June, 2006

I'm still not clear in my head if this visit to Lascaux was an honor, or the biggest con of the year. I'll explain in a moment. I'm sure you've heard of the famous caves at Lascaux. You know, big cave paintings, found by a dog and a couple of kids, etc. The caves are quite amazing, but they were closed to the public a number of years ago due to the fact that the million plus visitors to the caves managed to do some damage to the paintings over time. Who knew? Obviously, the french didn't see that one coming. For a country known for their foresight, you think they might have worked that out. (Smell the sarcasm??)

Anyhow, with tourism dollars dropping after the closure of the caves for preservationists sake, they decided to build a replica of the cave. Now, for those of you who know me, you know that I'm ALL about the replicas, so this shouldn't be that big of a deal. Well, I have to say that some of the magic was certainly lost. It was really cool to see the paintings and all, but I would have much rather seen the originals.

	Such a naughty boy, taking pictures inside the caves when you're not supposed to! This was taken without a flash, but through the magic of photoshop, you can make out some of the more interesting shapes.		This is just outside the exit for the replica. The real Lascaux caves are just up the hill about 100 meters away.
	Towards the front of the replica.		Another illicit shot from inside the cave. Bad tourist!