Pulling my canoe up in Beynac, I hiked up to the brooding, cliff-clinging castle. On one particularly memorable Dordogne day, I enjoyed a perfect storm of travel thrills. Two of the most picturesque are La Roque-Gageac, a strong contender for "cutest town in France," and Beynac, a well-preserved medieval village that winds like a sepia-tone film set from the river to the castle above. There's always a place to stow the canoe, and plenty of welcoming villages. Delights are revealed around each bend, and you can pop ashore whenever you like. I can't think of a more relaxing way to enjoy great scenery while getting some exercise. When I'm here, one of my rituals is exploring the riverside castles and villages via canoe. Its highlights include villages seemingly carved out of the rock, prehistoric cave paintings, floats along the river, cute farmhouses perched amid fertile fields, and a local cuisine that brings together all that's best about French food.
Whether young or old, visitors to the Dordogne are easily charmed by its unforgettable blend of village charm and scenic landscapes. I'd take her for a lazy canoe ride down the river, then cap the day with a great riverside meal - letting her enjoy goose liver (explaining what it was later) with the finest glass of French red wine she's ever had. A reader once asked me: If I were to bring a spry, 73-year-old grandmother to Europe, where would I go? My response: France's Dordogne River Valley.
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