25,000 Years ago in France we had the first known graffiti artists. They went down in limestone caves and did some amazing artwork. My Mom thinks it was the height of artwork and it has all gone downhill since. The Paintings from the Peche Merle leaves one with a feeling of awe. The spotted horses are the most famous, but I think it is the simple outline of the hand that really hit home as to how ephemeral life really is. It is so real and so vivid yet the person who did it is 25,000 years gone. I wonder if he had any idea of the impact he would have on the world, how many people would be amazed at a simple handprint. The hand print in my blog is of a man, there is also one of a woman in the cave.
The day we rode out to the cave was another gorgeous day in France. We had to leave early in order to get to the cave in time for the last tour before lunch. We made it with plenty of time. It was a long ride so a few of the group elected to take a taxi to the cave and then ride home. I liked the different choices of footwear the group choose to walk in the cave.
This cave is twice as big as the more famous Lascoux and there are not as many visitors. They limit the number to 700 per day, but that only happens around 30 times a year. This time of year around 200 visit the cave daily. In Madrid I went to a reproduction of Altamira (the most famous cave paintings in Spain) and I was moved, but to see the real thing is an all together different experience. Maybe the highlight of this trip.
Take care
Don
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