Perigueux: Preserving its Past

La cathedrale St Front - Perigueux

Perigueux is a big French city with a long history of occupation as evidenced by the variety of architectural styles that can be seen spanning the Roman times through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance up to the present day. 

Like many big cities it was a nightmare to ride into until we found the cycle path along the river l’Isle which took us from the busy national highway on the outskirts of Perigueux right into the heart of the old city at the Pont de Barris. 

Then things were definitely looking up  -  literally -- as the Cathedrale St Front on the edge of the medieval city dominates the skyline from most vantage points.

 

 

After ten days straight with backsides on bicycle seats; we were ready for a day of tourist laziness and Perigueux fit the bill perfectly. The old town is a pedestrian only area as are so many in France.  This adds an extra layer of enjoyment to the tourist experience. We were charmed by the cobbled streets; the open squares lined with cafes restaurants and small shops and the stone buildings dating from a number of different eras.

 

We were fortunate that our day of touring happened when the town had its bi weekly market. Nothing animates a French town as much as a market. Every square was crammed with vendors of bread fruit vegetables cheeses fish meat  wine and flowers. In fact everything you could want for a quality French life style is available to you in a French market.

We wandered. We bought some little savoury tarts for lunch and we sat at a sidewalk café watching the people go about their shopping. 

  There are few things that I like more than people watching and as this was a French city there were of course beautifully dressed women. I tried to absorb their style; take lessons from their appearance;  store their confident approach to life but I fear I am missing the fashion gene. Still – it was fun.

The local government has done a marvellous job of preserving the city’s  heritage  continuing to renovate and redo the old buildings. When they needed to renew the water mains they didn’t just asphalt over the repair; they replaced the cobble stones one by one in a backbreaking labour that is done on the worker’s hands and knees. Of course their policies bring in the tourists and that puts money in everyone’s pockets.

In Perigueux we walked and we walked and we walked. From exploring all the quaint ruelles and alleyways of the medieval city to strolling the more stately cobbled streets lined with renaissance townhouses; we enjoyed it all.

 Out of the medieval city in an area known as Le Cite lie the ruins of a Roman amphitheatre that once seated 20000. As the French care for their 'patrimoine' as they call it; they have developed a city park around it.

Roman ruins of a temple

It goes without saying that we ate well in Perigueux although my researched restaurants either looked like they had seen better days or were too formal for our tastes. We settled on two that appealed to us and we were not sorry to have departed from “the plan”.

Leaving Perigueux on the bike was an unpleasant experience as we did not have the benefit of the bike path. It meant a couple of hours of nasty traffic before we got to the smaller roads that led us into the Valle de la Lozere : to  pre-history and the caves of Cro Magnon man.