We were up and on our way to the first prehistoric cave, Grotte de Font-de-Gaume, by 7:30. The number of visitors allowed per day to view the cave art is limited to 78, so tickets are very hard to come by. One has to arrive early, stand in line until the grotto opens at 9:30 and hope that you got there early enough to snag a ticket for that day. Not only were we able to get tickets for today at 10:45, but we were able to book an English-speaking tour. The downside to all of this is that Becky and I stood out in the rain for 1.5 hours (the guys sat in the car the entire time - go figure). We had umbrellas so we didn't get too wet, although our feet were soaked.
The cave art was amazing, especially considering that it was painted 15,000 years ago. Typical subjects were bison, aurochs (a prehistoric ox), and horses painted in ochre, blacks and browns. Photos weren't allowed so unfortunately I have no pictures to share.
We also booked a tour at Abri du Cap Blanc, where the cave art consisted of 14,000-year old carvings that used the natural contours of the cave to add dimension. Again, these were amazing, especially considering the age. This time, the art was more like a mural with horses and bison the primary subjects.
In between the two cave tours, we toured Sarlat and had lunch. At this point, the weather was very unpredictable. The sun would come out and we would take off our jackets and then a black cloud would move in and the sky would open up and we were in a deluge. Most of the pictures below were taken during the sun breaks. By evening, the dark clouds were gone and it promises to be a nicer day tomorrow for our drive to Lourdes.
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| Early morning at Font-de-Gaume - the rain hadn't started in earnest yet! |
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| Main Square in Sarlat |
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| Scenes along our Sarlat walk |
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| Sarlat's Cathedral of St. Sacerdos |
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| St. Sacerdos Cathedral |
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| The Village Church in Beynac |
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