They forecast a rain. We decide to go to France again – to explore Gargas caves near Saint Bertrand de Cominges. There should be some cave art from the Late Stone Age (some 22-29 thousand or so years ago). The paintings are in black, white, red and yellow. They are painted by putting a hand on a wall and blowing a dye on it. They made it another way as well – painting around the hand with something like brush.
One can enter the caves only when accompanied by a gid – not more than 25 people at a time, 10 groups per day and 50 minutes per group. The restrictions are there to protect the paintings. We have a group of seven.
The tour starts from the upper cave. Next by the tunnel dug recently we descend to the lower and older cave. It is a horizontal gap in rocks – one has to bend over when walking here and the gap gets narrower at sides. The art works are mostly in places where one has to crawl.
There is a museum next to the caves. One can try to identify on touch screen the mammoths and other animals painted by the stone age people. We leave for the museum database the contours of our hands. One has only to put the hand on the screen and push a button. The art work appears on the screen in no time.
We stroll around in Saint Bertrand de Cominges as well. The town is on the route of pilgrimage to Saint Jacques de Compostela. The town is originated by Romans in year 72B.C. The cathedral on a hill top and the town around it. Old stone houses, narrow nd steep streets, stone walls and graveyards.
