The Lincolns took me to one of the most significant sites in this region and, in terms of sheer numbers, one of the oldest surviving sites in human history: the cave at Lascaux. Technically it wasn’t the actual site, because Lascaux II is an extremely detailed copy of the original cavern with atmospheric machines to ensure that the chemicals and microbes in tourists’ breath don’t corrupt the cave paintings. Waiting for the tour to start it began to pour down rain. I didn’t take any photos, but any pictures I’d seen of the paintings previously, even in National Geographic, were totally inadequate to convey the artistic grandeur that I actually saw. The images must have been even more powerful when viewed by wavering torchlight instead of constant electric light. You really do get a sense of movement from the murals of horses, deer, and aurochs. For ancient people the two cave rooms must have been the equivalent of the most exquisite cathedrals or mosques of the modern world. It was definitely one of the most moving sites I’ve visited in France thus far, and I highly recommend it to anyone else who comes to Aquitaine.
The rest of the day we spent seeing the scenery on the way back, and when we got home I took some film shots in the garden. The Lincolns’ neighbors, an American couple, also came over with their daughter and her friends from St. Andrews in Scotland. We talked for a while, and they invited me to use their WiFi tomorrow before church, so after more than a week, I’ll finally get to post all these accounts of what I’ve been doing. Have fun reading them all!
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