Waaay Back in Time November 14, 2006
Today’s plan is to visit two the caves that contain prehistoric drawings that are located here in the VezereValley in the Dordogne region. We walked to the information office and rented bicycles so that we could reach the sites. The first, at Combarelles, is about four kilometers from town and the second; Font-de-Gaume is about one kilometer. The first bike presented to us had a problem with the chain and the second had tires that were almost flat. The pump they gave us didn’t work and they had no other bicycles. After a brief “conversation” that included broken Frenglish, hand signals and I’m sure some not so nice facial expressions, we were told that there was a garage “down the road” and we could get air there. Ten minutes later we were inflated and ready to go. I have to say that this was The Perfect Day to be out and about on a two wheel conveyance. There was not a cloud in a sky that was a deep blue. The temperature was in the fifties (10-15 C) and the wind did not dare stir. It was a joy just to be alive!
I had read about the cave drawings here when I was in school and I have held a fascination for them ever since. This is some of the oldest art in the world and as we were to find out it is remarkably preserved, and of course this area is a UNESCO site.
Combarelles:
We took this tour first and as it turned out, as we have often found traveling in the off season, there were only two other people on the tour. The number of people per tour is limited because of the narrow passages and small spaces for viewing, but as I said this was not a problem today. The tours are normally conducted in French only but our guide was bilingual and was nice enough to explain the highlights to us during the hour or so we were in the cave. The cave contained over a hundred drawings and etchings representing human, animal and geometric figures that may represent the artist’s shelters. Some of the figures require some imagination to discern while others seem ready to step off the wall. Bison, reindeer, rhinoceros, horses, mammoths and lions are the main subjects of these prehistoric artists which supports the theory that the purpose of the pictures was possibly to ensure a continued supply of food and clothing. The other striking feature is that at the time these pictures were created, 12,000 – 14,000 years ago, the passages were barely big enough to crawl through. The deepest part of the cave is almost 200 meters (650 feet) from the entrance. The only light source would have been small lamps made from a rock dish filled with fat with a wick of some type of fibrous material. Most of the pictures in this cave are etched into the rock using flint or other hard materials but a few still show the color that were applied twelve centuries ago.
After our visit our guide told us of a cliff dwelling that was still inhabited as late as the 1960s. We rode the two kilometers or so away from town to take a quick look and found it quite easily along side of the same road. The inhabitants had built quite a complex of enclosures using the natural limestone overhangs and filling in spaces with what appeared to be a lime sand mixture in order to create this alternate living space. We did not tour this as we did not have the time.
We rode back to town and found a small sidewalk café for lunch. I have to tell you that it was the best meal I have had in a while. Holly went for soup and a salad, which she said was great. I had the biggee meal that included by course; 1.pan fried duck liver with peach slices in peach sauce, 2.a salad with proscuitto ham and duck breast, 3.a rib eye steak with a pyramid of sautéed baked potato pieces, 4.cheese with walnuts on a bed of lettuce, 5.pistachio ice cream. OH my god! I loved every bite even as I thought I was going to explode. I had no idea the servings would be so large. After number 1 I just ate half of the servings just so I could get through it. We also had help from a local lady with ordering as the proprietor spoke only French. Did I mention that I ordered a bottle of wine on top of all that? Half of the bottle left the restaurant with me, stowed safely in my pack.
We rode; I struggled, the kilometer back to the Font-de-Gaume, my steel steed groaning under the additional load. We arrived at the gate a few minutes late and had to make a mad dash 400 meters uphill to catch our tour. By some unknown force dear reader I am here to write this. My advice; don’t eat a large French meal and then participate in a decathlon.
Font-de-Gaume:
Even though the tour consisted of nine people and the guide translated very little of the tour into English, this was one of the highlight of our travels. These are the pictures that we have all seen in books or the Discovery Channel. Herds of bison and reindeer graze on the wall in living color. Anatomically so lifelike that even the novice archeologist can recognize them for what they are. This cave has fewer figures than Combarelles but the quality is astounding. This is also the last cave that has polychrome pictures that is open to the public. We are thrilled we got to see it.
After the tour we rode around Les Eyzies visiting an old church, crossing the river for better views and generally enjoying the end of a perfect day. Back at the hotel we were welcomed by our host’s small black dog (maybe a peek-a-poo) that can’t seem to get enough attention. A few minutes by the fire and we are back in our room preparing for tomorrow’s trek across France to visit the ink pen capital of the world Mont Blanc.
I had read about the cave drawings here when I was in school and I have held a fascination for them ever since. This is some of the oldest art in the world and as we were to find out it is remarkably preserved, and of course this area is a UNESCO site.
Combarelles:
We took this tour first and as it turned out, as we have often found traveling in the off season, there were only two other people on the tour. The number of people per tour is limited because of the narrow passages and small spaces for viewing, but as I said this was not a problem today. The tours are normally conducted in French only but our guide was bilingual and was nice enough to explain the highlights to us during the hour or so we were in the cave. The cave contained over a hundred drawings and etchings representing human, animal and geometric figures that may represent the artist’s shelters. Some of the figures require some imagination to discern while others seem ready to step off the wall. Bison, reindeer, rhinoceros, horses, mammoths and lions are the main subjects of these prehistoric artists which supports the theory that the purpose of the pictures was possibly to ensure a continued supply of food and clothing. The other striking feature is that at the time these pictures were created, 12,000 – 14,000 years ago, the passages were barely big enough to crawl through. The deepest part of the cave is almost 200 meters (650 feet) from the entrance. The only light source would have been small lamps made from a rock dish filled with fat with a wick of some type of fibrous material. Most of the pictures in this cave are etched into the rock using flint or other hard materials but a few still show the color that were applied twelve centuries ago.
After our visit our guide told us of a cliff dwelling that was still inhabited as late as the 1960s. We rode the two kilometers or so away from town to take a quick look and found it quite easily along side of the same road. The inhabitants had built quite a complex of enclosures using the natural limestone overhangs and filling in spaces with what appeared to be a lime sand mixture in order to create this alternate living space. We did not tour this as we did not have the time.
We rode back to town and found a small sidewalk café for lunch. I have to tell you that it was the best meal I have had in a while. Holly went for soup and a salad, which she said was great. I had the biggee meal that included by course; 1.pan fried duck liver with peach slices in peach sauce, 2.a salad with proscuitto ham and duck breast, 3.a rib eye steak with a pyramid of sautéed baked potato pieces, 4.cheese with walnuts on a bed of lettuce, 5.pistachio ice cream. OH my god! I loved every bite even as I thought I was going to explode. I had no idea the servings would be so large. After number 1 I just ate half of the servings just so I could get through it. We also had help from a local lady with ordering as the proprietor spoke only French. Did I mention that I ordered a bottle of wine on top of all that? Half of the bottle left the restaurant with me, stowed safely in my pack.
We rode; I struggled, the kilometer back to the Font-de-Gaume, my steel steed groaning under the additional load. We arrived at the gate a few minutes late and had to make a mad dash 400 meters uphill to catch our tour. By some unknown force dear reader I am here to write this. My advice; don’t eat a large French meal and then participate in a decathlon.
Font-de-Gaume:
Even though the tour consisted of nine people and the guide translated very little of the tour into English, this was one of the highlight of our travels. These are the pictures that we have all seen in books or the Discovery Channel. Herds of bison and reindeer graze on the wall in living color. Anatomically so lifelike that even the novice archeologist can recognize them for what they are. This cave has fewer figures than Combarelles but the quality is astounding. This is also the last cave that has polychrome pictures that is open to the public. We are thrilled we got to see it.
After the tour we rode around Les Eyzies visiting an old church, crossing the river for better views and generally enjoying the end of a perfect day. Back at the hotel we were welcomed by our host’s small black dog (maybe a peek-a-poo) that can’t seem to get enough attention. A few minutes by the fire and we are back in our room preparing for tomorrow’s trek across France to visit the ink pen capital of the world Mont Blanc.
posted by Gary and Holly Davis @ 12:14 PM
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