'I
believe that the Cro-Magnon man settled here because he was
extremely intelligent and had a highly developed sense of
beauty. … I believe that this great peaceful region of
France will always be a sacred spot for man and that when
the cities have killed off the poets this will be the refuge
and the cradle of the poets to come.' Henry Miller 'The
Colossus of Maroussi.'
We
touch on two kinds of history on the safaris we offer. Art
History comes into the fore in the Painting Week: 'Ways of
Seeing'. The idea is to give slide shows on some of the mornings
which bring up ideas. The afternoons will be spent painting
in the beauty spots of the Quercy while the inspiration of
the slides still stays in one's mind. Rather like watching
a great tennis match at Wimbledon and wanting to play a game
immediately afterwards.
In
the Quercy Périgord walk we touch on history primarily
of the Medieval period. We visit the two beautiful bastides
of Monflanquin and Monpazier and the two stunning castles
of Bonaguil and Château Biron.
In
the Haut Quercy walk we stay in, or lunch at, three château
of historical interest. Two of these were very much remannered
in the Renaissance style at the beginning of the sixteenth
century.
For
the Gastronomic weeks and the 'Treading the Grape' wine week
we stay at another historical château in the Dordogne.