Another Day in France

This is Les Jardins de Marqueyssac at Vèzac. The the gardens surround the Château de Marqueyssac. It is near the Dordogne River in the French Department of Dordogne. We spent a very pleasant afternoon there in September 2011. It is a very large site and takes many hours and a lot of walking to explore. The two people in my photo are my wife and her mother.

According to Wikipedia:

"The château was built at the end of the 17th century by Bertrand Vernet de Marqueyssac, Counselor to Louis XIV, on cliffs overlooking the Dordogne Valley. The original garden à la française was attributed to a pupil of André Le Nôtre, designer of the Gardens at Versailles and other significant garden à la française and featured terraces, alleys, and a kitchen garden surrounding the chateau."

In 1996 a new owner, Kleber Rossillon, began work restoring the gardens. There is a cross and an area for outdoor mass, walking paths that snake along the edge of the cliff and a segment of Roman road that must have been hellish to build. In addition, and unfortunately I have no photos of them, there are two small buildings, one full of stuffed animals from the area, the other full of birds. If you ever have a chance, you must visit. There will be more photos from Les Jardins de Marqueyssac.