The Woods Hole Public Library continues its series of Winter Travel Talks with a presentation by Betsy Gladfelter of her recent trip to the Dordogne region of France, along with three other women from Falmouth: Lynn Christman, Trish Halpin, and Mary Kavanagh. They hiked through the dramatic limestone country, walking 10-15 miles each day on trails and gravel roads taking them to dramatic heights overlooking the river and caves.
They ventured into some of those caves, overcoming their claustrophobia after hours in the open air. As Betsy describes “Riverside picnics, ancient villages, religious ways, and limestone plateaus pierced by enormous cave systems dominated our weeklong ramble through the Dordogne region. Naturally, the little inn at the end of a hot day was eagerly anticipated, not only for its cooling swimming pool, but also for gastronomic specialties of the region, especially cheeses, walnuts, and wine.”
The group began their journey with a few days in Toulouse, a beautiful city bounded by two watercourses, the Garonne River, draining the slopes of the Pyrenees, and the Canal du Midi. While there, they drove to visit the Niaux Cave with its Paleolithic paintings, dating from 17,000 to 11,000 years before present.
As always, Betsy will illustrate the talk with her stunning photos and will share many intriguing details about this area. The talk will start at 7:30 PM and last about I hour.
For more information, call the Library ay 508-548-8961