After an early breakfast at the elegant dining table, we set off on the bikes through the village to Grotte de Font de Gaume, determined to succeed in our goal to gain entry to the heavily booked tours of the cave to see the ancient paintings. This cave is the last original to be available for tours - even the famous Lascaux cave is no longer open to the public, it has been reproduced along with its paintings for people to view. Irene had the plan for this adventure upermost in our time in France, so it was very important.
The English tours were booked out for days and we did not have the time to wait for one, but we were delighted to be admitted on the first French tour this morning; we locked the bikes away safely and browsed the inevitable gift shop while chatting to others also waiting for the tour. How wonderful it was to see paintings of bison, horses and deer in manganese and iron oxides. I felt, very strongly, the atmosphere of this place and the way the paintings had been created.
As is turned out, the guide was the only one present who did not speak English, but Ann kindly translated the information she gave. Ann and Albert are from Gent (Ghent) in Belgium and we found we had much in common; Ann teaches drawing to tertiary students and Albert loves opera and cooking; he is also also passionately interested in ethical, sustainable environment and changing the way we approach life with this in mind.
(The fortified church - view from our bedroom window)
After our fabulous time in the caves, we rode home quickly because our new friends had arranged to collect us at the fortified church next to our b&b; we would see the paintings (watercolour sketches) Ann did in the previous week in Spain, have lunch and then visit a different sort of cave near Le Bugue, the village where they stayed. How lucky were we!!! The cool breeze picked up a little as we sat outside, but the food was delicious and the conversation intellectual and stimulating, so we all enjoyed ourselves. Ann's sketches clearly protrayed, in several exercises, the atmosphere of the coastal landscape where they had been in Spain. But disappointing weather had sent them north to Le Bugue, lucky us!
Albert drove us to Gouffre de Proumeyssac (Cathedral of Crystal) where we decided to go in for the for a 45 minute tour. The cavern has huge with well lit formations of stalactites and stalagmites as well as clear, terraced ponds of mineral water which were constantly splashed by trickles from high in the ceiling. Our arrival in the dark, at the high gallery in the cave, was greeted with a music and light show which drew our attention to the amazing shapes around us and entertained us very well. Some people were lowered in a basket from the very high centre of the ceiling right down to the floor of the cave, many metres below.
On our way back to Les Eyzies, Ann and Albert invited to collect us the next morning for another outing to a place otherwise out of our reach. In the evening, Irene and I met others staying at Ferme de Tayac and we were jind by Ava and Dave at a local restaurant for a dinner of roast duck and local mushroom sauce - delicious!
(Bedroom windows at Ferme de Tayac)
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