank,
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
an extensive book store,
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
a Catholic church,
Eglise de l'Ancien Prieuré
a wine store,
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
a super market,
a gas station,
a fresh fruit and vegetable store,
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
Two real estate agencies,
Immobilière Les Vallées
Lafayette Immoblière(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
a flower shop,
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
an appliance store,
and a garden center,
all on the main street and all within a short walking distance from each other.
On the side streets, the post office
(Photo courtesy of Richard Mousley)
as well as two other B&Bs
{Pctures}
Private homes with small gardens or extensive land add to the atmosphere of this perfect spot.
Ten minutes north lies Sarlat.
http://www.sarlat.com/eindex.html
http://www.best-of-perigord.tm.fr/communes/sarlat/sarlat_uk.html
(Photo courtesy of Alan Yudell)
(Photo courtesy of Bob Quinn)
(Photo courtesy of Alan Yudell)
(Photo courtesy of Alan Yudell)
(Photo courtesy of Alan Yudell)
(Photo courtesy of Alan Yudell)
Ten minutes west of Cénac lies la Roque Gageac.
(Photo courtesy of Bob Quinn)
(Photo courtesy of John Barnier)
la Roque Gageac, looking eastward from the right bank
(Photo courtesy of Bob Quinn)
Five minutes further west lies Beynac.
http://www.francedirect.net/beynac.php
(Photo courtesy of John Barnier)
(Photo courtesy of Bob Quinn)
Nowhere does one find litter along the two-lane roads, crowded from mid-July to the end of August, unless a thoughtless tourist has recently traveled through. In fact, every so often large gray, green, and/or yellow bins appear by the side of the road, collecting not only trash but recyclables.
Country lanes abound.
Castles abound.
http://www.castelnaud.com/castelnaud/english/0summary/sommair.html
(Photo Courtesy of John Barnier)
(Photo courtesy of John Barnier)
Castelnaud from Gardens of Marqueyssac
http://www.marqueyssac.com/france/index.html
Natural light bathes Beynac through overcast skies. No special effects lit the chateau.
http://www.francedirect.net/milandes.htm
(Photo courtesy of John Barnier)
(Photo courtesy of Bob Quinn)
Activities abound on and in the Dordogne River:
Rafting:
Canoeing
By la Roque Gageac
(Photo courtesy of Bob Quinn)
Kayaking
Swimming
Fishing
and even eating:
Left bank: La Maison du Passeur, between Montfort and Cenac
At La Maison du Passeur, order moules (but sometimes the restaurant has none; granted, however, the rest of the menu is also magnificent--order moules anyway) and a dry white wine. After lunch, you'll have the grand strength to drift down the Dordogne to Benac.
Town and village open-air markets abound on a weekly or twice-weekly basis.
Just look under the umbrellas!
Black truffles
(Photo courtesy of John Barnier)
Older homes and buildings in the Périgord Noir are constructed with the golden limestone rock native to this region. Newer ones are faced over red cement blocks with a stucco-stone, made with cement and the region’s golden sand or are simply golden stuccoed. Nonetheless, the golden limestone, through weathering, eventually develops a grey (even black) tarnish, an oxide coat easily removed through pressure washering.
(Photo courtesy of Bob Quinn)
(Photo courtesy of David Weston)
A borie
(Courtesy of Bob Quinn)
(Photo courtesy of Bob Quinn)
(Photo courtesy of Alan Yudell)
Meanwhile, most of the countryside lies undisturbed except for renewable agriculture.
(Photo courtesy of Alan Yudell)
(Photo courtesy of John Barnier)
The warmth, the graciousness, the joy of life, the honesty and integrity, the intelligence and sensitivity I’ve known from the residents of the Périgord have provided for me a special grace and appreciation for what humanity can achieve when it allows human dignity to flourish. I do not celebrate diversity; I prefer the unity which the Périgord nourishes.
Festivities celebrating life and living have a constant presence here.
Celebrating former trades
And grand eating is always available
Noted for its having among the best food in France (despite Lyon's having the title of the gastronomical capital of France), the Périgord Noir provides incredibly fresh sustenance to even the most nourished among us.
Please visit http://www.arachnis.asso.fr/dordogne/vitrines/Maraval/index.html for a filling and dramatic meal you'll be hard pressed forget.
Nonetheless, just about any restaurant you choose will have you writing home about how you've treated your gastronomic pleasure.
For example,
Now take a look at http://www.foiesgrasvidal.fr, a Cénac enterprise.
For the past eight years, we’ve stayed in but four hotels in the Périgord Noir.
Domaine de Rochebois in Vitrac, an elegant though expensive chateau with phenomenal views, a grand golf course, an exceptional restaurant, and an extraordinary staff.
http://www.rochebois.com/anglais/index.html and http://www.slh.com/france/vitrac/hotel_rocvit.html
A small slice of the nine-hole course
The patio off our room
One view from our room
Near the Rochebois, the two-star Hotel Plaisance in Vitrac, just a few hundred feet from the Dordogne, offers a delightful setting, quiet rooms, and a splendid restaurant (http://www.hotels-restau-dordogne.org/plaisance)
L’Abbaye in Saint-Cyprien, a moderately priced, exceptionally comfortable hotel whose gracious owners introduced me to foie gras mi cuit and Monbazillac, a grand combination!
http://www.abbaye-dordogne.com/Index1.html
A view from l'Abbaye's terrace overlooking Saint-Cyprien and the Dordogne Valley
La Traverse in Cénac, an inexpensive yet clean hotel on the main street.
Incidentally, my wife and her cousins stayed at Chateau Fleurac (http://www.fleurac.nl/) in 2001. A chateau restored magnificently, its charming Dutch hosts providing for every comfort, this special place in the country will restore you magnificently as well.
(Photo courtesy of Alan Yudell)
(Photo courtesy of Alan Yudell)
Be sure to have at least a lunch or dinner across the road at Restaurant le Coq for an added treat.
For the most part, however, we've stayed in B&B's or rented private homes.
Large home for rent in the Perigord Noir.
See www.les-cerises.com
Rife with attractions that date from 50,000 years BCE, the Périgord Noir offers a real-life history of human achievement unlike any other place in the Western world.
Consider, for example,
La Roque Saint-Christophe
http://www.roque-st-christophe.com/siteg.html#
Grotte de Rouffignac
http://www.grottederouffignac.fr/default_an.asp
La Roque Gageac
http://www.la-roque-gageac.com/uk/presentation.htm
Gouffre de Padirac (just east of the Périgord Noir)
http://www.gouffre-de-padirac.com/
La Grotte du Grand Roc (of special interest to Jean M. Auel’s Earth's Children’s series [here’s where Ayla ends up--at least as where Book 5 ends])
http://www.grandroc.com/accueil_uk.htm and http://www.grandroc.com/laugerie/accueil_uk.htm
Finally, for my having first arrived in the Périgord in 1997, I am indebted to three people: Babette Sapin-Lignières, Jean-Jacques Rey (http://www.teaser.fr/~jjrey/perigord/index.html), and my wife, Sherry. Their wonderfully powerful influence on me changed my life.
But, then again, my mother was French. Her influence started at my beginning. I dedicate this blog to her.
"Et in Arcadia Ego . . ."
posted by Pierre Rocher @ 2:50 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
Perhaps one might consider among some of the finest artists of Europe today one Pierre Rocher whose artistic photographs and writings are a scenic kaleidoscope incorporated into a magnificent collection of scenes of a special area in France, namely the Périgord Noir, a man of skill and taste who has poetically described the romance of a particular village and surrounding areas, little known outside of France. A peace of Heaven exudes in this unpretentious part of the world which comprises magnificent rolling hills, fields, buildings, and, obviously, the faces of its residents as well. His appreciation for the humility and charm of these inhabitants is clearly recognized in his composition and pictures. Whether or not he ever returns, his heart and mind have wings that will transport him to a place of serenity on a moment’s notice to escape to in the midst of pressures or turmoil. Tranquility in a troubled world is a rarity; yet in the Périgord Noir, it is always present to him and to those sensitive to his portrayal of this area. No, this is not another Never, Never Land. Yes, it is a land of enchantment and is calling out to that soul who needs a safe place on earth to call his/her own. Can it be likened to Heaven on Earth? Pierre Rocher has confessed to me that it is as close to Paradise that he’ll ever come.
Simply wonderful! You have captured the warmth and quaintness of Cénac and the surrounding area with great affection. I honestly wonder if this is indeed the original Garden of Eden!
You are a Perigordian through and through, Peter and I look forward to our next "rencontre"
Bises, Adrian
Of course his name is not Pierre Rocher...I gave him that name...to provide some sense of personal security. I have watched as he built this Blog and it is indeed impressive. His views of the Perigord Noir are presented in a manner that surpasses any professional brochure...because he is in love with it and no wonder. This man of consummate grace has found his soul embodied, portrayed and manifested in this region. We are fortunate to see what he sees and therein see a beautiful land, but more, a beautiful man. This is Chanson de Pierre...to immerse yourself in this most special place...is to endure an almost painful sensitivity to humanity in its perspective. You cannot but love this place of grand charm without also seeing the soul of Peter. I salute his song. I salute the author. His taste is exquisite and his Eden is awesome in its unfettered and serene beauty.
Chanson de Pierre!
I have watched this blog grow and transform into a delightful tour of the Dordogne/Perigord Noir. It shows a true appreciation of rural France and its people. I shall be honored to revisit the area and to enjoy the company of Pierre and his adopted people.
Vive la France!!!
Thank you so much for presenting such great photos and diverse representation of this area. I am going to plan my trip. I would be very interested in knowing more granularity like which airport or rail station to get closest to this area, are there available bike rental shops, did you rent a car, and those basics. Thanks.
Mille Merci for the beautiful pictures of the Village of Cenac and its surrounds. By chance, last week at the the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach, California a volunteer noticed my name was Cenac. She said years ago she stayed in a B&B called La pierre de meule and had grown very fond of Cenac and Dordogne. We could not find a website for the B&B but did find the picture on Pierre's website. We are wondering if it is still open. Does anyone know? Any mention to me of France and my heart flowers. I live in Arizona and you can imagine how your pictures have touched my dreams. Does anyone know the orgin of the name of Cenac?
Jean Cenac
These pictures are transcending. I hope to visit this part of France eventually. Loved Paris, but this is gorgeous! Thank you for your hospitality in sharing your Descanso place with Bob and I. Also for placing the books in the Descanso newsletter. The newsletter has taken on a wonderful new charm all its own. Thank you for all your hard work. Kim
Thanks for sharing PETER.
AGAIN, you walked me thru France, bringing back memories for me. One of my best memories was in Lyon, during their Festival. I loved the festivities & the Moussels & Frites.
One day I look forward to visiting Perigord Noir. Denise
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