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Sarlat
April 6, 2004
Dear Friends and Families,
We stayed in the town of Sarlat for first three days of
our visit to the Dordogne Valley. At 10,000 residents, its the largest town
or village around and it still retains it's medieval feel. There are records
of Sarlat as an 8th Century Monastery town and, like most of this part of France,
it was a key fortified town in the 100-Years War with England and the subsequent
French Religious Wars.
While there is little of the original surrounding wall,
the circular center is still
mostly
a network
of small streets, alleys, and paths. After the French Revolution, the government
opened
one major thoroughfare straight through from one side of town to the other.
This was "for modernization", although, as with the great boulevards
of Paris, it also makes street barricades much less practical and government
protests more controllable.
Our 100-year old hotel, the Hotel de la Madeleine, was just
outside the center area and was an established place with gracious service
and 39 pleasant rooms. From there, we could wander around the town and enjoy
the age of the place. I am sure that, in summer, Sarlat is a sea of tourists,
but
for our early-April visit, there was plenty of space and tranquility. In fact,
there was a flurry of activity that seemed directed at preparing for the summer
throngs, but walking among the preparations made it feel like we'd received
back stage passes for a play that would open in a few weeks.
I think the main attraction in Sarlat, besides strolling
the alleys and pathways, must be eating. Our trusty Rick Steves' Guide offered
a few
restaurant
choices and we can confirm his judgment for at least a couple. However, there
are dozens and dozens of other places as well and, while some may be "touristy",
this is the heart of Francophile dining so there should never be a reason for
being hungry.
We also wandered through the daily market, behind the massive
doors of St. Mary's church. As if that wasn't enough, the streets around
the central squares are also markets every Wednesday and Saturday. Although
we
come from California,the home of good strawberries, the one we bought here
at the open market topped any we'd had before. We also sampled the nuts the
area is famous for and on this I'd have to say California may have just the
slightest edge.
However, I have never experienced a
place like this for ducks and geese, certainly not in squeamish America. The
markets were filled with a wide variety of duck and geese parts and preparations.
We got the story on foie gras (don't ask) and, for a lighter meal, we decided
to sample one of the local favorites, Duck Gizzard Salad, a mistake we will
never repeat. We brought home a couple small jars of duck somethings, preserved
in real duck fat and juices, after being reassured that the shelf time for
this confit was roughly the same as for wine - at least a few years. It will
be that long before I want any more I'm afraid.
Sarlat is also a good base for all local attractions. These
seemed to be divided into chateaux and castles, caves and caverns, hikes
and paths, and a supply of small shops and galleries filled with reasons for
bringing lots of money to the area. Our later diaries and slide shows will
cover what
we saw outside of town. In Sarlat, our souvenir buying was limited to a set
of dessert knives and forks from Mssr. Xavier Merilhou (see below).
We have included a few pictures below to illustrate this
short diary and there is also a slide show for the passive reader who only
wants to click and wait. Finally, at the very end, are a few possibly-useful
Sarlat websites.
Stay in touch and work on duck recipes.
John and Marianne
Story Pictures
|
Normally we don't take pictures of hotel lobbies
but this quiet setting just struck me as representative of the Hotel
de la
Madeleine. |
|
St Mary's church was sold after the Revolution and
served a variety of uses over the years. Nowadays, behind these massive steel
doors, is a daily food market of local specialties. |
|
At first, I thought perhaps we'd discovered bank
robbers among the workers cleaning up Sarlat for the summer rush, but no,
it seems the bank folks knew what was happening. |
|
The streets of Sarlat were active with cleaning and
road-rebuilding. Reportedly, the town has kept its ancient character
because it was so isolated and hard to reach, so the buildings were left
to gather dirt and grime. Since the 1960's, the town has discovered the
rewards
of cleaning and restoration. |
|
Mssr. Xavier Merilhou ran a wonderful cutlery shop
with everything from swords to dessert knives. We opted for the boxwood-handled
knives from nearby Nontron. |
|
Shortly after we had returned from a zippy drive
through the country roads, we drove to our hotel parking lot and left
the car thinking that zooming though French country roads can be fun!
We no sooner left our parking lot than we came across this scene, at
the intersection we had crossed perhaps a minute earlier. It was hard
to imagine how the lady's small white car had managed to flip the blue truck,
leaving her shaken but standing. The other driver was soon taken away
by the rescue team, also shaken but alive.
Memory of this scene managed to slow us down from the rest of our trip.
|
Websites:
Hotel: http://www.hoteldelamadeleine-sarlat.com
Sarlat Tourist Office (French): http://www.ot-sarlat-perigord.fr
Nontron Tourist Guide: http://www.nontron.net/uk/MAIN.htm
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