La Petite Poche

La Petite Poche Bienvenue a La Petitie Poche! This charming, stone c.1820 guest house in the Dordogne River valley o

I want to ride my bicycle! I want to ride my bike!Detailed route maps for the 2026 Tour de France have been released! Cy...
28/03/2026

I want to ride my bicycle! I want to ride my bike!

Detailed route maps for the 2026 Tour de France have been released! Cyclists will be riding through Sarlat-le-Caneda, just under an hour west of Vayrac by car (or 3-1/4 hours by bicycle) during Stage 8 on Saturday, July 11, as they wind their way between Perigueux and the Bergerac wine region.

You'll find Sarlat at the top of the vertical red line at the lower-center of the map. Vayrac is almost directly east at the far right.

There’s an old joke in Paris that the top of the Montparnasse Tower has the prettiest view in the French capital - not b...
23/02/2026

There’s an old joke in Paris that the top of the Montparnasse Tower has the prettiest view in the French capital - not because of its breathtaking views of the Eiffel Tower or the Sacre Coeur Basilica atop Montmartre, but because it’s the only place where you don’t have to see the skyscraper itself.

The tallest skyscrapers in Vayrac are a pedestrian-friendly three stories, still in keeping with their original “mixed use” design with shops or restaurants on the street level, and apartments above. While in Paris, the 59-story, chocolate-colored glass Tour Montparnasse is the only true skyscraper and, although it’s a visual landmark to get your bearings on a walking tour of the city, it’s been generally reviled as a blight on the skyline of the “City of Light” since it opened in 1973.

Now Montparnasse is being reborn, from the skyline to the street level, and the tower is set to shine - transparent, green, and full of life! The entire complex, including its long-abandoned shopping center, will undergo a major transformation. The project will turn the tower into a transparent, glass structure hosting hotels, retail spaces, and services, topped with an urban farm greenhouse for fruits and vegetables. The shopping center, renovated by Renzo Piano, will be partially dismantled to create a walk-through, open, green space. Construction is scheduled for 2028 with the goal to restore transparency and natural light to the ground floor, revitalizing this iconic district.

More than 20 acres between Rue de Rennes and Avenue du Maine will be revamped in the process. The plaza will be de-paved and planted with nearly 2,000 trees, and new Haussmann-style buildings will house offices, student housing, shops, and rooftop sports facilities. Montparnasse will no longer be just an office tower - it will become a symbol of urban diversity, greenery, and modernity.

While it's currently 59F and mostly sunny six hours south in Vayrac, Paris is under a yellow flood alert as the Seine Ri...
23/02/2026

While it's currently 59F and mostly sunny six hours south in Vayrac, Paris is under a yellow flood alert as the Seine River continues to rise after several weeks of heavy rainfall.

Several lower riverbanks and roads along the Seine have been temporarily closed as a precaution. Areas such as the Port des Tuileries, the Port de la Concorde, parts of the Voie Georges Pompidou, and sections near Île de la Cité are among the locations affected. Officials say the situation is typical for the winter season and is expected to slowly recede in the coming days.

Do you really need another reason to come south?

During European Heritage Days last Fall, Notre Dame de Paris’ iconic towers, which had been closed since the devastating...
22/02/2026

During European Heritage Days last Fall, Notre Dame de Paris’ iconic towers, which had been closed since the devastating fire of 2019, reopened at long last. For the first time in six years, visitors can once again climb the cathedral’s 424 steps, leading to one of the most breathtaking views in Paris.

Visitors can now experience:
- A remarkable, full 360-degree panoramic view of Paris
- The cathedral’s two largest bells
- A new terrace between the towers, offering a vantage point of the roof structure
- A revolutionary new double-helix staircase, engineered specifically for the reopening

The towers are more than a climb; they are a testament to resilience, craftsmanship, and the global community that continues to make Notre Dame’s renaissance possible.

Take a virtual guided climb here: https://youtu.be/AvEV2_gB5A4?si=ZDB8VpZkTTxUwD1u

Bonne Saint-Valentin!It’s said that the French invented love, and Paris has long been called the city of love. There’s e...
14/02/2026

Bonne Saint-Valentin!

It’s said that the French invented love, and Paris has long been called the city of love. There’s even an art installation called Le mur des je t'aime - the I love you wall - where “I love you” is written in more than 250 languages that has become a rendezvous for lovers. Romance isn’t concentrated in just one city, though - it takes a village.

Just off the A20 from Paris to Vayrac lies the village of Saint Valentin in the heart of the Loire Valley. The self-proclaimed “village of love” is decorated with red roses, lovers marry in the garden gazebo, and couples commemorate their love on the 'Tree of Eternal Hearts,’ or plant a tree in honor of their marriage or anniversary.

Further southwest of Vayrac, there’s also the village of Condom. “Condom” doesn't really mean anything in French - the equivalent word is préservatif or, in translation, "English overcoat” - but after the village sign was repeatedly stolen, the mayor of the town dependably took things too far and encouraged the opening of a museum celebrating not Condom but condoms.

Shaken, not stirred...A neighbor's resident rooster crows the sleepy village awake promptly as the first rays of sun pie...
12/02/2026

Shaken, not stirred...

A neighbor's resident rooster crows the sleepy village awake promptly as the first rays of sun pierce the morning sky to chase the stars away. In the bustle of daily life between the village and house chores, it’s sometimes easy to forget that just across the street, at the base of Rue du Fort, lies some of the region's most fertile farmland in the floodplain of the Dordogne River and its tributaries, where fields of walnut and almond trees compete with vineyards, sunflowers, and lavender, and where flocks of sheep and gaggles of geese co-exist with herds of white Charolais cattle in the ancient stone barns. Those same barns held national art treasures from the Louvre safely in hiding from the N***s during WWII.

Life along the scenic Route de la Noix (walnut road) that traverses southwest France through the Dordogne valley reflects the seasons as the Perigord region’s “green gold” trees turn a vibrant neon with new leaves in the Spring, and farmers harvest their crops in the Fall, not unlike the Italians harvesting olives, spreading nets over the ground to collectively catch the bounty shaken from the heavily laden branches above. Even the gnarled lichen-covered groves continue to yield their sweet treasures from generation to generation, the bright crackle of their shells releasing the succulent meat hidden inside.

The preferred method is to only gather the ripened crop that time, wind, and gravity have already brought to the ground, but the rules of the harvest allow some gentle shaking of the limbs to help the natural process along. And modern technology is grudgingly introducing more efficient, mechanical methods of gathering the nuts, but they're never as thorough - or as spirited - as the time-honored manual tradition.

Like a necklace of jewels, Vayrac is ringed by more “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” than any other region in the cou...
06/02/2026

Like a necklace of jewels, Vayrac is ringed by more “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” than any other region in the country. The designation is awarded to small towns in France with a rich cultural heritage and a small tourist footprint.

Out of the 184 villages currently registered, they are overwhelmingly located in the South, with Vayrac’s province of Occitanie at 51, 35 in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and 24 in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. And of the 51 in Occitanie, the Lot departement (similar to counties in the U.S.) where Vayrac sits has eight!

The three selection criteria are the rural nature of the village (a population of fewer than 2,000 inhabitants), the presence of at least two national heritage sites, and local support in the form of a vote by the council.

These are just a few of the plus beaux villages closest to Vayrac. Come, see for yourself!

Bonne Chandeleur! La Chandeleur is a day to eat pancakes each year on 2 February, the point of mid-winter, On the day of...
02/02/2026

Bonne Chandeleur! La Chandeleur is a day to eat pancakes each year on 2 February, the point of mid-winter, On the day of Fête de la Chandeleur, the whole of France feasts on crêpes - not the big, fluffy pancakes like in the U.S.

La Chandeleur has ancient roots. Although no one really knows why the French eat pancakes on this day, it’s claimed that fifth-century Pope Gelasius I, who helped establish the tradition of Chandeleur, used to offer crêpes to pilgrims who visited his church.

For the French, this is one of the most superstitious days of the year, mostly involving lighting or blowing out candles for candelmas. But there are a few fun superstitions involving crêpes. One is that you have to hold a gold coin in your left hand while you flip the crêpe with your right hand to bring good luck and prosperity for the year ahead. But don’t drop the crêpe on the floor or this might not be your year!

Maybe a safer bet is the custom of putting your crêpe on top of an armoire or in a drawer, which also brings good luck apparently. No one seems to know how long it has to stay there, from 5 minutes to 24 hours, 48 hours, a week, or more!

I suggest the best way to celebrate, though, is just to fill it with your favorite fresh fruit or Bonne Maman preserves, add a little powdered sugar and a drizzle of chocolate sauce on top, and eat it while it’s still warm! Carpe diem! Carpe les crêpes!

Controversy at Notre Dame de Paris, where (almost) everything old is new again!The designs for six new stained-glass win...
16/01/2026

Controversy at Notre Dame de Paris, where (almost) everything old is new again!

The designs for six new stained-glass windows for Notre-Dame Cathedral have gone on display in an exhibition at the Grand Palais. The windows, designed by French artist Claire Tabouret, were commissioned to commemorate the cathedral’s nearly $900 million restoration following the 2019 fire. They will be replacing six monochrome windows commissioned by 19th-century architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc on the cathedral’s south side that suffered no damage during the fire.

The works by Tabouret were selected from over 100 submissions during a competition held by the French Ministry of Culture. As instructed by the competition committee, her vibrant window designs depict the story of the Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ followers in Jerusalem. The biblical story was chosen because it describes the appearance of “tongues of fire,” which connects the project to the 2019 blaze.

After the French Ministry of Culture announced its plans to update the stained glass, more than 300,000 people signed a petition opposing the project, including France’s National Heritage Commission, which insisted that the change conflicts with international heritage guidelines.

Renovations have long played a role in Notre-Dame’s history. The 19th-century windows that preservationists are jumping to defend were affixed to the cathedral centuries after it was built. Viollet-le-Duc himself oversaw many updates and changes to the cathedral during his time.

The new windows will also be more reflective of the vibrant, immersive spectacle typical of medieval cathedrals when they were originally built, when bold, saturated colors had meaning. The medieval world was anything but dull. Its churches were designed to dazzle, instruct, and envelop visitors in color, light, and meaning, from painted façades to stained glass that quite literally bathed worshippers in sacred hues. Exterior sculptures were painted to resemble living figures, while interiors were layered with murals, patterned columns, and richly colored vaults. Of these, many colors still survive at sites like the Gothic cathedrals in Amiens and Chartres. Weathering, oxidation, and pollution gradually stripped paint from stone, but later human choices mattered even more. During the Reformation movement of the 16th century, murals were deliberately painted over to fit new ideals. In the 18th and 19th centuries, restorers scraped paint from statues and walls to match modern tastes that prized “pure” stone. These decisions reshaped how the Middle Ages would be remembered. So the gray stone cathedrals we see today aren’t timeless relics - they’re interpretations of later centuries.

On your way to Vayrac from Paris, drive through the village of Poce-sur-Cisse just off the A10 and say hello to MIck Jag...
15/01/2026

On your way to Vayrac from Paris, drive through the village of Poce-sur-Cisse just off the A10 and say hello to MIck Jagger at his Chateau de Fourchette. Originally owned by Duke Etienne-Francois de Choiseul, a celebrated Army officer and finance minister under Louis XVI, Sir MIck has owned the property and its 50 acres since 1982. You can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might see him tending his vegetable garden or pruning roses in his “haven of peace in the valley of the kings.”

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12 Rue Du Fort
Vayrac
46110

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