Sunsets in the Dordogne

My husband and I read with great interest the article on the Dordogne region of France (Sept. ’09, pg. 6). During October ’08 we spent a week there as part of a 3-week trip to France and it was, in many ways, the most special part of our trip. The scenery itself was just beautiful, and it seemed as if every one of the rolling hills was topped with a castle.

For information about the region, we used “Rick Steves’ France,” but I think part of the charm of Dordogne was just wandering. Also, as the author of the ITN article mentioned, the cuisine in that area is superb.

I think that our favorite part of the trip was the small house that we rented for the week in the town of La Roque-Gageac.

Located on a cliff above the town, the house itself has been continuously lived in for 400 years. It is called Maison de Falaise and is very charming, but to sit on the front patio at dusk was just magical. Just as the sun would start to set, the lights would go on to illuminate the castles and city walls on the surrounding hills, and on most evenings we would watch hot-air balloons.

We rented the house through RIGHT Vacation Rental, the property-only service of Untours (Box 405, Media, PA 19063; 888/868-6871, www.untours.com). This was not an Untours trip, although we have been on several and loved them. We paid $604; the usual things were included: linens, electricity and water, plus there were some kitchen supplies left by earlier renters.

I do think that anyone who likes to take the road less traveled would love this area. Fall is an excellent time to visit, as most of the tourists have gone and everything is less crowded than it would be in July and August.

MARJORIE M. RHOADS

Sullivan, MO