The Bruner Family Journey: On the Road Again: From St. Cyprien to St. Émilion

View over St. Émilion

In 1994, I was on a train from Bordeaux to Bergerac and as we pulled out of the station in the town of St. Émilion, I heard some people talking about how beautiful a place it was and how much they enjoyed their stay there. I regretted the fact that I had bypassed the town, based on my assumption that it was only for fancy wine aficionados on an inflated budget (and not for frugal backpackers looking for the cheapest youth hostel). So I decided right then and there that - one day - I would come back and get off the (proverbial) train.

Fast forward to late May 2011: We said goodbye to family and pulled our rental car out of the driveway of our weeklong country manor near St. Cyprien. As we headed towards the French Basque Country, St. Émilion was the obvious destination. It's less than a two hour drive, but of course I picked the most indirect route possible to sneak in another sight (or two) along the way. After all, who cares about efficient transport when you have a chance to visit the town that calls itself the "Venice of the Périgord"?

It's very pretty, but it's not Venice

Welcome to Brantôme, a quaint town on a pretty bend of the Dronne River. Ok, so the town has a very creative (one might say misleading) marketing campaign - it looks as much like Venice as any place that happens to have a river running through it. But the town does have a magnificent abbey, which was founded by Charlemagne in the 8th century. Sadly, roving Vikings razed the abbey in the 9th century (you really gotta watch out for those roving Vikings!). But thankfully the abbey was subsequently rebuilt to its former glory (phew!). The town has a very attractive mix of medieval and Renaissance architecture and is well worth a visit - even though Venice might have a good claim for false representation (Hey Venice, call me!). We spent a good deal of time here kicking around a soccer ball and then taking a nap on the expansive shady lawn that greeted us as we entered the town.

Our next stop was the city of Périgueux, where the main point of interest is the unusual, multi-domed cathedral. The church was originally built in the 12th century, but was heavily restored (some would say radically reconstructed) in the 19th century by the same architect (Paul Abadie) who designed the Sacré Coeur Basilica in Paris. Both churches are striking examples of Abadie's "neo-Byzantine" style, which - at least from what I've read on the internet - some architectural critics have dismissed as "mediocre," "tacky," and "reminiscent of a wedding cake." Ouch! Well, the Périgueux cathedral does make for an interesting picture even if it is not regarded as a work of architectural refinement and purity. The cathedral is surrounded by an atmospheric historic quarter with narrow lanes lined with light-hued stone buildings.

At last, we arrived in Saint Émilion, a hilly town near Bordeaux surrounded by seemingly endless vineyards and known for its high-end red wines (Merlot and Cabernet Franc). The Romans started making wine here in the second century and monks in the Middle Ages started up commercial-scale production. The town itself is also a noteworthy attraction for its numerous well preserved historic monuments, including a large rock-hewn church with a towering Gothic steeple. Over the centuries, Saint Émilion has benefited from its location on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, and from the 11th century onward many churches, monasteries and hospices were built here. It's a prosperous and elegant little place, and we had a memorable meal in the town's old market square, which concluded with a fun game of tag with the kids.

But my suspicions from 1994 weren't all wrong. The hotels in town were way beyond our budget, so we headed out before dark to find more affordable accommodations down the road.