DANGER - Troglodytes!

Continuing our sojourn down the Loire valley with no particular agenda, we suddenly spied what looked like chimneys rising from the top of a cliff. "Aliens!", we cried, and promptly swerved off the road to investigate. Nothing so mundane – troglodytes, it turned out, were responsible for these curious features.

Troglodytes? n.

1. 1. A member of a fabulous or prehistoric race of people that lived in caves, dens, or holes.
   2. A person considered to be reclusive, reactionary, out of date, or brutish.
2. 1. An anthropoid ape, such as a gorilla or chimpanzee.
   2. An animal that lives underground, as an ant or a worm.

Upon further investigation, it appears that word troglodyte is quite broadly applied and is used to refer to anything, even people, that live underground. For centuries, troglodyte dwellers have cut caves into the limestone cliffs to produce secure, low cost and durable homes and then simply lived in them. The limestone walling the Loire valley in this region, known as tufa, is particularly suitable for this activity. Other uses of the caves include mushroom growing, wine storage and, latterly, some have been converted to restaurants and second homes. The group we visited produced wine and the wily proprietors promptly perpetrated a bait and switch routine and sold us a rather expensive bottle of the stuff. Cunning old troglodyte! For further revelations, click here.