A supersize viaduct with a side of gorges

Le Viaduc de Millau is the world’s tallest bridge.

As summer begins to ebb, we embark on a mini-vacation to Millau and Les Gorges du Tarn, about 3.5 hours southeast of the Dordogne. A few years ago I caught only a glimpse of the Viaduc de Millau when we stopped overnight in Millau enroute from the Côte d’Azure. This time, it’s our primary destination.

It’s amazing that the world’s largest bridge was built in just three years (following 14 years of preparation). Opening in Dec. 2004, the majestic span is a gateway to France’s Massif Central. Bridges and viaducts are structurally the same, but here’s the difference: A bridge links two sides, and a viaduct links two very high points. Here, those two points are the edges of the valley of the Tarn river. The six central spans of the viaduct are 342 meters tall — 18 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower. Its two end spans measure 204 meters.

The Millau Viaduct is 2,460 meters long.

There are several good viewing points in and around the city of Millau, but the best place to check out the bridge is at the Aire du Viaduc de Millau. This rest area can be accessed both from the A75 motorway (either direction) and from Boulevard du Viaduc (a 10-minute drive from Millau town center). The rest area includes the Aveyron visitors’ center, a snack bar, souvenir shop and restrooms. From here it is a short walk to the viewpoint. Guided tours are also offered. For more information, visit the Viaduc du Millau website here.

The Viaduc de Millau visitors’ center is the starting point for
learning about the bridge and surrounding area.

A panel on the wall of the Viaduc de Millau visitors’ center depicts
Aveyron scenes.

Nestled in a valley surrounded by steep rocky cliffs, the city of Millau is worth a visit. This trip we stay at a small inn on a dairy farm (Chambres à la Ferme), but don’t rule out the unusual charms of a budget stay at Hôtel Bowling de Millau — an actual bowling alley that we stayed at several years ago.

A fountain dominates Millau’s Place du Mandarous.

Millau’s narrow streets contain a good assortment
of shops and restaurants.

Millau’s Lavoir de l’Ayrolle was built in the 1740s on the orders
of King Louis XV.

The skies threaten rain as we set out for the Gorges du Tarn. We won’t cover many miles today, but what we see on this brief trip leaves us eager to return and delve deeper into the Causses and Cévennes.

Château de Peyrelade was one of the most important
fortresses in Rouergue during the Middle Ages

.Our first stop is Château de Peyrelade, a medieval fortress overlooking the Tarn valley. Built between the 12th and 16th centuries, the fortress was one of the most important in Rouergue — a former province bordered by Auvergne, Languedoc, Gévaudan and Quercy.

The wooden gallery at Château de Peyrelade offers spectacular views
of the Tarn Gorges and Grands Causses.

Remains of stone buildings can be seen from the ramparts of Château de Peyrelade.

Our visit starts with a short film before we set off to explore the castle remains on our own. The château is open from May to mid-September. For information, visit the Château de Peyrelade website here.

I’m eager for an up-close view of the gorges, so we stop at a quirky roadside attraction, Le Pas de Soucy. It costs just 50 centimes to climb a few flights of steps to an overlook above the Tarn.

For a half-euro, climb the steps at Le Pas de Soucy and take in a
beautiful view of the Tarn Gorges.

When we told friends we were going to visit les Gorges du Tarn, they inevitably asked if we’d be canoeing. It’s not in the cards for this trip, although we spend a bit of time watching canoes and kayaks maneuver the rapids at the village of Les Vignes.

Canoes and kayaks scoot over rapids in Les Vignes.

As with other trips we’ve made to the Massif Central, we see only a tiny piece of this beautiful region. How wonderful to know we can come back for more.

Explore prehistory in a dazzling new setting

Thousands of prehistoric paintings such as this can be seen at the new
Lascaux International Centre of Cave Art in the Périgord region.

The accidental discovery of the Lascaux cave in the Périgord region of southwest France can be credited to a dog named Robot. It was 77 years to the day I am publishing this blog post (Sept. 8, 1940) that 18-year-old Marcel Ravidat was walking with his dog through the hills near Montignac-sur-Vézère. Here’s how the event is recounted on the Lascaux IV website:

“When the dog disappeared down a hole in the ground, left by an uprooted tree some years earlier, the young mechanic’s apprentice began throwing stones into it. They rolled and rolled deep down into the earth. Marcel could feel it: he had just found something extraordinary. Could it be the local legend, an underground passage leading to Lascaux Manor? He returned only four days later with a few friends to discover one of the greatest archaeological works of art of the 20th century.”

That discovery — Lascaux cave — contains a treasure trove of prehistoric art, created 20,000 years ago by Cro-Magnum Man. Thousands of paintings of large animals and fauna adorn the walls, providing clues to life in the Upper Paleolithic period. Lascaux was opened to the public, but in 1963 when it became apparent that the artwork was deteriorating due to the carbon dioxide, heat, humidity and germs brought in by visitors, the decision was made to close the cave. Today, only scientists are allowed to visit the original Lascaux cave. Even Mick Jagger’s yearly request for a visit is denied.

Visitors to the workshop at Laxcaux International Centre of Cave Art
examine reproductions of the famous Lascaux paintings.

In 1983, Lascaux II opened nearby, allowing visitors to see exact replicas of Lascaux’s Great Hall of Bulls and the Painted Gallery. A touring replica, Lascaux III, hit the road in 2012, offering visitors across the globe the chance to experience the cave. In addition to Bordeaux and Paris, the exhibition has traveled to the U.S., Canada, Belgium, Switzerland and Asia, and it may be heading to Australia next.

Lascaux International Centre of Cave Art opened in Dec. 2016.

Late last year (on Dec. 15, 2016) the new International Centre for Cave Art (Lascaux IV) opened in Montignac. Half-buried in the Lascaux hillside, the center is more than a mere replica. Combining art, history, science and technology, Lascaux IV is an incredible learning experience.

I had been looking for an excuse to visit, and our visiting French student, who had never visited this prehistoric area of the Dordogne, provides my chance. We booked online a few days in advance (highly recommended, although some slots are saved for visitors who arrive in person at 8:30 a.m.). Tours leave every 20 minutes, although only two are offered each day in English. We arrive about a half-hour before our tour starts and unwind from our drive in the huge reception lobby. When our tour is called, we meet our guide and are given headsets and tablets. At points along the tour, the tablets enhance what we’re seeing and are a personalized high-tech guide for our visit to the discovery workshop. The tablets also can serve as cameras, and you can arrange to have the photos emailed to you later.

Although no one knows for sure what the Lascaux artists were trying
to tell us, theories are presented in the Lascaux IV workshop.

Our guide takes our group of around 20 to Le Belvédère, where we hear about the cave’s discovery and are given a preview of what we’ll see inside. Inside the grotte, which is kept at 13C degrees (the same constant temperature of the original cave), we are guided through a complete reproduction of Lascaux. After the guided tour, we spend an hour or so on our own exploring L’Atelier de Lascauxwhere we delve into various aspects of the cave’s art, geology, climate and history. Then it’s on to a 3D film and a browse in the gift shop. We skip the café because we’re stopping for lunch in Les Eyzies-de-Tayac-Sireuil on the way home.

How body heat affects the Lascaux cave paintings is explained at the
Lascaux International Centre of Cave Art.

Lascaux Centre International de L’Art Parietal is open year-round. The area surrounding Montignac is rich with prehistoric sites, so a full day can include stops at the nearby Parc du Thot, the National Museum of Prehistory in Les Ezyies, and a number of other caves, rock shelters, and prehistoric villages. Visit the Lascaux website here for hours and tickets.

A visit to Lascaux International Centre of Cave Art ends at the gift shop.