We just returned from a week in France’s Dordogne region with tour guide Kaydie Vistelle. Part of the Pèrigord, the towns of the Dordogne are featured in Martin Walker’s Chief Bruno series of mysteries and offer all the charms of rural France. Plus, it is a “foodie’s” paradise!

From prehistoric cave art, to medieval castles, to local artisans, to wonderful regional food, we had a marvelous time. Here are some of my impressions of the week.

Saturday
We took the train from Bordeaux to Sarlat, which gave us two hours to view interesting towns and countryside along the way. We arrived at the little train station in Sarlat, where Kaydie picked us up and we headed off to the French country farm house where we would spend the week. Then, our adventure began!

First stop was the Château des Milandes. In 1947, legendary American entertainer Josephine Baker purchased the chateau where she lived and raised 13 children. Today we visited her home and enjoyed the beautiful gardens and birds of prey demonstration. Built in 1489, the 24-room mansion looks out over the Dordogne River and features stained-glass windows, an ivy-covered turret, gargoyles, vaulted ceilings, mammoth fireplaces, and a grand circular staircase of stone. The on-site museum featuring Josephine Baker’s extravagant costumes and memorabilia was amazing.

Next, we visited Domme, a “bastide town” – one of the fortified cities built in some regions of Medieval France. It’s still a picturesque village with sweeping views of the valley and it features an arcaded square and streets surrounded by massive walls. It’s a site with much history pertaining to Europe’s Hundred Years’ War.

Sunday
Today we visited the weekly market at St. Cyprien which is often featured in Martin Walker’s “Chief Bruno” mysteries. We tasted some locally grown walnuts, strawberries, and candy, and bought cheese from one of the real-life characters in the Chief Bruno stories. Some of us purchased linens, woven bags, and photographs of the area from a local artist. It was a fun look into how villagers have shopped through the centuries.

We then moved on to where the Dordogne River flows by the Chateau de Beynac, a 12th-century castle perched high on the cliffs. Considered one of the Pèrigord’s most authentic and important Medieval forts, it offers stunning views of the valley. We took a leisurely boat ride down the river on a “gabarres” – a reproduction of a 19th-century river boat – and learned about the fascinating history and culture of this area.

Finally, we traveled to Les Jardins Suspendus de Marqueyssac, a fantastical garden created in 1721, and restored beginning in the 1990s. With its amazing views over much of the Dordogne River valley, it is the most frequented garden in the Aquitaine. Some of our group climbed all the way to its Belvedere for an incredible view, while others discovered the pavilion tea room and reflected on a rewarding day.

Monday
As many as 20,000 years ago, ancient artists painted murals of animals in the caves near Lascaux. The drawings of bison, elk, deer and other animals are still there. We saw some of the original paintings today.

We first went to the Font du Gaume cave where we could see the original drawings as the artists painted them. Because the caves are so fragile, only 80 visitors are allowed in each day. We had to wait outside for an hour and half for tickets but we were rewarded with permission to enter the caves. (It was like getting a ticket to an Elvis concert!) The wait was well worth it when we got to view the breathtaking drawings in person.

For our afternoon, we traveled through some of the villages featured in the Chief Bruno mystery series and saw the real-life towns that appear in the books, including Le Bugue, Les Eyzies and the Tremolat café.