Bonjour tout le monde ! Today our journey will take us to the French village of Sarlat. A charming and well preserved medieval town with resounding dark and mystical oak forests full of black truffles, mazes of small streets and rolling green hills that inspire an amazing sense of adventure ! Pack your bags and get ready to uncover the secrets of Sarlat with me ...
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| perigord-dordogne-montgolfieres.com-DSC_2449 |
Located in the Dordogne province in Aquitaine, south west of France, le Périgord Noir, as it's most commonly known, gets its name from the dark forests surrounding the village...and (surprisingly) not from the black truffles its known to abundantly possess.
Sarlat offers many quaint, curious and picturesque cobble stoned streets and narrow laneways with exceptionally well preserved medieval buildings. Imagine walking the streets that were once under the authority of the church through the Benedictine Abbey since the 9th century ! You will walk the streets of history... literally !!
It is said that Sarlat has the highest density of historical and classified monuments of any town in France. The old facades of the buildings have stood the test of time, giving us a modern day feel of what life was like in medieval times. These magnificent architectural masterpieces are magical at the break of dawn. Try something different and take in the sights of surrounding villages by taking a hot air balloon ride at sunset...romance is in the air...
Alors, I was walking around, contemplating what life would have been like back then, the architecture and the intriguing rooves made out of lauze (artisanal cut stone)...and I could so easily picture, many centuries ago, the people of Sarlat travelling by horse and carriage through the old little winding lanes...hearing the clip clop of the black horses of le Périgord Noir echo through the modest and intimate flame lit streets. Don't worry, although they have managed to preserve the village, they do have cars now...they even have buses...and I still haven't got a clue as to how bus drivers manage to navigate such narrow little streets...
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| francetravelplanner.com |
It is said that Sarlat has the highest density of historical and classified monuments of any town in France. The old facades of the buildings have stood the test of time, giving us a modern day feel of what life was like in medieval times. These magnificent architectural masterpieces are magical at the break of dawn. Try something different and take in the sights of surrounding villages by taking a hot air balloon ride at sunset...romance is in the air...
 |
| perigord-dordogne-montgolfieres.com |
Alors, I was walking around, contemplating what life would have been like back then, the architecture and the intriguing rooves made out of lauze (artisanal cut stone)...and I could so easily picture, many centuries ago, the people of Sarlat travelling by horse and carriage through the old little winding lanes...hearing the clip clop of the black horses of le Périgord Noir echo through the modest and intimate flame lit streets. Don't worry, although they have managed to preserve the village, they do have cars now...they even have buses...and I still haven't got a clue as to how bus drivers manage to navigate such narrow little streets...
Sarlat is such a dynamic little city made even more charming by la place de la Liberté. Here you can find everything. Breathtaking views of the bell tower and cathedral, an abundance of eateries, (all equally as good as the next) markets, cafes and lots of little boutiques.
I'm sure you can imagine my first stop was the market ;) I know, I know...French food ! What more can I say guys ..? Each stand was oozing with amazing products such as foie gras, magret de canard, truffe du Périgord...indulgent little moi...I had them all ! The market runs on Wednesdays and Saturdays, so, I guess you can understand my dilemma. |
| truffe-sarladaise.com |
At night on humble streets you can see the people of Sarlat laughing and collectively enjoying a fragrant glass of wine from Bergerac. Imagine generations of people sitting in this little square sharing stories over centuries, I can now say I was a part of history.
In Sarlat you can joke about many things...except the geese, they are the pride of Sarlat. The geese even have their own festival aptly named Fest'Oie (a goose fair). Each year, on the third weekend of February Sarlat celebrates its favourite animal and they invite you to celebrate with them !
Could you just imagine a noisy flock of geese honking and waddling their way through this medieval village ! It's both a good laugh and a very intriguing experience I must say. Make sure you don't eat too much in preparation for the fine food, foie gras and soups that are to die for... you will dream of this moment and relish the memories of eating amongst the geese of Sarlat.
You may already know of Sarlat if you have watched the film Chocolat with Juliette Binoche, Dame Judi Dench, and Johnny Depp. The beauty of this village is as alluring as the chocolate in this film, as timeless as Juliette's looks and as adventurous as Johnny's life.
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| hostellerie-sarlat.com |
My friends our French journey in Sarlat has regrettably come to an end. I hope you enjoyed our trip...I will be back soon for a new article of my journey in sharing the delights of French gastronomy and lots more ! A bientôt !
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