Follow @chloewanderlust

Monday 21 October 2013

VISIT: DORDOGNE


Again, I'm a bit late to promote this place as summer is already over and you're either thinking of winter holidays or thinking about earning back all the money you spent over summer. But, I'm here to plant the seed of summer plans early. Some of you may or may not have heard of the Dordogne region, as the Bordeaux region (it's nearby competetor) gets more of the tourists. But I would argue this landscape is equally as beautiful and the wine- equally as good. The Dordogne is a picturesque mash up of vineyards crisscrossed with rivers and dotted with chateaus. It's a perfect landscape for lazy summer relaxation.


There are plenty of cute little French villages all over the place, some, better than others. Sarlat, for example is a gorgeous little medevial town that has weekly markets. The food markets especially are not to miss. Imagine stalls and stalls of your best cheeses, Bergerac wine, huge piles of olives and tapenade, smoked sausages of various flavours, walnut and truffle oils and of course (what the Dordogne is well known for) more foie gras and duck fat than you could ever wish for. No really, no one ever needs that much foie gras.


Other gems include the historically magnificent La Roque Gageac and Bergerac itself, the latter of which when we visited was decorated with hundreds and hundreds of plastic flowers. The Dordogne is not just for lazy, wine drinkers (me), there are oppurtunities for the more active of us. For example, kayaking and canoeing are both popular activities to take part in on the river and can be done for short stretches or for MUCH longer 8 hour stretches. I even saw someone attempting paddle boarding along the Vezere at one point.


I would 100% reccomend this region for anyone, it's a much quieter and equally as pretty Bordeaux. In addition to this, the food delights are enough to tempt anyone to the Dordogne. Think Confit Duck, Sarlat-style potatoes (fried with lots of garlic and parsley) and fresh croissants from the boulangerie in the morning. Not only that but there is plenty of history with beautiful castles, chateaus and the world's oldest cave paintings found here. If the food stuff didn't already convince you that is.

No comments:

Post a Comment