We're driving from Amboise to a rental near Sarlat in late July. Is there anything worth stopping for on the way, or should we just barrel through as fast as we can? We'll have two kids with us so will probably need to stretch our legs at least once.
thanks!
Last year, on our way to Sarlat from Blere, we stopped at Oradour-sur-Glane, the Martyr's Village. If you're into history in any way, shape or form, this place is a must. Background...in 10 June 1944, the village of Oradour-sur-Glane in Haute-Vienne in then Nazi-occupied France was destroyed, when 642 of its inhabitants, including women and children, were massacred by a Nazi Waffen-SS company. After the war, instead of rebuilding the village, it was left was a memorial. Normally, my wife doesn't like going to places like this. After our visit, she referred to it as a highlight of the trip and was glad we did it.
Well, there's my 2 cents worth. Have a great trip!
I agree with Ed. Oradour is well worth the time and effort. I
I was going to suggest the same thing. Excellent suggestion if you like history.
My husband and I just got home from a trip to France. We found online the "Most beautiful Villages in France" website and tried our best in our rental car to see as many of these as were close to our route from one destination to the next. I did notice that most of these villages.....we saw 3 that were incredible (like stepping into postcards!) and noticed that most of them were in the Dordogne region and southern France area. Try looking these over and see if you might want to stop by one of these.....we had an apple crepe in Beuvon-En-Auge on a quiet afternoon midst the roses that I will never forget!
Thanks, everyone! It's a nearly unanimous vote for Oradour. My husband likes WWII history so we'll put it on the itinerary.
Oradour is indeed a powerful experience. People walk around the devastated town using hushed voices.
If you're going to head south from Amboise on A10 and your family has any interest in Joan of Arc, you might want to stop off at St Catherine de Fierbois (less than an hour from Amboise and on the way to A10). A church has been built to commemorate the place where Joan was directed (by her voices) to find her sword. My granddaughters (10 & 13 at the time) were very moved by the experience, including being able to touch Joan's actual sword. (Like any relic, we can quibble over it's authenticity but it was plenty real for those two girls.)
I agree about Oradour-sur-Glane and most highly recommend it. I was as moved and awed by this as I was by the concentration camps in Germany and Poland. It's like the whole town is a still photo of one moment in time that you can walk through and examine. It was an awesome, but very sobering, experience.
The other stop I made on the same drive, which was in the opposite direction as yours (going from the west to Loire area), was at Fontevraud Abbey which I also highly recommend. It's very impressive and fun to explore. It was the burial place of Henry II and Eleanor and their son Richard (the lionheart). Their tombs are there but it's highly unlikely that their bodies remained there having been moved when the abbey was desecrated during the French Revolution. A much earlier period in history than WWII but if anyone of you has an interest it's worth going to.
Thank you for the additional suggestions!
