Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Now locate the exotic foliage by the church on the right. Tropical gardens (bamboo,
bananas, lemons, and so on) are a village forte, because limestone absorbs heat.
La Roque-Gageac frequently endures winter floods that would leave you (standing
where you are now) underwater. When there's a big rain in central France, La Roque-
Gageacfloodstwodayslater.Thefirstfloorsofalltheriverfrontbuildingsarevacatedoff-
season. (A house about five buildings downriver from Hôtel la Belle Etoile shows various
high-water marks—
inondation
means “flood.”) Looking farther downstream, notice the
fanciful castle built in the 19th century by a British aristocrat (whose family still nurtures
Joan of Arc dreams in its turrets). The old building just beyond that (downstream end of
town)actually ishistoric—it'sthequarantine house,wherelepers andout-of-townvisitors
who dropped by in times of plague would be kept (after their boats were burned).
Those wooden boats on the river are modeled after boats called
gabarres,
originally
built here to take prized oak barrels filled with local wine down to Bordeaux. Unable to
return against the river current, those boats were routinely taken apart for their lumber.
Today, tourists, rather than barrels, fill the boats on cruises down the river (described be-
low). If you're experiencing a movie-based déjà vu, it's because these actual boats (dolled
