STORY
dordogne cabanes du breuil
dordogne castle at the river
dordogne cliff town and fields
dordogne creperie
dordogne domme canoes on river by bridge
dordogne fields with long shadows
dordogne geese
dordogne hut on plain with horses
dordogne castle fortified entrance pathway
dordogne castle in forest landscape
dordogne cementery entrance
dordogne chapel in gardens
dordogne cliff landscape with forests
dordogne land house and garden
dordogne mad sky landscape
dordogne manicured gardens
dordogne medieval town
dordogne river at sun rise
dordogne rocamadour
dordogne cliff town and fields

Dordogne, la douce France

We were looking for a short holiday escape and stumbled over Dordogne by chance. As we saw that there was a cheap flight from Rotterdam to Bergerac, we were sold to the idea. Don't we all adore small airports where you board the plane 100m away from the entrance to the building? Dordogne it is then. We couldn't imagine it would turn out to be a memorable holiday, that we for sure want to repeat sometime in the future. And that the biggest credits would go to ... our GPS navigation system.

dordogne troll forest

See, we fell in love with "Marie", the voice of our on-board navigation. Her tourne à gauche/droit, with an intonation up on the last syllable was mesmerising. But, the best was yet to come, when she commanded to take a left turn to a supposed road that was barely there. "She can't possibly mean »left« there?"—I asked—"That's barely a road, is it?". We decided to follow her and never regretted. She took us to roads like this one. Our predecessor had configured the machine to choose the shortest path, no highways, no rush. And our trip through Dordogne became enchanted.

dordogne entrance stairs with flowers

Dordogne is called "La France douce", and with good reason. With its meticulously renovated medieval towns, its placid river-cliffs-fields-castles landscapes and its lively gastronomy, Dordogne is an attraction to guests from all over the world. Not to forget that the french epicentre of Foie gras lies here too, and with it, the core of foie gras kitchen. Because the legendary wine makers (Bordeaux, Cahors) are not far either, dining in the region has always something monumental to it. Over the centuries, visitors coined the saying "Live like God in France" probably from here.

And while you are there, don't forget to pay a visit to the pre-historical caves. Lascaux II is essential. A display of Cro-Magnon art (wall paintings) that competes with every modern art gallery. And then, there are the castles, of course. Beautiful, sometimes majestic vestiges of a time in which collecting road toll could make you so rich.

I decided to present these images in duo-tone because it reflects better, I think, the feeling of the place. It's sweet, deep and old. Hope you enjoy them.

A more comprehensive image compendium to this trip is available as a hardcover photo album here. You may want to also have a look at the other books I have made.

—Miguel Albrecht