Perigueux

So called capital of the Dordogne is this characterful old city, surrounded by lesser urban sprawl. We’re staying for two nights in a cute duplex apartment, on the second & third floors above the owner’s antiques shop, at the edge of the old town. It has a huge cathedral, 17th century with five domes, and a number of squares, most occupied by cafes & restaurants. The nearest charger is not working, but there’s a very fast charger in an out of town complex nine miles away awaiting the next stage of our journey.

The city has a long history of flooding by L’Isle river, as above. It also reveals the different topography of The Dordogne, hills & valleys, as opposed to the total flatness of most of the French west coast area.

A visit around the Museum de Beaux Arts du Perigord included the last day of José Correa’s watercolors exhibition – utterly charming. Local, Perigord (equates to the Anglicised “Dordogne”) specialities include foi gras (everywhere!), truffles & Bergerac wines. So far we’ve tried the wine.

The city is renowned for its huge, five domed Saint Front cathedral and, less so, for the Vesunna Gallo-Roman Museum, where an extensive Roman site is covered by a modern warehouse construction.

Bergerac and Pau