Postcards (cont.)

A highlight for me was definitely visiting the caves of Lascau where you can see replicas of wall paintings thousands of years old. (No pics unfortunately) The story of how the caves were discovered is quaint...boys looking for their dog discovered the entrance to an underground cave. They found their dog and, as it turned out, a stunning collection of prehistoric artifacts. The original caves are now closed to the public to protect them from the ill effects of too much exposure... but Lascau II is an amazing experience....five years went into the creation of the cave replica and then another six years to duplicate the paintings, using authentic materials and techniques. It's impossible to convey the impact of being inside that space in the flickering light with the images of bison and horses suspended overhead ...still images that are nonetheless charged with dynamism....cool, very cool.

500 years ago some of the aristocracy of Perigord lived in large houses cut into cliffs along the Vezere.























The site of a troglodyte village dating back thousands of years...later on a refuge for Huguenots and others seeking to escape the turmoil and dangers of the Hundred Years War































The chateau Castelnaud built in the 13th century.