It seems that most of what we want to see is about 40 kms east of us - which is fine - but there we were driving back east again to see a few things. Actually the day started wonderfully with a 40 minute Skype call with Lainie which was great.
After reading about a few additional places Rhonda decided that she would like to see Domme & possibly some other sites. Domme is an amazing bastide town on top of a cliff on 2 sites. You can see a bit about the town here.
We drove up a very steep road & were able to park inside the town. Once again we were very thankful that we're here outside the core tourism time as there are stories of the town being jam packed & there are car parks outside the town's walls to take the summer crush.
The view from the 200m high cliffs over the Dordogne valley are amazing! The view alone was worth the visit. And then there is the town - we walked through the backstreets & 90% of the place looks like a movie set from the middle ages. It is unique in that the protective walls that were built about 900 years ago are still in place. (Most other bastide towns took their walls down as they were restrictive of growth). One of the gates to the town has gate rooms that they turned into a prison to hold some Knights Templars who were held there for 11 years. The prisoners carved graffiti into the walls of the prison that can still be seen.
We decided to go on a tour of a long cave under the town. If you've been in any half way decent caves then this cave would be a disappointment. And while we were given a 2 page sheet about the caves in English they didn't tell us much & I could only understand about 10% of the guide's commentary. So - a bit of a waste of time. The cave tour ends about 80m down the cliff & the ride back up to the top is in a glass fronted elevator - so a different view over the valley.
As it was mid-afternoon Rhonda had been reading about the Troglodyte houses. These are the places where people had lived up on cliffs & had converted the caves into houses. One is called Maison forte do Reignac. Apparently this place had a "count & countess" & there is a history of the family living there for hundreds of years. However it appears that the last full time residents only left in the 1920s. While interesting the way it was presented was fairly amateurish & a disappointment.
We got out of there about 6 & so drove home to another balmy sunset on the terrace & dinner at home.
I should say something about the house! It is everything that its website says it is & all photos are accurate. It has everything you need & is a really enjoyable place in a great location. One extra delight is the "Aussie" shower. At last there is a dedicated shower area - not over the bath. (I hate showers over the bath.) Also the shower head allows for more than 3 drops at a time. So for the 1st time in 4 weeks the shower has been a delight.
We drove up a very steep road & were able to park inside the town. Once again we were very thankful that we're here outside the core tourism time as there are stories of the town being jam packed & there are car parks outside the town's walls to take the summer crush.
The view from the 200m high cliffs over the Dordogne valley are amazing! The view alone was worth the visit. And then there is the town - we walked through the backstreets & 90% of the place looks like a movie set from the middle ages. It is unique in that the protective walls that were built about 900 years ago are still in place. (Most other bastide towns took their walls down as they were restrictive of growth). One of the gates to the town has gate rooms that they turned into a prison to hold some Knights Templars who were held there for 11 years. The prisoners carved graffiti into the walls of the prison that can still be seen.
We decided to go on a tour of a long cave under the town. If you've been in any half way decent caves then this cave would be a disappointment. And while we were given a 2 page sheet about the caves in English they didn't tell us much & I could only understand about 10% of the guide's commentary. So - a bit of a waste of time. The cave tour ends about 80m down the cliff & the ride back up to the top is in a glass fronted elevator - so a different view over the valley.
As it was mid-afternoon Rhonda had been reading about the Troglodyte houses. These are the places where people had lived up on cliffs & had converted the caves into houses. One is called Maison forte do Reignac. Apparently this place had a "count & countess" & there is a history of the family living there for hundreds of years. However it appears that the last full time residents only left in the 1920s. While interesting the way it was presented was fairly amateurish & a disappointment.
We got out of there about 6 & so drove home to another balmy sunset on the terrace & dinner at home.
I should say something about the house! It is everything that its website says it is & all photos are accurate. It has everything you need & is a really enjoyable place in a great location. One extra delight is the "Aussie" shower. At last there is a dedicated shower area - not over the bath. (I hate showers over the bath.) Also the shower head allows for more than 3 drops at a time. So for the 1st time in 4 weeks the shower has been a delight.
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| The house in Couze |
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| Looking through the front door |
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| The house is up on the right - blue open shutters |
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| Looking left from the front door |
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| Looking down to the valley road from upstairs |
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| Under the terrace is a rustic disused cellar - & this is the door |
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| On the terrace looking to the house on the left |
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| The car - on the terrace & in front of the house. There is a public road between this terrace & the house |
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| A view from upstairs across the valley |
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