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French Paradise

The Dordogne region of Southwestern France awaits with great history and fine people, food, and wine.

Text and Photos by Fred Minnick

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

As the glowing sun rises over the quaint cottages of Les Gites Fleuris, blissful life echoes off the rolling hills. Soprano and tenor birds chirp morning carols. A tall, red rooster bows out his chest and crows, letting the world know of his presence and ordering the hens to lay eggs. A sorrel horse paws at the lush green ground and neighs, probably hoping soon to chomp on fresh carrots and luscious apples. From a distance, a wild boar or maybe a promiscuous ram (who knows which?) bellows a loud call that catches the attention of Bandit, a yellow tomcat who will chase anything that moves one minute and beg his owner for a cup of milk the next.

This is the typical morning at Les Gites Fleuris, a gentle paradise of vacation cottages and farmhouses just outside Hautefort, a village in Southwestern France that combines rolling hills and winding country roads with magnificent history and people. Built in the 1700s and owned by two Californians who've lived in France for four years, Les Gites Fleuris is a little slice of heaven that gives incredible views of the splendor below and bright shining stars above.

Once home to a French poet and a midwife who helped hundreds of babies into the world, these rustic stone Perigordian farmhouses—where life began for so many—are now the gateway to one of the world's most tranquil travel destinations: the French countryside, where it's green 365 days a year and the friendly people counter the "rude" label assigned to them with characteristic charm and pleasantness.

Whether you want to enjoy fine wine and gourmet food, walk through castles that have survived for centuries, admire original artwork carved in prehistoric caves, or simply get away from the American hubbub and breathe some fresh air, Southwestern France will make you feel like you've come to the right place.

The travel season is May through September, but you're welcome year-round. Plus you can save money off-season without losing the experience.

But heed this warning: If you spend a week here, no matter what time of the year, you may want to move permanently. And if you did, your French neighbors would welcome you with genuine kindness and two quick kisses on the cheek.

So with that liability disclaimer out of the way, let us go to the Dordogne region of Southwestern France, where more than 1,000 castles, impeccable cuisine, awe-inspiring caves, and natural, well-kept beauty will take your breath away.

Hautefort

Surrounded by a towering stone wall, the benevolent Château de Hautefort sits graciously above this charming village (population 1,100). Leading you into the massive castle are extravagant French gardens forming curling shapes with green shrubs and colorful flowers.

The château's story is as sad as it is beautiful. Once lived in, defended, abandoned, and mostly destroyed in a locally infamous 1968 fire (started, the story goes, when a little girl dropped a lit cigarette), Château de Hautefort is a precious gift that was restored by the wealthy Baroness de Bastard, who died in 1999. Despite attention spurred by the 1998 Drew Barrymore film Ever After, which was filmed here, officials say tourism revenue is not keeping up with restoration costs.

Perhaps its beauty stays hidden from the major travel journals and the millions of people who read them because Hautefort is not an obnoxious tourist town that says, "Look at me." There are other castles in the area that attract more visitors from around the world, but there's something special about Château de Hautefort that makes you fall in love. When you leave, you miss hearing the wind blowing through its classic windows; you miss gazing at the ebony bookcases inlaid with copper, the sheep-bone chairs, the marble medallion profiling Louis XIV, the blue velvet canopy edged with strips of tapestry in the master bedroom, and the large original paintings by famous French painters. For just a few euros a person, the halls of Château de Hautefort will welcome you into its good graces and enchant you with its beauty, both inside and out.

Just below the château is the finest restaurant in town. Owned by a married couple, Les Foies Gras d'Erillac gives the palate a lesson in French country cooking. In America, Les Foies Gras d'Erillac's dishes would be featured in Gourmet magazine and command $60 or more a plate. But in this simple corner building, the elegant dishes are affordable. As a bonus, the co-owner (who is also the waitress) used to work in the French Pavilion at Walt Disney World, and she speaks fluent English. The menu, which comes in both English and French, features a wide range of the region's famous ingredients—chestnuts, walnuts, truffles, fresh duck and lamb, and of course, foies gras that melts in your mouth. There's even a vegetarian salad so delicious and zesty it will delight even the hungriest meat eater.

If you're up for a drink or two after dinner or lunch, people from all ages and different walks of life will welcome you to Le Bistrot with open arms. Much like the rest of this town, this tiny bar will never be featured in tourism books, but it's just as important to the town's culture as the château or the town's other main tourism attraction—the Museum of Medicine. In Le Bistrot, you can see the French for who they really are—kind, fun, and full of curiosity. Once they hear your English—or, if you speak French, your American accent—they will strike up a conversation and thank you for visiting their town. Somebody will more than likely buy you a drink or maybe even invite you over to dinner, and they'll definitely give you a kiss on the cheek.

Before you leave Hautefort, take a stroll through the old streets at sunset. The sunlight in this town and all across the Dordogne region has attracted the world's top painters for centuries. You'll especially appreciate the sun's warm light if you're a shutterbug.

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