Bourdeilles and Brantome (13/9)

The octagonal keep dominated.

Our landlady had suggested that we visit St Emilion today, but that is on our route to Bordeaux, so we set off in the opposite direction towards Brantome.  On our way we came across the Chateau of Bourdeilles (yes another chateau!).  The keep was very high and looked rather imposing when we turned a corner and saw it for the first time, and it had a great setting beside a river so we decided we needed to investigate.  There is actually a 13th century fortress on a rocky outcrop dominated by an octagonal keep which is 35 metres high with walls 2.4 metres thick, and beside this is a chateau was built in the Renaissance era, i.e. 16th century.


We were able to climb to the top of the keep, and this gave us a very commanding 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside, and it certainly looks down not the village below.  Despite its strong defensive position, the fortress changed hands between the French and the English a number of times during the Hundred Years War.

The chateau and the fortress from the top of the keep

The chateau was a very interesting design.  It had quite a wide staircase and very wide corridors running the length of the building with the rooms opening off either side.  Inside the chateau was an wonderful collection of medieval furniture. Most of it we suspect was of oak. Huge chests, side boards, and chairs and tables. There was also a "Spanish" room so named because it has the gilt Spanish bed of Charles V. This room was also very heavily decorated with fabric 'wall paper' tapestries, and painted ceiling and beams, very different to what we have seen. Outside was a small but every pretty garden, and a lawn labyrinth, a very fashionable item to have had during the Renaissance period. As usual we spent quite a long time exploring the chateau before heading off to Brantome.

The "Spanish" room

River and ex-bishops palace at Brancome

Brantome is a medieval village built on an island in the Dronne River. The town developed beside a Benedictine abbey of Brantome founded by Charlemagne in 769. It was twice ravaged by the Vikings in the 800's, and also suffered during the Hundred Years' War. It was threatened by Huguenot forces during the Wars of Religion, but was saved through the diplomacy of Pierre du Bourdeille of the above chateau, who was the abbot there from 1458-1514. A later abbot built a magnificent palace on the other side of the river, and built a right-angled bridge across the rivers to his garden. Abbots of rich abbeys could do this! The abbey was eventually deconstructed during the Revolution (where have we heard that story before!). The town itself is a mix of Medieval and Renaissance architecture along narrow streets. We spent some time wandering the streets, then decided on a cafe for lunch. Lo and behold, we could actually choose the variety of coffee or tea we wished to drink! Included in the list of coffees was an Australian one, Skybury, which neither of us knew. The menu was interesting. The coffees and teas were listed first, three A3 pages of them, then sweets and desserts, then the savoury choices like Croque Monsieur etc. We had a very enjoyable lunch. Their tarts were delicious. Allan got talking to the waiter, and he said that he buys his coffees either from an importer in Bordeaux, or over the internet. He also roasts his own beans. Opposite the cafe was a hairdresser, and Jill took the plunge and asked if they would be able to cut my hair. She had a wash, trim and blow wave for €32 which is a bit more than home, but at least she was happy with the result.

While waiting for Jill, Allan wandered down to the park just across the river.  There seemed to be a range of different activities going on.  It appears that it was a local festival and a number of different groups were promoting their activities.  The local cycling team were there and the local martial arts squad was putting on a display.  The traditional dancing group couldn't wait to get onto the stage, so they just wandered around the area and played their traditional instruments and did their dances for anyone, local or tourist, who might be interested.  Thus even the locals were enjoying the beautiful weather and not just working hard to please the tourists.

Instead of returning the way we came, we headed west before turning south through undulating farming country interspersed with forest. Some of the trees are just beginning to turn colour. Autumn isn't too far away, but we don't think that the forests here develop the reds of the US. I think they tend more to the yellows and browns. We stopped at a boulangerie in Chalais to pick up a snack for tea because we had had a good sized breakfast and lunch, and climbed up some stairs towards the convent to a garden to eat them. The view was quite reasonable, and the temperature was perfect for eating outdoors. Not once have we had problems with flies or insects whilst sitting outside. I'm not sure what that says for the state of the environment. No insects often means no birds, and we have certainly not heard a dawn chorus of anything but roosters. Another interesting day.