Friday 20 May 2011

Périgord Mon Amour - Part 1

"warum in die Ferne schweifen,
 sieh' das Gute liegt so nah"



Plus pres du paradis, c'est ici....



The Périgord, which was inhabited by man  as far back as 450,000 years ago,
is a historic territory of exception.  The shelters and caves of the Vézeres valley
offer the public a unique testimonial of the lifestyle of our ancestors.
This land still abounds with the vestiges of gallo-roman cities,
religious buildings (Romanesque art) and medieval forts.

With the discovery of prehistoric caves and shelters,
the history of the Périgord goes back well beyond any date.
However, one can reasonably assert that the history 
of the Périgord began in the Roman period,
when the inhabitants of the Dordogne were the 'Petrucores'.
The first traces of the emergence of our Périgord territory
date to its attachment to the Roman province of Aquitaine.

In the 10th century the Périgord was divided into baronnies:
Beynac, Biron, Bourdeilles, and Mareuil.
In the 12th century, the Périgord became a 'Province' and the 
abbeys of Boschaud, Cadouin, Chancelade and Sarlat were built.
Following the French Revolution, the Constitute established the 'Departement Dordogne',
and defined its communes and cantons.

Despite the rural exodus of the 19th century,
agriculture remained an important activity and was complemented
in the 20th century by the development of tourism.


Le Périgord - The region of '1001' Chateaux, Romanesque churches,
prehistoric grottoes, many times admired and described by famous writers
like Henry Miller, Jules Verne and others.


Countless castles and manor houses, old villages, typical Périgord hamlets and 
fortified hilltop towns follow each other in beauty spots
that change with the passing seasons.


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Breathtaking views of valleys, undulating patch-works of fields and small forests,
exuding in all seasons the distinctive aroma of the Périgord.
In autumn truffles, wild mushrooms, figs, wine harvest;
duck, goose, confit in winter.
Springtime brings its abundance of fruits.



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Now, after a long and eventful history,
it has all the characteristics of an age-old region,
with an outstanding heritage.
Though full of history and old culture,
the people still manage to retain a certain human warmth.


******


I will take you during this year on an excursion 
through this wonderful part of  France were we live - Le Périgord


And we start today in Lusignac,
a small pittoresque village, situated on a hilltop,
just 5 minutes drive from were I live.

The Chateau in Lusignac

The Manor house next to the Chateau





The 11th-12th Century Romanesque Church



next to the Church and just opposite the Chateau
the small Restaurant with a wonderful panoramic view right over the valley,
 and during winter on clear days one can see just a bit of our house




beautiful old signs



old village houses in lime stone, typical for this part of the Périgord - 'Le Périgord blanc'

and

 of course - lots of roses....

a lovely weathercock on the roof of a 19th Century house

original and typical Périgordian lime stone wall and entrance to an 17th century house

 a rather modern 20th gate!

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 On my way back from Lusignac  -  A fairy tale...

 "Mein Dornroeschenschloss" - "My Sleeping Beauty Castle"

one of my favorite Chateaux




mainly inhabited during the summer

and still remains in the old French family - heuresement!






*

nearly at home, down in the valley

a fishing lake with the most wonderful waterlily's - breathtaking!



"One day, France may no longer exist,
but the Périgord will survive, 
just like the Dreams that nourish the human soul"
Henry Miller - "The colossus of Maroussi"

*
To be continued....

*


'Périgordian' Peonies


freshly picked


Bon Week-End!

16 comments:

  1. Hello,

    I agree whit you the perigord is so beautiful. (lovely pics). Congrats whit your peonies they are "trop beau". My peonies are style in buttom :-(

    Have a nice weekend
    xx
    Jérôme

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  2. Dear Karin, No wonder you love your Perigord. It is beautiful. Your photographs are stunning...they have character and beauty all in one. This year it's Umbria but next September it's the Perigord. Looking forward to your next segment. Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful world with us.

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  3. Wholly cow Karin Le Perigord is amazing in all its ruin! What a truly fabulous area you live and the history and here I thought my house was old. Your area looks so peaceful and those water lilies beautiful. Love your peonies mine are only part way out of the ground but they’ll shoot up soon if we ever get some sun, its been raining here for a week so I really enjoyed seeing your pictures. Have a fabulous weekend!

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  4. No need to convince me, Karin, I KNOW you live in a fantastic part of France. Beautiful pictures, beste Wünschen für eine schöne Wochenende!
    Sharon
    xx

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  5. I actually picked 2 peonies today just like yours...white with a bit of raspberries! Well, I could just cry at the beauty of that "Sleeping Beauty" chateau! The shutters...the door with gorgeous antique hardware. SO beautifu...thank you for the tour of your little bit of heaven! XO Trish

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  6. There are so many beautiful places to visit on this earth - and the Perigord is one of them. Thanks for sharing these photos and for the little tour.
    Your peonies are stunning.

    Bon week-end à toi!

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  7. OK, that does it!
    If we visit France this year, we MUST visit you! How could any other part of France be more picturesque? Stunning beauty.

    And I agree with everyone else- your photos tell us a wonderful story.

    Karin- where would we fly into?

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  8. Breathtaking views! I can't imagine how wonderful it is to have such beauty around you all of the time. Thanks for taking us on a tour. Have a wonderful weekend!
    Angela

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  9. Ann - our guests from the US fly to Paris. Then by train - TGV - to Angouleme which takes only 2 hours and 20 minutes. Train station at the airport.
    In Angouleme car hire (next to the station).
    Angouleme is 45 Km away from our place, about 40 minutes drive.

    Coming from the UK:
    London (Standsted) to Bergerac about 1 hour flight. Bergerac is 85 km away from us.
    Airport Bordeaux ca. 130 km distance to La Pouyette.
    It would be wonderful to met you in person!

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  10. What a beautiful part of the world you live in, and your waterlilies are worthy of Monet.

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  11. Thank you Karen,
    you picked the right spot! Very much appreciated.
    karin

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  12. What a lovely landscape!

    Man spürt deine Verbundenheit!

    Lieber Gruß!
    Franka

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  13. These images are gorgeous. Thanks for the beautiful tour, and I'm so excited to follow along...your peonies are perfection!!

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  14. ahhhhhhh im swooning thankyou for the history its ALL wonderful I have 2 antque footstools from that region ill be thinking of all these wonderful images thankyou for my french fix fay xx

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  15. We are overwhelmed with the beauty! Completely unexpected! We would like to write about this wonderful place and use your photo's and experience to assist us through our article. Would you care to do this with us?!? Please let us know. Slavica's email is slavica@thefrenchtrove.com

    Best to you and thank you for introducing us. Absolutely stunning! :-)

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  16. My darling Karin,
    from one moment to an other i felt homesick.
    How wonderful and mysterious the Périgord looks like...

    Bises

    thomas

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