WITCHES AND DISCOVERIES

This weekend has been a wonderful change. Not having driven for over three years I was a little nervous but «we» went off and I was flying. Of course on these roads the traffic is not Parisian.

The first stop was Angles-sur-L’Anglin. A village which is described as «one of the most beautiful in France». On the outskirts a site called Roc-aux-Sorciers is an Upper Paleolithic rock shelter site dating to the mid-Magdalen  cultural period 14000 BC, made famous by its relief wall carvings. Translating that would be the
« Witches Rock» which has nothing to do with the site itself. Berry is the next department and is supposed to be full of witches and weird happenings. I was there with my Mother and daughter many moons ago and effectively, the light made the surroundings very mysterious. I did not feel this at all on the site but I did feel it on a walk I did before going to visit the cave which has now been reproduced as the original site is very precarious and excavations are still going on...or are supposed to be.

On that walk I went down to the river. With the birds singing and the water replying, if a mysterious creature had appeared, I would not have been surprised. I continued my way up - up - a track - and up again. I was totally alone and suddenly wondered what would happen if I fell or got lost ? When I finally got to the top of this very steep climb, I didn’t know where I was. No map and an Iphone doesn’t help on such occasions. I retraced my tracks.

Going up and up .....

When visiting the site I showed the young woman who opened the museum for me (again I was alone) where I had been. «Oh, on the American slope....and then you were right next to the original excavation as far as I can see...»

Michel sent me a drawing this morning. Again one he had drawn without looking. I was dumfounded. It seemed to be what I had seen in the rock reproduction. A naked woman. 14000BC and women were the main human drawings. That I cannot explain.
14000BC
Today....

It’s a lovely village and ended with my discovering how the old women still do stitching. Did I want to learn, she asked ? I couldn’t even afford to buy a bib for a new born baby. And was the decoration kitsch....

The old lay was very proud;..
The Medieval chateau which overlooks the village

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Michael Keane a dit…
Marvellous that you have a car to take you around. Being independent is the best way to experience places.
27/3/12 11:04
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