Summer Sun | France Part 2

Monday 30 June 2014 ·

Now for days 4 - 7 of my little getaway to France! This is all I keep daydreaming about now I'm back in the office staring at my computer all day every day! I'm already in need of another week of indulging in too much food and wine, sunshine and great company! Make sure to check out Part 1 if you haven't already seen it!


Day 4 - Grotte de Pech Merle & Saint Cirq Lapopie
For preservation reasons you can't take photos inside the caves at Pech Merle which is a shame but it was absolutely incredible. The paintings date back as far as 25,000 BC which is just insane to think about! Not only that but the caves themselves were beautiful so it's definitely worth a visit if ever you visit the area.

By this time our stomachs were starting to rumble so it was time to head over to Saint Cirq Lapopie...
This place would have been heaving with tourists in a couple of months time but it was lovely and quiet when we visited, with just a few French tourists wandering the narrow, cobbled streets. I loved this as it meant our soundtrack for the day was French chatter and I could blissfully imagine myself living here....maybe one day right?
It seems that everywhere we visited that week had the most incredible views and surprise surprise Saint Cirq Lapopie was no exception with views for miles of lush greenery and the Dordogne winding it's way through the unspoilt landscape. 
There's not a single unnattractive building in Saint Cirq Lapopie and despite the high number of tourists visiting during the summer months it genuinely is unspoilt - there's not many places we can say the same for in the UK nowadays! 
Even the shop signs are beautiful and traditional!

Day 5 - Chateau de Puy Martin & Relaxation
This area of the Dordogne isn't known for chateaus in the same way as a lot of other parts of France but I wanted to at least visit one so we managed to find Chateau de Puy Martin which was pretty nearby.
The carpark was surrounded by beautiful flower beds which were buzzing with bees so I couldn't resist stopping and having a quick play with my camera and I'm so proud of this shot so I had to slip it in! 
With it being out of season we had another private tour which is always a benefit! Believe it or not it is still privately owned and the owners still live in part of the chateau but as there are only 2 of them they only live in a tiny portion of it. Imagine being able to call this place home?! 
Whilst we were wandering around before our tour started I saw this little guy having an early morning sunbathing session on one of the walls to warm up. 
You only get to visit about six or seven rooms in the chateau as due to the huge financial costs of owning and maintaining somewhere like this the owners are forced to keep the rest of it closed to the public as they cannot afford to maintain it all. 

Day 6 - Beynac
Beynac is yet another village built into the hillside overlooking the Dordogne River but it's highlight is the beautiful castle built on the top of the hillside. 
 With a view like this how could we resist having a little photoshoot!
Again this chateau is still privately owned and the owner still lives in a small portion of the chateau which is just beyond the right hand edge of this photo. I can only imagine how amazing it must be to wake up in the morning open the shutters and be welcomed by this stunning view! 

It's hard to believe that this was built on the side of the hillside like this back in the 12th century! 
The view of Beynac village up to the chateau. 
Mum and I found yet another cat to befriend in Beynac - he's so gorgeous - look at those eyes! 

Day 7 - Sarlat Market

On our last day we only had a few hours in the morning before we had to head to the airport so we just popped into Sarlat to have a little mooch around the market and a quick bite to eat. Then it was time to head to the supermarket and stock up on wine - my parents were driving back so we filled the back seat of the car with wine's we'd tried and liked!

I had such a fantastic time in France and I have to say I'm really missing it. The pace of life out there is so much more relaxed, if only London was a little more like that!!

Now I'm just counting down until the next holiday at the end of August! 


No comments:

Post a Comment