Part one—April 23 and 24.
After picking up a rental car—a six-speed diesel, fun to drive—I headed about 160km south to stop first in the city of Saintes. Located on the banks of the Charente River, in the Charente-Maritime Department, Saintes dates from Roman times. The Arc Germanicus (18-19 AD) is here, a gate at the end of the Via Agrippa—also here are the remains of a Roman Amphitheatre—but it was closed on Sunday morning so I missed that. I walked instead through the old city historic district, came upon a Remembrance ceremony for WWII victims, went to mass at Cathedral Saint Pierre, and had a picnic lunch along the banks of the Charente. I then drove through some nearby villages—Port d'Envaux, Tallaiebourg and Vénérand—before setting out for Brantôme. (The photo captions have the details.)