The Dordogne Valley

The Dordogne was a priority for Lew, who had enjoyed reading Jean Auel’s Clan of the Cave Bear se-ries, which is evocative of the area. We stayed for three days in the small village of Les Eyzies, some of whose houses are actually built in the side of the great pock-marked cliffs.

Les Eyzies is the center of a cave region that offers nearly a dozen caverns open to the public. Go to the tourist office first and find out all your options, then decide which you want to visit. In general, the caves divide into two groups: those with prehistoric paintings and those whose appeal hinges on stalactites and stalagmites. In any event, avoid the prehistory museum built into a wall above the town: it’s exceedingly dull for children—and even for most adults.

We saw the paintings almost as if we were wandering torch-bearing Cro-Magnons ourselves.

The most famous caves in the area are the Lascaux caves in Montignac, 20 km northeast of Les Eyzies on N704 (toward Brive). The original Lascaux caves are closed to visitors; what’s open here is a complete reproduction of the Lascaux caves, down to the last painting.

We opted for fading originals over bright imitations and visited the Grotte de Font-de-Gaume. Here, small groups of visitors are shepherded through the caves in near-total darkness. The curators do this to protect the original cave paintings from light and mois-ture — the villains that eventually led to the closing of Lascaux. This protective measure, rather than diminish the experience, actu-ally enhances it, making the paintings come alive historically and artistically. In the brief flashes of dim light, we saw the paintings almost as if we were wandering torch-bearing Cro-Magnons ourselves.