To Orador and Sarlat

We had another nice breakfast with Marcel and Katerina and got on the road about 10 headed for Sarlat.

We stopped on the way at Orador-sur-Glane, also known as the Village des Martyrs, the site of a Nazi massacre during WWII. Until this day in 1944, the town had been a vibrant and bustling village, full of shops and cafés. It's unclear what the reason was for killing the entire population of the small town. Possibly revenge for the murder of a Nazi officer in the area, but it also could have been brought on by the D-day landings, just a few days prior. Whatever the reason, the massacre was a horrific example of Nazi cruelty. After rounding up the inhabitants of the town, the men were taken to one area and gunned down, while the women and children were barricaded in the church and killed with grenades before setting the church on fire. Then, the whole town was set on fire. Altogether, 700 people perished. And it would have been the old, the young, and the women, who were still living there while their able-bodied men were serving in the military elsewhere. We bought a booklet written about the 4 young people who survived the massacre. They alone provide testimony to the events of that day.

A sign at the entrance to Orador-sur-Glane

Some of the ruined buildings in Orador. The town was left just as it was found in 1944, as a testament to the events there. Notice the sewing machine in the center of the photo.

Inside the church where the women and children were martyred. The walls and altar are riddled with bullet holes.

A sign at the entrance asks visitors to maintain a respectful silence as they wander through the ruined streets.  I visited in 1996, and since then there has been a concerted effort to conserve the site. There is now an underground museum as you enter, an 8 euro entrance fee, and maps and booklets for sale at the entrance. 

After our sobering visit to Orador, we stopped for lunch at a little place along the road, and had their lunch buffet.  Dessert was isle flotante.

Isle flotante with a drizzle of caramel sauce. And, we probably paid as much for the Coke as the glass of wine!

It was a full day of driving, and we finally arrived at Sarlat-la-Canéda just before 7, all exhausted. We're staying at Les Cordeliers, owned by Brits Chris and Amanda Johnson. After we got checked in, our host Chris suggested a place for dinner, and walked us over at 7:30, giving us a tour of Sarlat on the way. The hotel is right on the edge of the old part of town.

Approaching Le Présidial, our restaurant for dinner

The restaurant, Le Présidial, was in a quiet square, and we had a very good set menu for 19.50 euros. Paté, duck confit, dessert. Caterina had a nice shrimp cocktail and Marco had beef carpaccio. 

Paté de foie gras at Le Présidial

Heading back to our hotel through the charming streets of Sarlat

We knew we'd like this little town. It had beaucoup de charme.