L’Aven d’Orgnac, Sarlat

The painted caves I visited in the south of France did not, for the most part, exhibit the concretions usually seen in caves formed, and still forming, by water. It is thought that the lack of moisture and leaking or dripping water that created other caves served to preserve the paintings and etchings of the prehistoric artists.

L’Aven d’Orgnac is an enormous natural cave with stalactites and stalagmites, in pink, oranges, and reds, with fanciful shapes. This natural cave is estimated to have begun a hundred million years ago, with the formation of the limestone rock. The discovery of Aven d’Orgnac in 1935 soon led to its opening to tourists. The construction of ramps and stairs heading down, down, down to the bottom, where elevators await to return visitors to the surface, made the journey through the cave easier and more accessible. I was relieved we didn’t have to climb back up to the entrance!

Although I had been to other caves with shapes like these, I have never seen anything this huge or extensive. The gigantic vaulted underground chambers and their majestic crystal formations were fascinating.

Note: I didn’t take photos in the caves. The following images are from Wikimedia Commons, an Internet source of photos in the public domain.

Adjacent to the cave is Cité de la Préhistoire Museum. Its display of artifacts cover history of the area spanning over 350,000 years, from the Lower Paleolithic era to the very first Gaul inhabitants. Like many of the prehistory museums in this area, it offers a variety of educational workshops for young people.

The medieval market town of Sarlat, captures the charm of the many French towns we passed through. The cobbled streets were an inviting place to wander and visit the local merchants and markets.