This weekend is Heritage Days in Europe (Journées du Patrimoine in French), when an astounding list of places are either open when they usually are not, or are free of charge, or include guided tours. It’s a great time to visit Europe, because it’s a time to see things you otherwise might not be able to visit.
The Château de Val is generally open, so I don’t think much was different. But the Patrimoine people were there, handing out all kinds of information, and the local fishermen were doing some kind of event on the lake.
There’s a myth that Dieudonné d’Estaing saved the life of the French king, Philippe Auguste, in the Holy Land in 1214. In return, the king gave him land and some extensive rights. That story has been disproved, but it’s still a pretty good story. Meanwhile, the castle we see today was probably begun in the 13th century, and then heavily modified in the late 14th and early 15th centuries.
And while what we see today is a picturesque fairy-tale setting on a lake, there was no lake when the arrows were flying here. Shortly after World War II, the French electrical giant, EDF, pushed out the last owners of the castle, the d’Arcy family, in order to build a dam and flood the valley. The castle was to be fully submerged. After a protracted battle with the d’Arcy family, EDF backed down and agreed to a lower water level in order to preserve the castle, but the family had already left, taking all of their furniture with them (including nearly everything original to the castle’s construction).
In 1953, EDF sold the castle for one French franc, to the nearby town of Bort-les-Orgues, which continues to maintain the castle.
From the castle, we drove up to les Orgues de Bort, just outside the town of Bort-des-Orgues. The French “les Orgues” refers to a rock formation that has the vertical look of the pipes on a pipe organ. The rock cliffs themselves were lovely, although not out of this world. However, the setting is quite wonderful: perched on what feels like the edge of the world, there is a little café with tables and chairs, and a view that spans 180 degrees, from Puy-de-Dôme and its volcanic mountains to the northeast, then south into the valleys of the Dordogne River, to the mountains of the Cantal, and finally to the hills of the northern part of the Aveyron. It’s a pretty darn sensational place to sit and gaze, maybe sip on a beer, chat with friends, breathe… and be happy that it’s not raining on this particular day!
After our refreshing lunch break, we drove different directions for the remainder of the afternoon. I had a few tasks on my plate, including finding a gas station, and I really wanted a break. Back in our chambres-d’hôtes (bed and breakfast), I got started re-packing my stuff, took a nap, and generally didn’t do much before dinner. Tomorrow we’re parting ways, as Maryse and Claude will head southwest, to visit friends, and I’ll be turning my car toward volcano country in Puy-de-Dôme.
Note: I apologize for this arriving late: it was almost ready to post when the WiFi failed, and stayed down for quite a long time.
Lo Vedo Life 