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Aquitaine |
The region's history began thousands of year's ago when Cro-magnon man lived in the caves of the Périgord and left cave paintings in sites such as Lascaux and Les Eyzies. More recent remnants of Aquitaine's history date from the time of Eléonore of Aquitaine, consort of Louis VII, King of France. When she married Henry Plantagenet, who became King of England in 1154, she began several centuries of conflict between the French and English for control of Aquitaine. Today, the fortified villages and castles built during this time offer charm to the winding countryside and provide interesting stops along the road.
Aquitaine's capital, Bordeaux is a thriving port city on the Garonne River with beautiful 18th-century mansions and architecture, including its Grand Theatre by architect Victor Louis, excellent shopping and numerous cultural events, such as the traditional May Music Festival.
Bordeaux is particularly well known for its surrounding wine-growing region. The vineyards of Bordeaux with their Margaux, Médoc, Sauternes and St. Emilion wines are leaders in their fields in an area where many other excellent wines are produced. Most chateaux open their doors to allow visits to their cellars and wine tastings.
The varied Aquitaine region includes not only the prehistoric caves, villages and rolling river valleys of the Dordogne and the Bordeaux vineyards, but also the rocky Pyrénées mountain chain, the Basque country with its beautiful beaches, excellent surfing and picturesque fishing villages, the flat forest land of the Landes and the medieval castles and villages in Lot-et-Garonne.
Places of Interest
Agen - Rich agricultural area, famous for its prunes, Renaissance mansions with art museums, Saint-Caprais Cathedral
Arcachon - Elegant Atlantic resort, casino, 374-foot Dune du Pyla
Bayonne - Old streets and fortifications, annual Ham Fair, 12th/16th century cathedral, medieval fortress, 17th-century citadel of Vauban and Bishop's palace, Bonnat Museum, Basque Museum
Beynac - 13th-century castle
Biarritz - Fashionable seaside resort, casino, golf course
Bordeaux - Extensive vineyards of fine wines, Fine Arts Museum, Grand Théâtre, and châteaux
Brantôme - Town built on the Dronne River, former abbey on the river bank with an 11th century bell tower
Ciboure - Birthplace of the composer Maurice Ravel, St. Vincent church with octagonal belfry
Dax - Spa with hot springs and mud baths, main center for Gallo-Roman archeology in the Landes, Borda museum, archeological crypt, arena, Gothic cathedral
Duras - 14th century castles
Hossegor - Peaceful site among pines, oak trees, and mimosas. Sheltered lake, yachting port of Capbreton, summer sport facilities
Les Eyzies - Museum for Prehistory in the former castle of the Lords of Beynac, Cave of the Great Rock. Font-de-Gaume and Combarelles are other important prehistoric centers.
Lascaux II - Exact replica of the cave discovered in 1940 with 1,500 drawings
Montflanquin - Well-preserved fortified village in Aquitaine
Pau - Birthplace and castle of Henri IV with National Museum
Périgueux - Cloister of Saint Front Cathedral, Romanesque church of St. Etienne de la Cité, Maison du Lur and the galleried Consul's House
St. Emilion - Quaint wine village with steep narrow streets, and monolithic church
Saint-Jean-de-Luz - Seaside resort and fishing village, Basque church, home of the Basque country's pelota (Jai-Alai)
St.-Jean-Pied-de-Port - Ancient city with Citadel, bright Basque houses in steep streets
Sarlat - Heart of the Périgord region, old town with medieval dwellings and restored Renaissance houses, Maison de la Boetie, Cathedral, the Présidial, 14th century Hôtel Plamon.
Wines
Among the wines of the Bordeaux region, there are three distinctive areas: Médoc, famous for its fine red wines, the left of the Garonne with Graves and Sauternes, Saint-Emilion and its surroundings, Entre-Deux-Mers, and Côtes de Blaye.
Most of the Châteaux, especially in Médoc, make sure that an informed representative is available to greet visitors, take them on a tour of the cellars, explain the processes involved in making the wine, and invite them to taste the most recent harvest; tours generally include visits to the cellars only, not the Châteaux themselves. In the Médoc area three wine museums are also worth a visit.
Cusine
The most celebrated regional specialty is foie gras, specially prepared livers of geese and ducks, seasoned and stuffed with regional truffles. Confits (preserved goose and duck) are a key ingredient in a number of dishies. Fish and seafood, like carp stuffed with foie gras, mullet in red wine are also common. Oysters are served with Entre-deux-Mers wine, with tiny sausages or crepinettes. Meals are accompanied by the many fine wines of the region such as Médoc red wines, Graves dry whites or Sauterne sweet white wines and concluded with the region's Armagnac.
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