Here is what Jay's favorite stand up comedian says about money matters in Europe. Apparently they are giving U.S. credit cards the ole heave-ho and ATM cards are the way to go:
http://www.ricksteves.com/tms/article.cfm?id=243&extras=false
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Money matters
Here is what Jay's favorite stand up comedian says about money matters in Europe. Apparently they are giving U.S. credit cards the ole heave-ho and ATM cards are the way to go:
http://www.ricksteves.com/tms/article.cfm?id=243&extras=false
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Cool Sites
Even though they're mostly in French, these sites have cool pictures and such.www.sites-en-perigord.com
www.pays-des-bastides.com
www.pays-de-bergerac.com (English)
Menu for Le Bistro d'en Face (Tremolat)
Movies shot in the Sarlat region
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Packing List
Hey,
Here's a link to my favorite stand-up comedian's European packing list. So if you're packing like me, please enjoy not forgetting anything.
JAY
Here's a link to my favorite stand-up comedian's European packing list. So if you're packing like me, please enjoy not forgetting anything.
JAY
Monday, June 13, 2011
2011 Dordogne Trip Itinerary
Hello folks,
Well, I'm heading across the pond this coming Friday and I wanted to wish you all a very pleasant few weeks leading up to our rendezvous at Gare Saint-Jean in Bordeaux at 9:01pm on the 9th of July. Congratulations to you all for making it this far in the journey. We've lost a few souls along the way who will be dearly missed but also laughed at in jest behind their backs during the week of July 9-16, 2011. Or, whatever.
Here's the deal:
-Saturday, July 9, 2011
Today will hopefully begin with everybody on board their respective airplanes and in-route to Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris, France. From CDG you will hang out and wait for the 4:36pm TGV Duplex 5222 train to Bordeaux. You'll get to Gare Saint-Jean in Bordeaux at 9:01pm where Kelly and Jay will whisk you away to your private chateau near the confluence of the rivers Dordogne and Vezere. The drive takes about 2 hours, so it'll be after 11pm when we arrive. We'll get settled, have a welcoming night cap and dance to Plastic Bertrand before turning in for the night.
-Sunday, July 10, 2011
Wake up to the Frenchie birds chipity-chirpin' at each other and if you feel like it, keep sleeping friends. Today we'll have a pretty lazy morning. We'll have breakfast whenever, followed by a bike fitting around 11am then a ride to get our eyes in shape for all the pretty-ass shit we're gonna see all week long. We'll ride South from Trémolat crossing the Dordogne river to a pretty-ass town called Cadouin. The whole route from Trémolat to Cadouin and back to Trémolat is just over 15 miles. We may stop for a cold drink on the way home, we may not. Fuck if I know. Once home we can kick it in the pool, or not. We can have a late lunch/early dinner thang. Whatever. We'll eat dinner out tonight at Le Bistrot D'en Face in Trémolat.
-Monday, July 11, 2011
We leave at 9am for Rocamadour and the famed Monkey Forest. We'll go by van today because the monkeys live so far from Trémolat. It's about two hours by car each way, so your sittin' bones are gettin' no relief today! We'll check shit out in Rocamadour and eat some lunch at a cafe. From there we'll head to the monkey feeding forest. We'll feed and we'll feed and we'll feed the monkeys popcorn then be on our two-hour way home to Trémolat. We'll stop in Sarlat to provision for tonight's dinner at home. The end (fin).
-Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Market day in Le Bugue 10am. We'll head back to the castle after everyone's had a chance to kick it old school for a few hours in Le Bugue at the market. We can get a bunch of amazing local produce and artisanal delights for lunch back at our palace on the glen. The afternoon is free to basically do what you want to do. Ride a bike (I have a really great loop that we can ride), take a swim, take a hike, take a nap, go for a beer, meet some french people, play some tennis maybe. Tonight we'll eat at home again. BBQ University Summer School Fiesta?
-Wednesday, July 13, 2011
9am departure for Lascaux II, the 17,000 year old cave painting replica. I know, I know, it's a replica, but it's a very pretty-ass replica and that I promise you. From there we'll get stocked up on picnicness and head to our picnic spot at St. Leon sur Vezere. We'll head home after getting our picnic on and the rest of the day is at your discretion. Dinner at home ce soir.
-Thursday, July 14, 2011. Bastille Day!
We'll storm the bike shed and head toward the monarchy's stronghold of Les Eyzies. We'll hire canoes and escorts to take us further upstream where we'll enjoy a beautiful calm float down the Vezere river with a picnic along the way. Once back to Les Eyzies we'll head home on bike and get ready to rock our socks off in Sarlat tonight. It should be a pretty festive atmosphere and I'm told that there are fireworks, so hell yeah!
-Friday, July 15, 2011
Shuttle to today's bike ride loop that includes some of my favorite little villages in all of France. In no particular order they are Beynac-et-Cazenac, La Roque-Gageac, Domme, Castelnaud-la-Chapelle and Cenac. We'll have lunch somewhere along the bike ride today. There will be a good deal of walking today too. I really love this area. From here we'll head home and get ready for our last duck-filled Dordogne feast.
-Saturday, July 16, 2011
Gotta skedaddle today. Jody, Becki (BPL), Steve, Rosie and myself will be taking off around 6am in order to get Jody and BPL to the airport in time for their flight back to Dublin. Steve and Rosie and I continue to Boulogne area to drop off bikes and van and shit. Kelly, Elizabeth, Ryan, Ivette and Jeff will need to take a cab from the mansion to Le Bugue and return the keys and wait for the 12:33pm train to Paris Austerlitz train station in Paris.
So that's a little summary of what's going to happen on the trip. Coming soon there will be detailed descriptions of each day's itinerary, including maps and other state-of-the-art multimedia experiences. Please stay tuned.
To summarize a little. We will eat at restaurants three times for dinner and two times for lunch. We'll have all breakfasts at home or from the local boulangerie, two picnic lunches, two lunches at home and three dinners at home. I'll make any reservations we might need. Hit me up on this blog shit if you've got any questions. Peace out!
Jay Michael Ballenberger and Kelly Lani Dougherty
Well, I'm heading across the pond this coming Friday and I wanted to wish you all a very pleasant few weeks leading up to our rendezvous at Gare Saint-Jean in Bordeaux at 9:01pm on the 9th of July. Congratulations to you all for making it this far in the journey. We've lost a few souls along the way who will be dearly missed but also laughed at in jest behind their backs during the week of July 9-16, 2011. Or, whatever.
Here's the deal:
-Saturday, July 9, 2011
Today will hopefully begin with everybody on board their respective airplanes and in-route to Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris, France. From CDG you will hang out and wait for the 4:36pm TGV Duplex 5222 train to Bordeaux. You'll get to Gare Saint-Jean in Bordeaux at 9:01pm where Kelly and Jay will whisk you away to your private chateau near the confluence of the rivers Dordogne and Vezere. The drive takes about 2 hours, so it'll be after 11pm when we arrive. We'll get settled, have a welcoming night cap and dance to Plastic Bertrand before turning in for the night.
-Sunday, July 10, 2011
Wake up to the Frenchie birds chipity-chirpin' at each other and if you feel like it, keep sleeping friends. Today we'll have a pretty lazy morning. We'll have breakfast whenever, followed by a bike fitting around 11am then a ride to get our eyes in shape for all the pretty-ass shit we're gonna see all week long. We'll ride South from Trémolat crossing the Dordogne river to a pretty-ass town called Cadouin. The whole route from Trémolat to Cadouin and back to Trémolat is just over 15 miles. We may stop for a cold drink on the way home, we may not. Fuck if I know. Once home we can kick it in the pool, or not. We can have a late lunch/early dinner thang. Whatever. We'll eat dinner out tonight at Le Bistrot D'en Face in Trémolat.
-Monday, July 11, 2011
We leave at 9am for Rocamadour and the famed Monkey Forest. We'll go by van today because the monkeys live so far from Trémolat. It's about two hours by car each way, so your sittin' bones are gettin' no relief today! We'll check shit out in Rocamadour and eat some lunch at a cafe. From there we'll head to the monkey feeding forest. We'll feed and we'll feed and we'll feed the monkeys popcorn then be on our two-hour way home to Trémolat. We'll stop in Sarlat to provision for tonight's dinner at home. The end (fin).
-Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Market day in Le Bugue 10am. We'll head back to the castle after everyone's had a chance to kick it old school for a few hours in Le Bugue at the market. We can get a bunch of amazing local produce and artisanal delights for lunch back at our palace on the glen. The afternoon is free to basically do what you want to do. Ride a bike (I have a really great loop that we can ride), take a swim, take a hike, take a nap, go for a beer, meet some french people, play some tennis maybe. Tonight we'll eat at home again. BBQ University Summer School Fiesta?
-Wednesday, July 13, 2011
9am departure for Lascaux II, the 17,000 year old cave painting replica. I know, I know, it's a replica, but it's a very pretty-ass replica and that I promise you. From there we'll get stocked up on picnicness and head to our picnic spot at St. Leon sur Vezere. We'll head home after getting our picnic on and the rest of the day is at your discretion. Dinner at home ce soir.
-Thursday, July 14, 2011. Bastille Day!
We'll storm the bike shed and head toward the monarchy's stronghold of Les Eyzies. We'll hire canoes and escorts to take us further upstream where we'll enjoy a beautiful calm float down the Vezere river with a picnic along the way. Once back to Les Eyzies we'll head home on bike and get ready to rock our socks off in Sarlat tonight. It should be a pretty festive atmosphere and I'm told that there are fireworks, so hell yeah!
-Friday, July 15, 2011
Shuttle to today's bike ride loop that includes some of my favorite little villages in all of France. In no particular order they are Beynac-et-Cazenac, La Roque-Gageac, Domme, Castelnaud-la-Chapelle and Cenac. We'll have lunch somewhere along the bike ride today. There will be a good deal of walking today too. I really love this area. From here we'll head home and get ready for our last duck-filled Dordogne feast.
-Saturday, July 16, 2011
Gotta skedaddle today. Jody, Becki (BPL), Steve, Rosie and myself will be taking off around 6am in order to get Jody and BPL to the airport in time for their flight back to Dublin. Steve and Rosie and I continue to Boulogne area to drop off bikes and van and shit. Kelly, Elizabeth, Ryan, Ivette and Jeff will need to take a cab from the mansion to Le Bugue and return the keys and wait for the 12:33pm train to Paris Austerlitz train station in Paris.
So that's a little summary of what's going to happen on the trip. Coming soon there will be detailed descriptions of each day's itinerary, including maps and other state-of-the-art multimedia experiences. Please stay tuned.
To summarize a little. We will eat at restaurants three times for dinner and two times for lunch. We'll have all breakfasts at home or from the local boulangerie, two picnic lunches, two lunches at home and three dinners at home. I'll make any reservations we might need. Hit me up on this blog shit if you've got any questions. Peace out!
Jay Michael Ballenberger and Kelly Lani Dougherty
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Famous Dordognians/Acquitainians
Hello history buffs!
Have you ever wondered who roamed the hills and valleys of the Dordogne region before us? All sorts of characters have made Dordogne their stomping grounds:
Crassus -- Weathy Roman tyrant who conquered this area under Caesar's army.
Charlemagne -- Spread Christianity to the region, causing cathedrals and abbeys to pop up.
Eleanor of Aquitaine -- She's considered by some to be the first queen in modern Europe, and the inspiration for Guinevere in the King Arthur tales.
Troubadours -- That's right, fellas, the ladies of Colorado are expecting poetry and song.
Montaigne -- Famous French scholar, known for such sayings as "When I play with my cat, how do I know that she is not playing with me rather than I with her?"
Cyrano de Bergerac -- The story was based on this man's nose.
Montesquieu -- Famous political scholar, whose writings influenced the foundations for democracy and slavery reform.
Goya -- He really liked Bordeaux and died there.
Josephine Baker -- A Vaudeville star with her own country chateau.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Dordogne Market Days
When in the Dordogne you will want to visit one or two local markets. The markets are often the best place to buy fresh local produce, and most towns are at their best and most colorful on market days.
Note that most markets are significantly larger during the summer months and can become rather less impressive on a rainy day in February!
Below I have listed the days for most of the Dordogne markets. During the summer many towns also have nocturnal markets (marche nocturne) where you can eat, drink and listen to music in a communal atmosphere.
Listed are a few market towns near where we'll be and their market days.
Monday -Les Eyzies
Tuesday -Le Bugue and Tremolat (Our home town homies)
Wednesday -Sarlat and Montignac
Thursday -Domme
Saturday -Sarlat and Montignac
Friday, May 20, 2011
Travel Guides
Howdy travelers,
I am reading two awesome travel guides that I would recommend if you want to get even more excited about the trip.
The first is Dordodgne, Bordeaux, and the Southwest Coast by Eyewitness Travel Guides. This one has totally awesome pictures of the scenery, castles, and food of the area. It has a tiny mention of our town, Tremolat, and the surrounding areas.
The second is the Rough Guide to the Dordogne and the Lot.
After hearing about the discussions of where we'll be going each day, I would recommend these guides highly, because you can see maps, pictures, and read descriptions; it will really get you psyched up!
Both of these are available through Prospector if you want to check 'em out!
Do you know of other guides? Post them here!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Carte de bibliothèque
To access many of the articles and books that I am going to mention in the blog, you may have to dig out your library card if you aren't already a frequent user of it.Most of the books can be ordered through the Colorado inter-library loan service called Prospector, where you get them from a far away library and have them delivered to your closest library. But to do this, you do need a card from one of the libraries that participates in Prospector , including Denver, Poudre , and UCCS and CC in the Springs (Pikes Peak does not, though they may be able to order through regular inter-library loan.)
For many of the articles, I will be able to provide snippets, but not the whole thing for copyright reasons. So I will give you the citations, and try to provide directions for how to access them from your libraries. Happy reading!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Bonjour!
Hey friends,
I created this blog in order to have an easy place to share info. about our upcoming trip, and so that I could post all the great resources I am finding about the Dordogne region. Hope you find some of these books, articles, web sites, etc. helpful and I would like to know what you're finding as well so feel free to post whatever you wish. Even "WHHHEEEEEE WE'RE GOING TO FRANCE!" is perfectly acceptable...
Becki
Relive the animated story of the Dordogne
See picts of our house
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