October 2, 2018

Souvenirs de Dordogne!

Have you ever been to Dordogne, France?

Last year, I had the chance to spend a week there and it was a memorable one!

If you like French cuisine,  wine, castles, and history, you definitely have to plan a visit to this magnificent French region!


What To Visit In Dordogne?

Beynac, magnificent village where the movie “Chocolat” (with Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche!) was shot.

Les châteaux et leurs jardins magnifiques (non-exhaustive list!)

  • Château de Beynac: The most authentic Feudal Fortress of the Perigord and one of the highlights of the Dordogne.  Perched high on a cliff at breath-taking heights, Le Château de Beynac acts as a stone sentinel which has watched over the Dordogne for nine centuries. Open every day, all year round. From april until october, a guided tour (en français, bien sûr!) is included in the ticket price.
  • Château des Milandes: Built in 1489, it tells the story of some of the great French families through the ages. In 1938 Josephine Baker, who achieved fame and fortune as a singer and entertainer in France, discovered the Chateau and made it her home for 30 years. Josephine was born in St.Louis Missouri in poverty but used her talents to entertain some of France’s elite in Les Folies Bergère, among other venues. While living in Château des Milandes she and her husband adopted twelve children from different countries around the world. These children, The Rainbow Tribe, grew up in Chateau des Milandes. Josephine wanted to demonstrate that integration was more important than segregation, to which she was subjected in her early life. The life and times of the Chateau along with the splendid gardens are well documented taking an individual audio tour, available in several different languages.
  • Château de Castelnaud: A medieval fortress built in the 13th century. During the Hundred Years’ War, the castellans of Castelnaud owed their allegiance to the Plantagenets while the Sieurs de Beynac (in Château de Beynac) across the river Dordogne were faithful to the king of France. In later times it was abandoned bit by bit, until it was a ruin by the French Revolution. Today the picturesquely restored castle, a private property open to the public, houses a much-visited museum of medieval warfare, featuring reconstructions of siege engines, mangonneaux, and trebuchets. The castle is listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

La grotte de Lascaux

Setting of a complex of caves near the village of Montignac. Over 600 parietal wall paintings decorate the interior walls and ceilings of the cave. The paintings are primarily of large animals, typical local and contemporary fauna that correspond with the fossil record of the Upper Paleolithic time. The drawings are the combined effort of many generations, and with continued debate, the paintings are estimated around 17,000 years BP. Lascaux was inducted into the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list in 1979. There are currently 4 Lascaux. The original was closed in 1963 due to deterioration caused by the many tourists (primarily the affects of their breathing). Lascaux 2 was created as a ‘copy’ of the original and was thought by many to be a better experience than the original. Lascaux 3 is a touring version of the caves and paintings which is currently in China. Lascaux 4 replaces Lascaux 2, which is now closed to the general public. It is an exact replica of the original Lascaux site and its 9,000 square metres includes an array of high-tech and educational exhibitions.


Les jolis petits villages médiévaux et leurs marchés

Le joli village de Sarlat
  • Beynac
  • Montignac
  • Sarlat
  • Terrasson-Lavilledieu
  • et bien plus!

What are the culinary specialities in Dordogne?

Quelle excellente question! La Dordogne is famous for so many delicious dishes which I invite you to discover in my latest video.

I hope you are now even more inspired to discover the beautiful French speaking regions of this world!

Isabelle

As a native Québécoise, born to a Franco-Belgian family, now living in Nyon with her two children, Isabelle is no stranger to the expat reality! Trained as a professional opera singer, her passion for arts and languages led her to become an ambassador of the French language & francophone culture, i.e. a French Teacher!

She founded Prêt à Parler in January 2015. Since then she's been hard at work helping native and non-native English-speaking expats make French part of their everyday life! Prêt à Parler's mission is based on what Isabelle does best: helping busy professionals and parents improve their French language skills by providing a high quality, eco-friendly, fun, no-nonsense approach to learning French online!

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