Chauvet Cave

Recreated Cauvet cave

We had intended to visit the famous recently opened Chauvet Cave site yesterday but didn't see any signs to it when we entered the Ardeche Gorge.  We did a little more research last night and discovered that the complex, which includes a replica of the cave (as at Lascaux), exhibition hall, and restaurant, is called the Caverne du Pont d'Arc.  Our hotel owner indicated that the Chauvet family (the real caves are named after one of the three discoverers) has a dispute with the French Government who owns the site, and who cannot use the Chauvet name. Confusing?  Even knowing the real name of the complex, we saw almost no signage to it.

one of the many cave images

We took a roundabout route to this day's highlight, stopping in the town of Goudargues to walk along the river.  Arriving at the Caverne at 12:30, we were able to secure tour tickets for 2, giving us time to view the exhibitions and have lunch.  

I'm including links to the cave site (http://www.experienceardeche.com/page/the-chauvet-cave/56) and to an April New York Times article on it (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/25/arts/design/the-chauvet-caves-hyperreal-wonders-replicated.html?_r=0).  Wiki also has details on the site. The caves were discovered in 1994, and some of the images date from 32,000 BC, older than Lascaux. The caves are more than 400 meters long and contain more than 1000 images. The cave entrance was sealed by landslides thousands of years ago.  The recreated cave is quite impressive.  The audio guide supplemented the French tour. The caves are the subject of the Werner Herzog 2010 movie "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" which is now on my must-see list.

Leaving at 3:30 we still had a bit of travel ahead of us.  More lovely back roads, a McDonald's stop for coffee--our first on this trip-- and then a stretch in the Cevennes Mountains to Florac, a relatively nondescript town but a convenient place to spend the night.