Travel Review: Vacation in France, Grolejac Region, Brantome, Carcassonne, Usez, Prehistoric Cave Sites, Fine Dining

Included in the plan were hotels, restaurants and some guided days.  The hotels included an abbey several hundred years old in a lovely town (Brantome) where we parked in a cave and strolled the picturesque town.  We also marveled at staying in a castle built in 1492 at the bottom of a quite impressive gorge with serpentine roads to get there.  We stayed one night in a converted Bishop's residence in the walled city of Carcassonne.

We had one 2 star Michelin meal and two 1 star experiences.  The 2 star restaurant was one of the best meals of our lives.  We particularly enjoyed not knowing what the courses would be, each a pleasant surprise.  We ate well in each town we visited.

We visited three cave sites, Rouffignac, Lascaux and Pech Merle.  Our favorite was Pech Merle with Cro Magnon paintings dating back from 29,000 to 20,000 years ago.  This is truly amazing prehistory testimony.