Dordogne Valley: 8/30 – 9/4

After our exciting and action-packed stays in Paris and Puy du Fou, we headed to a relaxed campsite in the Dordogne region of France to spend our final days in the country at a slower pace. On the 31st, we took two kayaks down the Dordogne River to enjoy the many magnificent castles and medieval towns that line its banks. During the ride, we passed under several bridges—most of which we raced to. (My team went undefeated the entire time, while the other team was repeatedly distracted by butterflies and other such things.)

After kayaking, we got back into our car and decided to visit the Museum of Medieval History at the Château de Castelnaud, a key site during the Hundred Years’ War. The castle is perched on a hill, offering sweeping views across the valley. Inside the fortress were numerous displays featuring a wide range of weapons, armor, siege equipment, and early firearms. Strangely, there was an entire room dedicated to crossbows—dozens of different types and bolts were on display. Overall, I think this visit was my favorite part of our trip to France.

The next day, we visited a nearby religious pilgrimage site, which featured a myriad of biblical scenes. While observing these, my dad pointed out a group of black-clad priests along the path and jokingly claimed they were from Assassin’s Creed. On September 2nd, we descended into a massive limestone chasm that had been eroded over millions of years by rainfall, creating an expansive cave system beneath the surface. We began by walking down roughly 200 steps before boarding a small ferry to cross a subterranean river. Along the way, we saw massive stalactites hanging toward the water. Though the water was extremely cold, it was relatively shallow and very clear. We then climbed another set of stairs, during which I discovered a hole in the ground—my designated hiding place for the remnants of humanity after World War III. That basically concluded our time in the French countryside, after which we boarded a bus to Spain.