Périgord

Grand Tour

Total kilometers: 2,862 km

Our grand tour through Switzerland, France, and Italy began cloudy. However, the further west we traveled, the brighter and clearer it became. Bern was our first stop and definitely worth a visit.

Bern is the capital of Switzerland and the canton of Bern. It is among the cities with the highest quality of life worldwide. No wonder, as Bern is clean, rich in history, and simply a beautiful city.

The Old Town of Bern is located in the city center on a rock, enclosed on three sides. The beautiful city is surrounded by the breathtaking aquamarine waters of the Aare. The best part is that it has preserved its medieval character and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

In the center of Bern’s Old Town stands a beautiful structure called the Zytglogge Tower. This spectacular building was once the western gate of the city of Bern and was once used as a prison. Today, it is a landmark of the city and a popular attraction.

The Minster, as the locals call it, is a major attraction in Bern. Bern’s Cathedral is the largest church building in Switzerland, making it an impressive sight. The building itself is very beautiful and an excellent example of late Gothic style architecture.

The Minster is quite old, as construction began in 1421, but it took several years for the landmark to be completed. The church was only completed 400 years later.

We explore the city of Bern with approx. 146,000 inhabitants. In the picture, you can see the Zytglogge Tower in the background and one of my guests in the foreground in front of the fountain. 🙂

Bern is located directly on the Aare… the Aare is the longest river flowing entirely within Switzerland. Its total length is 288 km.

Montreux is known for the Freddie Mercury Statue. Fans and admirers of the singer of the group Queen travel to Montreux from all over the world. They gather in crowds before the statue and pay tribute to their idol with various homages: flowers, often in Freddie’s favorite color yellow, poems, drawings, photos, and many other objects accumulate at the foot of the statue.

We stayed overnight in beautiful Évian–les–Bains before continuing the next day to Geneva, Annecy, and Clermont–Ferrand.

Initially, the extent of the attack was not recognized: “Sisi” died an almost incidental death, which befell her about an hour and a half after the assassination in her suite at the “Hotel Beau Rivage”. In that house, where in October 1987, the Minister-President of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Uwe Barschel, was also found dead. In contrast to the mysterious theories surrounding Barschel’s death, everything is clear in the “Sisi case”: It was murder – but essentially just a temporary anticipation of the imminent end, for which the 60–year-old Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary was already preparing.

Originally only a few meters high, the fountain served as a pressure relief valve, functioning as a water tower for the 1885-built pressurized water pipeline of the Forces Motrices de la Coulouvrenière power plant, which the Geneva jewelers used to operate their machines. This absorbed unwanted peaks during work interruptions and indicated overpressure.

In 1891, the City of Geneva decided to move the large fountain into the lake basin as a tourist landmark and to increase the water pressure. In 1951, the current system was built, which has two pumps with a total output of approx. 1000 kW. It expels 500 liters of lake water per second at a speed of 200 km/h.

The stop in Annecy was also particularly enjoyable for all of us:

The next day, we went for a city tour of Clermont-Ferrand, then on to the garden Jardins du Manoir d’Eyrignac and further to Sarlat, where we stayed for 4 nights.

Clermont–Ferrand is also a beautiful city with many great churches, squares, and cafes… I cannot capture all impressions here, but our beautiful group photo in front of the statue of Vercingetorix certainly deserves a mention.

Also worth mentioning are the two cathedrals in Clermont–Ferrand. The Cathedral of Notre–Dame de l’Assomption is the Gothic, Roman Catholic episcopal church of the Archdiocese of Clermont, located in the center of the city of Clermont-Ferrand. It was built starting in 1262, following the model of Gothic cathedrals in Île-de-France. The characteristic building material is black Volvic stone.

The Church of Notre-Dame-du-Port is representative of the regional Auvergnat Romanesque architectural school and the oldest of the preserved churches of this school. The former Romanesque Cathedral of Clermont-Ferrand would also belong to it as its mother church, had it not had to make way for a new Gothic building.

Since 1998, the church has been part of the World Heritage Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

Characteristic of a Corinthian column are the decorative, bell-shaped capital with volutes, two rows of acanthus leaves, and an ornate cornice. Often, the column is fluted (provided with vertical grooves).

Development of the Corinthian Column: It originated in the 5th century BC in Greece and reached its peak in Roman architecture.

The next day, we went to an absolute highlight, namely the Lascaux Cave, and had a break in Montignac.

The Lascaux Cave is a famous prehistoric cave painting monument located in Montignac in the Dordogne department in France. It houses some of the most impressive Paleolithic cave paintings in the world, dating from approximately 17,000 to 15,000 BC. The cave has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979.

The Lascaux Caves were discovered in 1940 by four teenagers exploring the area. What they found inside the caves was absolutely breathtaking: Wall paintings, approximately 17,000 years old, depicting a variety of animals such as bison, horses, deer, and many others.

It is difficult to say exactly how old the paintings are. Unfortunately, the original cave is no longer accessible to the public due to mold infestation, but an incredible, faithful replica left us all speechless. I can only recommend everyone to visit the cave. Absolutely worth seeing…

* The municipality lies on the banks of the river Vézère. Montignac–Lascaux was already settled in the Paleolithic era and was colonized in antiquity by the Romans.

The next highlight was not long in coming: Château des Milandes

The castle was built in 1489 by François de Caumont, Count of Castelnaud, at the initiative of his wife Claude de Cardaillac. He also owned the fortresses of Castelnaud and Berbiguières, between which the castle was situated. Until 1535, the castle remained the main residence of this family. In the French Revolution, it was expropriated. Afterwards, it passed through several hands, but was not significantly changed.

However, it became famous through the purchase by Josephine Baker:

In 1938, the castle was first rented by Josephine Baker and then purchased in 1947. She arranged for electricity and water connections in the castle and in the adjacent village of Milandes, making it the first village in the Périgord with these amenities. Josephine Baker also commissioned a complete renovation of the interior.

Today, the castle is open to the public for tourists. A birds of prey flight show awaits guests, and the interior of the castle and the church can be visited. The garden and a nice café are also available to guests.

The next day, we went deep underground, namely to the mysterious Gouffre de Padirac, better known as the “Padirac Chasm.”

Come along and descend with us into one of the most interesting abysses in France…

No sooner said than done, we naturally didn’t need to be told twice. The headsets were quickly distributed and we were off on foot or by elevator, individually selectable depending on fitness level. I and Christine were the last and so everyone could explore the interesting cave system individually at their own pace.

A must-see in the beautiful Perigord! — but see for yourself, the photos speak for themselves!

After a wonderful drive through the scenic Perigord, we reached Domme.

Domme is a bastide, i.e. a small, fortified town with a regular layout, which was newly built from the ground up in southwestern France in the Middle Ages. Typically, the streets of Domme intersect at right angles, the squares are square, there is a large market hall and the town is fortified. Philip III, called “the Bold“, is the founder of Domme.

Domme is remarkably well preserved, the city walls and large gates that once surrounded the city are still largely present. The stone houses have a flair like nowhere else. A unique architectural heritage, including the city walls and the Porte des Tours, where the imprisoned Templars made engravings that can still be seen today.

We discovered Domme comfortably by tourist train and it was simply fantastic. Great view down into the beautiful landscape included.

After we were able to explore Sarlat extensively, we continued to the Gardens of Marqueyssac. An impressive garden that was laid out high up on a rock plateau. Magnificent views awaited us and also the king of the feathered creatures, the peacock, was not long in coming. Coffee break included!!!

After leaving the Gardens of Marqueyssac behind, we went to the famous, medieval Beynac Fortress. Today, it is one of the best-preserved castles in France. Built in the 12th century as a mere keep on a 150 meter high and difficult to access limestone plateau above the Dordogne, the complex served as a strategically optimal observation and defense post.

After its construction by Maynard de Beynac, Richard the Lionheart seized the castle in 1194 in his capacity as Duke of Aquitaine for a short time and entrusted it to the royal governor Marchadier. After the death of Richard in 1199, the fortification returned to the possession of the local nobility.

The drive up to the castle alone was extremely exciting and once at the top, our guests enjoyed the breathtaking view.

After four great and eventful days in the Perigord, we finally headed back towards home, but three beautiful days with a stop in Lyon, Chamonix awaited us. Lago Maggiore and at the end we ended our trip with a lunch on Lake Garda.

We all particularly liked Lyon. The city with its numerous churches and squares is simply worth a visit.

A highlight to visit is the Notre-Dame de Fourvière. It is a Roman Catholic votive and pilgrimage church on the Fourvière hill in Lyon. It was built from 1872 and consecrated in 1896. The following year, it was elevated to the rank of Basilica minor. Since 1998, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with other historical sites in Lyon.

The building shows the historicist–eclectic style typical of French sacred buildings of this period with great attention to decorative detail. Romanesque and Byzantine architectural forms predominate.

The Ionic column is less bulky and has a much narrower shaft. Its most distinctive feature is the capital, whose characteristic snail-shaped twisted volutes immediately catch the eye. The slender Ionic column necessarily requires marble as a building material.

We stayed at the Holiday Inn in Lyon before continuing refreshed to Chamonix the next day. There, too, we were greeted by a cloudless sky with views of Mont Blanc and numerous paragliders in the air. A sight for the gods, but see for yourselves.

Our journey continued through the beautiful Aosta Valley to Lago Maggiore, where we checked into the Hotel Regina Palace. After checking in, we boarded the boat with Capitano Piermario, where we ended our day with water and wine. 🙂

Our Hotel Regina Palace is located in a majestic Art Nouveau building with an elegant, classical-style interior and a large garden with a pool. We stayed directly on the shore of Lago Maggiore in Stresa. The rooms and common lounges are all furnished with antique furniture, carpets, and historic chandeliers, conveying a sense of history and elegance.

A crowning conclusion to our fantastic grand Perigord-Dordogne tour!!!