April 29, 2010 (Thursday) - Brantôme

Ed hung the laundry before breakfast. I again attempted to call Jane, our next landlady, to no avail. I hope we have a house when we arrive next Saturday because it’s May Day and all France will be celebrating.

Our goal du jour was Brantôme and we decided to trust the map rather than GPS. No problem until Périgueux, a large city where somehow we ended up going south to Bergerac. I quickly caught it and by following signs we were soon on our way north again.

Château du Roc on the way to visit Brantôme

Driving to Brantôme

Les grottes du Roc de Cazelle

Eglise de la Douze on the way to Brantôme

We arrived in Brantôme, drove through and found parking by the river, a short walk from the abbey. Quelle surprise . . . they were erecting a carnival between the abbey and the river, no doubt for May Day. The tourist office was unmanned and the garden fenced off for a May Day exhibit on Saturday. All of this did nothing for photos!

Brantôme from our parking lot

Brantôme - one of several bridges to the island Old Town

Brantôme - view of the Abbey from the river - note the carnival stands near the abbey

Brantôme - scene along the Dronne River

We got in the cloister and the church and got a few photos through the tourist office window, the back gate and over the fence. Sigh . . . Walked around a little, checked the menu at the lovely mill on the river . . . 80 euros . . . too steep for our budget. Ed remembered passing several restaurants on the way from parking so we went back and checked menus until we found food we liked. We chose Le Saint Sicaire. It was adequate and we did have seats right on the river so enjoyed a breeze, fish and ducks. Service was excellent. [4 Place Charles de Gaulle, 24310 Brantôme, +33 (0)5 5335-3204; Click here for the Le Saint Sicaire Restaurant web site]

Abbaye de Brantôme - part of the original troglodyte church

Abbaye de Brantôme - family walking past the cloister

Abbaye de Brantôme

Abbaye de Brantôme

Abbaye de Brantôme

Abbaye de Brantôme - Ed exploring

Abbaye de Brantôme - stained glass

Reliquary of Saint Sicaire in the Abbaye de Brantôme

Abbaye de Brantôme - bas relief "Baptism of Christ" from the 14th century

Abbaye de Brantôme - entrance to the Troglodyte area of the abbey

Abbaye de Brantôme - the Medici Fountain

Abbaye de Brantôme - Troglodyte area of the original abbey

Abbaye de Brantôme - the Medici Fountain

Abbaye de Brantôme - garden flower for Irene because she likes flowers

Abbaye de Brantôme - from the gardens

Le Moulin de l'Abbaye

Le Moulin de l'Abbaye

Ed at Restaurant Le Saint-Sicaire on the Dronne River

Restaurant Le Saint-Sicaire on the Dronne River

After lunch Ed went back to the car to leave my jacket and to take his cold medicine. I walked ahead to the closed garden and found a seat by the river for people and duck watching. Ed soon found me and we made a circuit of the town, picking up a dinner baguette on the way. The carnival made everything seem sort of tacky so we retrieved the car and headed home. This we managed without getting lost and stopped at Shopi for wine.

Le Moulin de l'Abbaye

Abbaye de Brantôme - from across the river

Greater downtown Brantôme

Ed brought in the now-dry clothes and we’re in for the night. There were a few raindrops before lunch in Brantôme and apparently none here. So much for Metéo!