September 17th, 2006

This morning we saw a few patches of blue sky in the midst of grey clouds in Sarlat.  Almost any reasonable weather is better than sitting around and waiting for dinner.  So we decided to head off for a day ride.  The road west climbs right out of the city and continues up for the next couple of kilometers. 

A couple more up-and-down on these quiet roads took us to Les Jadins du Manoir d'Eyrignac.  It is an excellent example of a French formal garden with a 17th century manor house.  Better than the one at Versaille in that it is much more human in scale.  Lots of hedges and topiary clipped into intricate shapes.  The sun came out while we were there and it changed the mood of the garden. This is a private garden created 40 years ago though the family has owned the property for 5 centuries!  They still live on the property.  Five full-time gardeners are required to clip the hedges and maintain the perfectly manicured lawns.  Well worth a visit.

Tomorrow we start riding back to Bergerac from Salart.  From Bergerac we will catch a train back to Bordeaux.