Visiting Lascaux II caves. Boat on Dordogne

Friday, April 28, 2017
Sarlat-la-Canéda, Aquitaine, France
Left the hotel at 9 AM after a typical French breakfast. We drove to the Lascaux II caves to see reproductions of the original stone age paintings that were done about 19,000 years age. The people of the area did not live in the caves, but used the caves only for their paintings. The paintings weren't discovered until the 1940's and the original caves were closed in 1963 to prevent deterioration. The cave paintings were incredible for the time period. They used the ceilings in the caves since the color was lighter than the walls. It was also amazing how they were able to gain perspective using the curvature of the ceiling. There are so many unanswered questions about their art including what some of the symbols meant around the animals. They were way ahead of their time including the mixing of colors for paints. It is thought that they applied the paint by spraying the mixture from their mouths. See pictures for some examples of the artwork. Stopped at St Leon sur Vezere, a small village on a river so that we could stretch and see a different aspect of French living. Most of the French villages are built around the town church and then the city spirals out from the church like a snail. Had a great lunch in Les Eyzies at Cro Magnum (see pictures) before taking an hour’s cruise on the Dordogne River before heading back to Sarlat. The little French country villages we drive through are surrounded by lush, green countryside.


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