Today’s escapade included a trip to the Château de Beynac, a massive castle perched atop the golden cliffs of the Dordogne River. We decided to skip the guided tour and thoroughly explored each of the great halls, high towers and courtyards on our own.
Arriving right when they opened, we had the place practically to our self. Some of the yellow limestone walls opened onto bedrooms with private toilets, well really just a small room with a hole in the floor. Other rooms looked to be great banquet halls. I could imagine the countless guest that had entered and dined in these vast spaces. We climbed massive stone stairways and peaked over ancient parapets. Jared really enjoyed the ancient weaponry display in one of the main halls.
There was, what looked like, an immense kitchen with hooks hanging from the lofty ceiling for meats and a giant hearth for cooking. Wine barrels lined one of the walls and a heavily used cutting block poked out of a corner.
A restoration project was in progress with men fixing roofs and cutting new stones for a battered wall. The sign stated its start in 1990.
By noon, the castle was quickly filling with bus loads of tourist. We bid a fond goodbye to the marvelous castle and headed back to Sarlat-la-Canéda for another afternoon of exploring and eating our way through the village. There are many more pictures in the Photo Gallery.
After a quick break we head back once more to the village for a treat of Café au lait and macaroons.
