Lascaux Caves, Sarlat-La-Caneda and Collonges La Rouge

A lot of our touring days are filled with two to four interesting stops.  This one, the day after Cahors and Rockamadour, included these three:

 

Lascaux Caves

In 1940, a little boy and his dog Robert were wandering around the forest of Lascaux when the boy found a small opening into a cave he had not seen before.  He arrived back a few days later with a couple of his friends and they entered the cave with ropes and lights.  Inside, the boys found gigantic cave paintings by Cro-Magnon man depicting horses, bulls, cows, and symbols, such as dots and dashes. The boys initially made a pact to not tell anyone but within a few days, the village and French scientists learned of the boys’ discovery.  The caves (“Lascaux I) were opened to the public, but contamination from this exposure began to degrade the artwork, so the cave was blocked once again, but Lascaux II was made – an exact replica of the caves, which is opened to the public.  We enjoyed our tour through Lascaux II.  Soon, Lascaux III and IV will be opened, featuring a larger and more modern display of the cave paintings. 



 

We were not allowed to take photos in Lascaux II, but we picked up a few books at the “Boutique”.

Sarlat-La-Caneda is a medieval village whose structures, buildings and homes are all nearly entirely yellow using the local yellow limestone rocks.  Sarlat is also famous for its foie gras and duck confit, both of which Mark and I ate for lunch while visiting Sarlat.

One of many train trestles we've seen on the country roads of France





 

Collonges La Rouge is a medieval village that is made up mostly of red sandstone, quite a contrast to Sarlat! This red village is so picturesque that it inspired the creation of the “Association of the Most Beautiful Villages of France.”  This area used to be more volcanic, which accounts for the red sandstone being used in Collonges La Rouge’s buildings.