Adventures Online: Southwest France, From Bordeaux to Perigord

Detailed format with associated pictures.

This was a very good online program. It was 3 days in length which is the length I prefer. James Higgins (group leader) and Elizabeth (Libby) Chandler (instructor) were very knowledgeable. I had been to Bordeaux on a trip many years ago and so there was some repeat, though not as much as I'd anticipated. I had not been to the locations covered on Days 2 and 3 and so the information was new to me. The highlights of the program for me included the extensive history lecture on Alienor d'Aquitaine and the field trip to the Cave of Ro8uffignac/Cave of a Hundred Mammoths and to the replica of the world renowned prehistoric cave Lascaux IV. The lecture on the Cathars was also excellent. I learned a lot and saw a lot which is why I participate in Road Scholar programs.

This was quite different from the Sicily online lecture I attended, because this was more like a travelogue for tourists with discussion of specific restaurants, etc.. The Sicily lecture was more immersed in geology, volcanoes and deep history. Once I got used to it though, I thoroughly enjoyed the course. I especially enjoyed the videos through different areas AND, because I'm a history nerd, the passionate presentation on the Cathars and Albigensian heresy. Had heard of both but didn't know any details. Both presenters were very invested and attentive and friendly. One suggestion: the PowerPoint slides had a lot of typos and spelling errors. Someone else should check them before they're used again.

Just want to say that this is 2024 and people should know how to use ZOOM by now. That is why a free ZOOM "How TO" class should be provided AHEAD of time to those who have not succeeded in learning how to do it. The 15 minutes+ Zoom instruction cut into class time that could have been used for a slower presentation of Cathar history and other things that went pretty quickly so as to meet the 3 hour constraint each day

Varied mix of topics. Lively and fascinating lectures and video "visits". Well organized use of time with breaks just when needed. Will make you want to go and have Libby and James guide you in person.

For a region that is rich in history and beauty, Road Scholar's tour will leave you totally enchanted by its warmth, its charming villages, and its important role in French history.

I was curious about this part of France but I'm not a wine drinker. What I've learned is there's so much more to region than wine; the caves with prehistoric art, Cathers, and their mountain strongholds, the post Cather bastions, and Toulouse Lautrec.