Sarlat - Sunday & Caves

Church * Lascaux II Cave

Two major events to note - we managed to have our first Sunday (& day for that matter) without spending any money.  We've tried to not spend money on Sundays, but it seems that something has always come up (I.e. Parking costs or food usually).  The second thing to note is that we didn't take any pictures today - weird. (All pictures below are from Friday and Saturday)

Church was awesome!  As usual we didn't understand anything, but small things helped us enjoy and feel the spirit of the members.  For example, the girls attended YW with 3 other YW, 2 were from Ireland and their mother was the teacher.  So, the YW lesson was in English.  In Sunday School (adult and youth) the teachers made sure we had the right lesson number and we followed along.  We sat next to a man who could translate for us if we got lost - Eric even managed to contribute with a comment that he translated.  The same sister who taught Sunday School also taught Relief Society (there were 6 sisters in RS).  I sat next to a sister that spoke 8 languages - she's half Hungarian & Romanian, she worked in South Africa at the Spanish Embassy, then in Italy for 6 years where she met her LDS Tongan Husband from Australia (he was playing Rugby in Italy).  She joined the church a year ago and is preparing to go through the temple in Australia so her husband's family can be there with her. Charlie just goes to primary with no problem and seems to find a way to fit in - he said they told a story about Lamanites and Nephites.

Church was an hour away so we didn't get home until 2:00.  Emma and I made awesome omelets for dinner and we relaxed.  In the early evening we visited a "cave museum". In this area of France there are several very old caves with cave art (think Indian petroglyphs).  Historians think these caves are 13,000+ years old. The art is much more sophisticated than a petroglyph - it has three dimensional properties, accurate anatomy, detail, shading, and a bunch of other things Maren could tell you because she studied these pieces of art in her AP art history class. Most of these caves are no longer open to the public and if they are the tickets are very hard to come by (be in line by 6:30 a.m.).  We visited an exact (to the centimeter) reproduction of Lascaux (down to the temperature in the cave).  It took 11 years to create.  The guide took small groups of 20 people into the cave at a time for a 40 minute tour.  It was fascinating.  Bulls (one bull is 15 ft long), Ibex, Birds, Horses, a bear - historians don't know why the art was put there as no one lived in the caves; perhaps religious reasons.  (No pictures allowed).

After our cave tour we enjoyed our frozen lasagna that I cooked in a microwave for dinner (I'm sure the French would really be disgusted now - but we're keeping it simple) and played cards outside in the cool country air.

Socializing with Jacqueline

Cooking in a make-shift BBQ

Outside Fun

Donkey on the property

Sarlat - Markets, Fois Gras, Castle, Pastries

Sarlat Market * Castelnaud

We enjoyed sleeping in and not leaving our apartment until 11:00 - we needed that after our long day of driving, canoeing, and socializing.  We spent the next couple of hours at the market in Sarlat which is huge.  It covers the entire central part of town and sells everything from fruits, vegetables, candies, clothes, shoes, goose liver - Fois Gras (which on a dare Sydney and Charlie both sampled with the reward of a French pastry).  We collected bread, cheese, fruits & veggies, and a treat (a bread cooked on a rolling pin and then rolled in sugar) for our picnic.  We enjoyed window shopping at the many booths.

We picnicked on the side of the highway on our way to a 12th century castle which was cool!  This castle was built in the 12th century, burned to the ground and then rebuilt in the 13th century.  It exchanged hands 7 times between England and France during the 100 years war and then was eventually abandoned.  In the 1960s it was bought by a private family and fixed up to be an awesome castle for 9 year old boys to visit.  We had a great tour of the outside of the castle with all it's defenses.  We learned about the war machines and even got to see a trebuchet in action.  Inside the castle were swords, armor, chain mail, and other cool stuff.  The castle sits on top of a hill (of course) and we had a great views down into the river valley where we had canoed yesterday.

We finished our day with a trip to the grocery store, a pastry shop to reward those who ate the Fois Gras, and a great swim in the above ground pool in our French countryside compound.  Eric cooked 2 frozen quiche in a make-shift BBQ area in the side of the hill (all our camping skills have come in very handy on this trip).  I'm sure our land lady would have been disgusted to know we bought a quiche from the frozen food section of the store.  Oh well, I'll have to take a separate trip to enjoy all the fancy foods of France.

Sarlat Market

Castelnaud

Sarlat-La-Canada - WWII, Rivers, Great People

Ordour-Sul-Glane * Dordogne River Trip

Our day was a bit bumpy, but redeemable in the end. We had about a 4 hour drive to our next stop, Sarlat-la-Canada in the Dordogne region of France.  We decided to make a stop at Ordour-Sul-Glane on the way and our GPS took us through tiny, windy road which made the drive longer than necessary.

Ordour is a town in central France where on June 10, 1944 the Nazis massacred over 600 men, women, and children and then burned most of the town - Historians don't know what provoked such an act of evil.  After the war it was declared that this town would remain exactly how the Nazis left it to remember the tragedy.  It's hard to really visual what WWII did to France when we see lovely villages, beaches, and towns - but this little village made things real.  It was a very somber experience to walk through the town and see the burned out homes with bed frames, sewing machine, children's bikes, cars, etc scattered about.  In the church the Woman and Children tried to escape as the Germans gassed them to death - the inside is riddled with bullets.  At the entrance to the town is one word - Remember.  The experience was eye opening for everyone.

We arrived in Sarlat about an hour late and we could not find the home.  I had called the owner of the home twice for her to help me figure it out.  Finally she had to drive down from her home and find us on the "main" highway.  I don't think we would have ever found it as when approaching the home you actually drive through the yard and around the home to the parking area.  The "home" is actually a cluster of old homes that any cabin owner would love.  I'm thinking of the Pinnock Bear Lake cabin compound but in a fraction of the space.  And, the home if filled with everything you would expect in a cabin - EVERYTHING you've collected over your 60 years of life, games, books, trinkets, every drinking glass possible, 2 small fridges.  Every nook and cranny has something in it.  The washing machine is in a separate structure with the wine.  The stove in yet another structure hooked up to a propane tank.  The home has hand written notes and instructions all over the place (Jackie Doyle on steroids).

We had to dump our stuff in the living room (which did not help the stuff all over the place), change into our swim suits and dash because now we were really late for our canoe appointment on the Dordogne River.  (It's like those days when one thing is behind the rest of the day follows the same way).  We got on the river in our canoes and because we were one of the last groups we actually enjoyed a quiet 3 1/2 canoe trip.  We swam in the river, we had water fights, we pulled our boat out at a little village and looked at the 12th century "cave dwelling" where people would hide to escape the invading Vikings (oh - and we got an ice cream cone).  We canoed past 2 very impressive castles from the same era and returned just in time to catch the last shuttle (BUT, apparently someone else was behind us, and we had to wait for them - which when we got home gave us literally 2 minutes inside the grocery store before it closed, it was like a scene from minute to win it and we grabbed whatever looked edible).

When we returned later than expected our landlady wanted to show us around the compound  -  then she started to show us things like the fuse box and how to clean the pool and then Eric and I accidentally pulled the rock into the pool that was securing the pool cover (no worries - I still had my suit on and jumped in to get the rock).  Eric and I couldn't help laughing and looking at each other as we got the GRAND tour of what to do in every type of emergency. Then she said we should all have a drink and relax in 10 minutes (I'm still dripping wet).

Good think we had grabbed a Fanta at the store so we could bring our own drink to this evening social.  This is where our day redeemed itself.  Jacqueline is the French grandma that everyone needs.  Her 2 grandchildren are here with her right now and they came to our social.  Jacqueline had made gazpacho, a cheese and ham bread, tomato and cucumber cocktail, and cut up fresh cantaloupe and tomatoes.  We enjoyed an hour of socializing and getting to know her better (and afterwards she spent 30 minutes just with Lara outlining everything we should do over the weekend.  And when I told her we'd be going to church on Sunday (she knew we were Mormon), she quickly told me when and where Mass started).  We have met the best people in Europe - we make it a point to talk to everyone, about where they live, what they're doing, have they ever been to Utah?, etc, etc.  It fills a void of not seeing our friends and extended family.

We were exhausted at the end of the day - but I threw in a load of laundry anyway (in the wine cellar) and made sure to pull down the PVC pipe/washer drain into the driveway so that I wouldn't flood the wine cellar.

Ordour-Sul-Glane

Dordogne River Tour

Amboise - More Chateaux and Hunting Dogs

Cheverny Chateau * Chenonceau Chateau

It was a double Chateau day.  We first saw Cheverny.  Cheverny is unique because it has been held by the same family since it was built in the 1500s.  The current family lives on the 3rd floor in the right wing.  We saw pictures of the family in the home - 3 children probably between the ages 8 - 15.  If fact, as we approached the chateau for our tour we heard someone playing/practicing the drums from the top floor.  This Chateau is also unique because the furnishings are all original to the chateau for the above reason and also that during the French Revolution this family was liked and spared some of the destruction that befell the other nobles.

The most exciting part of our visit was seeing the kennels where more than 70 dogs are kept.  Each day at 11:30 their handler comes to feed them raw hamburger.  When he enters the dogs all run upstairs to a lookout while he cleans the kennel and lays out the meat.  Then he lets them back in, controlling them all the time with a whip (not whipping them, but letting them know he was in charge).  On the right signal, he sends them literally diving into the meat to eat.  I am amazed there is not a dog fight for dinner.  When it was over, the cement was licked clean.  It was fun to watch.

After lunch, a card game, and a walk through the gardens we were off to the next Chateau - the one everyone has seen in pictures, Chenonceau.  It straddles the river and is called the Lady's castle as most of it's owners/occupants were the woman of the French nobility.  I really liked all the original flooring throughout and the beautiful wood painted ceilings.  The kitchen was also impressive.  

As a treat we went out to eat tonight - galettes (savory crepes), thin strips of steak we cooked at the table on a hot stone, salmon salad with warm goat cheese, and sweet crepes for dessert - chocolate and butter and sugar.

Cheverny Chateau

Dog pile

Cheverny Interior

Chenonceau entrance

Chenonceau

Amboise - Chateaux and Light Shows

Chambord Chateau * Light and Sound at Amboise Chateau

Today we tackled our first chateau - the largest one in the Loire Valley, 440 rooms with over 200 fireplaces.  It was a hunting lodge for King Francois I (more about him later). It was impressive to look at the architecture and the rooms were huge, but bare.  In the middle there is a double helix staircase so the royalty could go up and down one side and the servants the other without ever needing to pass each other.  Speculation is that the entire chateau was designed by Leonard DaVinci because of it's mathematical layout and the double helix staircase, but there is no proof.  We enjoyed the chateau and picnicked on the front lawn.  We came home to relax and nap because in the evening we were going to the Light and Sound Spectacular at the Amboise Castle.

We had our concerns about the Light and Sound show after our experience at Notre Dame (basically a projected movie on a screen about the story of the saints) - but we read and heard good things about this spectacular and heard there were even fireworks after.  It gets dark LATE here and it didn't start until 10:30 p.m.  The Light part was amazing.  They used the castle as a backdrop and screen for the many scenes of the show and the coloring and images were impressive.  There were horses, soldiers, and 400 locals dressed in amazing costumes all telling the story of the rise of Francois I to the king of France.  The only problem was it was a 90 minute narrative all in French.  No songs, no music, no dancing - and the story was complicated.  (Eric sat next to a French woman who learned English as a summer exchange student with a Mormon family in New Mexico - and she would give Eric bits and pieces of the story line).

All I figured was that there were some battles, close calls with death, a cameo appearance by Leonard DaVinci, and everyone lived happily ever after.  The kids are not going to let me take them to any more light and sound shows for sure this summer!

Chambord Chateau

Double Helix Stair Case

Amboise Castle

Normandy to Amboise

Arromanches Beaches * Clos-Luce Chateau

We traveled from Normandy to Amboise today.  First we stopped at Arromanches Beach very near our home.  This bay was turned into a deep water port for the Allies after D-day.  You can still see the concrete blocks ringing the bay and a few of the metal blocks that helped to support the floating roads to the beach.  It was an eerie reminder that a war was fought here.

We arrived in Amboise about 3:00.  Each time we arrive somewhere new there is some anxiety not knowing what our accommodations will be like.  Most of our accommodations are private homes we've rented through VRBO or AirBnB.  Some are better than others.  But, just image showing up at someone's cabin and trying to figure out where everyone will sleep.  How to work the locks, stove, washing machine, etc.  Where are the plates, silverware, cups.  Is there dish washing soap, T.P., etc?   Most places have been pretty well equipped, but we are still carrying around extra TP, dish soap, and laundry detergent.  Today we arrived with random food and extra snacks we've collected - everything from powdered sugar to cucumbers to Nutella.  It's a little like camping and the cooking and eating become very interesting.  Green salads with no salad dressings, peeling a carrot with a bread knife, using a salad spinner as a colander.  

(Our current accommodations are built right up against a steep cliff.  I'm pretty sure there wasn't running water originally.  The toilet is nestled under the spiral staircase  and the shower is in a room next to it.  We have a sink in the master bedroom upstairs, but no bathroom.  The spare bedroom downstairs was added later and built right into the soft stone of the Mountain - apparently something that is common around here.  It has finished walls, but the ceiling is the stone itself).                                                                    

The kids are getting pretty good at living out of a suitcase and keeping track of their things.  Even Charlie (most times) can pack up his suit case and get it ready to move to the next location.  As far as we know, we haven't left anything behind - but we are missing Maren's cardigan sweater, we think she left it somewhere in Florence while we were out site seeing.  I'd better knock on wood right now!

This afternoon we visited a small Chateau that was the home of Leonardo Da Vinci when he moved to France at the end of his life to be the chief engineer for the King.  We liked the house and the period furniture from the time (none was actually Leonardo's).  We got to the master bedroom and there was a cat sleeping right in the middle of the bed.  I guess he just wandered into the home and at some point decided that this was the best place for nap.

In the gardens of the home many of Leonardo's crazy machines have been built, life size, for kids to experiment with - the kids played in a tank, and twirled a helicopter type machine.  We looked at water wheels and crossed swivel bridges. We pulled a treadmill designed like a huge pulley.  The gardens were nice and relaxing and a good way to spend a couple of hours.

After dinner we learned how to play Canasta - kind of, we've got a lot of practicing to do on that one.

Arromanches Beach

Clos-Luce Chateau

Leonardo DaVinci's Inventions