Some of the buildings in the Dordogne are old, and look it.

I don't mean the famous chateaux,
or abbeys, but the smaller buildings where the non-rich people live. These two shots were taken on our visit to Lou Peyrol, and the big church with the roof garden (!) is right opposite the restaurant. The stone of the private buildings is soft and crumbly, so maybe it makes the buildings look older than they actually are, but then the alterations, visible in the structures, suggest otherwise. The church is either much more modern, or built of a different stone. I suspect it is a more recent structure.

We have discovered something called a Plan des circuits pedestres & VTT in our local mairie. The gentleman behind the counter and I conducted a most pleasant conversation in which I spoke English and he spoke French - and we understood each other perfectly. Anyway, it has taken us about three years to discover that the green VTT sign we see about the countryside translates as velo tout-terrain - or mountain bike trails, which we are not about to try.

But now we know about the pedestres or petite randonnee, loosely translated as a short hikes. So we tried one the other day, with map in hand and much arguing between us about when we should turn left or right. Dh does not wish to be caught out by an irate French farmer, but I thought if we took a wrong turn the worst we would face would be an irate French chien barking excessively. And since some of the French chiens are large Alsations, often in pairs, or farmyard mastiff types, that wasn't exactly as comforting as it might sound.

Anyway, we completed our walk, with about as much much good-natured argument as you might expect between husband and wife, and navigated our way exactly as le petite randonnee map suggested. Fields by the monastery, well-tended orchards, a short time in the cool green forests, winding trails, we experienced them all, and on the way passed this very good looking farm house. All in all, a satisfying day.

(PS no barking chien, I'm glad to report)

Romantic buildings

I blogged about Aydon Castle on Lindsay's blog yesterday, and found I wasn't the only person who loved Aydon. Encouraged by the response, I thought I'd add more pictures. This shot of the north facing corner looking out over the orchard shows the lovely old windows, and the more utilitarian 'new' windows added later - though still a long time ago as far as we're concerned!

The second picture shows the garderobe tower. This is perched about two feet from the ravine, and the garderobe shoot would jettison straight over the edge. When I looked up at the battlements, I saw a gargoyle run-off spout positioned right above. Clever, I thought. When it rained, the gargoyle would spout rainwater down onto whatever nasties had gathered below and wash it over into the ravine. Old-fashioned plumbing at it's best! Failing that, some unlucky fellow with a shovel would have to do the necessary.

Some experts think that the upper floor of the tower did duty as the bedchamber for the lord and lady. It had two windows, a garderobe and a spout for emptying washing water direct to the outside.

I suppose that would have been the height of luxury in 1400. Tapestires on the wall, a brazier with hot coals as well as a fireplace, and it would have been qute cosy on a summer's day. On a winter night, with the wind howling outside, I'm not so sure. Stone makes you feel cold, even if the weather is warm, and typical British weather does not usually warm stone as it does in France. I once sat on a stone wall after a long uphill drag to visit a castle in the blazing sunshine of the Dordogne and almost singed my nether regions. Luckily I have fast reflexes!

The other thing was that with a bed in the room, there would have been little room to move around. Either that, or they had very small beds. There would have been little privacy either; the bed could hardly have been more than a couple of feet from the garderobe! Let's hope they had nice thick bed curtains all round.

Makes me think that the ultra modern mode we've seen in the last year or two a la Grand Designs in which houses are built without internal doors, except on guest rooms, are not all that modern after all.

But I still wouldn't want the doorless toilet-cum-bathroom within a few feet of my bed!