Rocamadour

Last night, after a hectic day sightseeing, we arrived at Rocamadour - a very picturesque village, cut into the side of a rocky step gorge, a centre of pilgrimage since the Midfle Ages and today a huge tourist centre - the populism grows from 600 to  entertain 1million visitors throughout the summer season.  We are staying at the Chateau hotel, an acceptable 3star but an ideal location to tour the area. Nearby is the Chareau, beneath it is the Sanctuary and below again the medieval village 

This morning we set out for L’Hospitalet (hospital), a nearby hamlet  - a 15 minute walk along a tree sheltered  pathway, with spectacular views of the Chateau, the Sanctuary and the medieval town 

 

Chateau with its spire - centre the Sanctuary - below          

                      the medieval village. 

On arrival at L’Hopitalitet, the pilgrims prepared for the last trip to visit the shrine of Our Lady of Rocamadour. 

We took the path from here down to the medieval village passing through its gate 

and its medieval street. 

The medieval town is now sporting shops selling local products - pride of place in the display is their goat’s cheese, which, last night, I rated exceptional on a cheese board.  It was truly creamy and delicious - cafes abound. 

Through the town came a train carrying children and their parents 

Later as we lunched on a terrace overlooking the ravine with no support beneath, we heard some excitement in the street outside 

It appeared to be the junior version of the Tour de France. 

The group of youths on the ramparts were spraying the cyclists with water. Unfortunately, my French isn’t up to understanding what it was all about. Later I discovered 

After lunch, we decided to climb the 216 steps to the Sanctuary.

You might think us foolish  in the height of the summer heat (28*) but the pilgrims climbed the steps on their knees!! 

The Sanctuary was an amazing place. Luckily, J commenced chatting to a group of volunteers who wanted to talk about Irish rugby and the fact that we have two anthems! One volunteer took us under his wing. He was a doctor who was now training to be a priest with the Order now operating the churches there - never heard of the order. The Benedictines were there in the past. 

Tradition had it that originally a hermit lived in the caves here. In the early 12th century a small church was built and later pilgrims started to arrive, once a miracle was proclaimed here in 1148. It is on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostella

There are 7 Churches there. Usually there  are only 3 open but our guide had us piggyback on a French tour while he explained the significance of each church to us. The first 

was a small church with a baptismal font where the pilgrims renewed their vows and depicted on the walls were some of the renowned visitors to the Sanctuary, namely Henry 11 of England and his French wife, Elenor of Acquitaine. 

Next the altar devoted to fact that sailors have been saved from the sea by the Madonna, in the shape of a ship inside,  then a church with an altar made of gold, then a small church hewn into the rock -  a refuge from the noonday sun, followed by the cathedral, the sixth the Black Madonna. 

(it appears there is a reference to Mary being black in the Bible - where she says, our guide informed us, that she was black outside but beautiful inside. In this chapel, high above the nave is a bell without any means of ringing it and yet it rings from time to time - the last time in 2010!! There is no pattern to its ringing!! When I suggested to our guide that it might be on a windy day - he gave me a wry swile!! 

On the exterior were paintings dating from 12th century 

We were invited to write in a book left for visitors - our guide informed us that one person wrote that she had tried numerous times unsuccessfully to have children. After visiting the Black Madonna on three occasions, she had triplets. 

Finally, we visited the only 12th century church to survive the Huguenot rampage of the area in the 16th century. As was hewn into the rock it was difficult to destroy   On the exterior were painting of the Annunciation in colour dating from 12th century. They survive because they have not been exposed to the sun or rain and were in extraordinarily good condition 

Finally, we climbed more  steps to discover the small, unadorned church so different from all the others. 

We bade farewell to our guide, as we gave a contribution to the sanctuary. As we were about to leave, another trainee priest chatted to us - an American - a native of Florida.!! 

Now two options were available to reach the Chateau at the top and our nearby hotel. J took the Ascendure (lift) while I decided to walk along the upwardly winding footpath as I passed  the Stations of the Cross!!

One of the stations was located at every twist in the path. 

Near the end of the path was the place where Jesus’s body is seen being tended by the women after being taken down from the cross

and finally the Cross 

 and as seen last night in the sunset 

From there, I went to complete my journey at the Chsteau. There was an entrance charge (the only one) €2 but cash only and access was denied me without the cash!!! 

I’ll check it out in the morning before we depart for Figueres. 

Limoges

After a 5 hour car ride + allowing Google Maps to get lost, we arrived at the hotel 7 hours later!!! It was very central. 

Limoges  is situated on the foothills of the Massif Central in the Basin of Acquitaine, the second largest city after Bordeaux. It is famous for its porcelain, when in the late 18th century a deposit of kaolin was discovered in the area.  

Near the hotel was a park boasting among other facilities a impressive children’s park. 

and from it one had a view of one of the most impressive railway stations I’ve ever seen. 

We crossed the park and dined at Le Petit Comptoir - very reasonable prices for excellent food. We ordered a bottle of St Emilion @ €34 but on checking Vivino,  its cost is €32 retail. Most French  drink beer, they seemed to have abandoned wine. 

This morning we left the hotel to see the sights of Limoges. We first headed to the old quarter. En route, we prayed at the Church of St Pierre. 

Passing the Hotel de Ville, we arrived in the medieval quarter 

A little gem of a church from 1775, tucked away on a side street in the medieval area 

From there we arrived at Cathedral Square and saw the market central. 

Inside, area was filled with numerous stalls selling meat, vegetables, charcuterie , chocolates and a raft of other products 

A visit to the Limoges porcelain museum is a must as for the last three centuries, the city has been synonymous with porcelain. The museum is the work of Adrien Dubouche, a curator who pushed the project forward. The exhibition illustrates the development of the porcelain and its machinery since the 19th century. 

Plates hand painted though later ornamented with transfers were on display

 

In addition 

Later we visited the Resistance museum which documented the resistance to the Nazis in the region

Later again we drove 20km north of Limoges to visit Oradour sur Glane - a village left as it was after the Nazis had slaughtered its inhabitants and burnt the village of c 1500 inhabitants.  After the war was over, the Fench Government decided to leave the village as it was as a reminder of the brutality of war. 

The women and children were put into the church where toxic fumes killed them and later the building was destroyed. 

The men were questioned in the garage about the location of weapons. When the search did not reveal any weapons as the men had confirmed, the Nazis decided to kill them also. 

The following day the Nazis returned and incinerated the bodies to conceal their crime. This added to the distress of the relatives as they grieved their loss - the bodies were unidentifiable. Added to that, after the war,  a court in Bordeaux exhonerated some of the French participants who had been drafted into the German army and had attended at  the massacre. 

Walking around the village, situated in a relatively isolated rural area, 

one could envisage life before the massacre. Many of the buildings were idenified as dwelling of named inhabitants or commercial premises - the village had a number of cafés, beauty salons, garages, a hotel, a priest’s house, a church, a doctor’s and dentist’s surgery and a pharmacy. 

A museum complemented the village, including photographs of the victims and a short film further explained its history. 

We departed the village and drove the 4 hour drive to  Rocamadour, a place of pilgrimage since the Middle Ages and from what we saw last night - in a breath taking location !! 

More tomorrow……

Evreux Normandy

The B&B, though an old property reminiscent of 16 century architecture, is reminiscent of 1960s Ireland, with the artificial plants and flowers abounding and the faux glas chandelier. The elderly  proprietors spoke no English so school fFrench had to be resurrected! Last night we took a walk down town. We saw the cathedral, the archaeological museum and the clock tower in the distance. 

In this area were a number of open air restaurants. We ate at the Londn Pub - we hadn’t noticed its name until long after we sat down! The food was variable - the starter of Mozzarella and Tomatoe was excellent - a large ball of creamy mozzarella together with tomatoes soaked in balsamic vinegar - delicious., the other - melon and ham was tasty and beautifully presented

The main course of two sole meunière disappointed. The fish was of the frozen variety, I would wager. 

After the meal, we walked the 7 minutes back to our B&B, exhausted after a long day! 

Today, we breakfasted at our lodgings. I had requested tea and was asked which type. She showed me a variety of flavoured teas, which I dislike and said I’d take coffee instead  To her English tea is Earl Grey. Finally she showed me a few tea bags which I accepted. There was melon, cheese and ham, cereal and the most delicious croissants and breads. 

After breakfast, we went to see what the town centre had to offer. We had eaten last night nearb but all shops bar restaurants were shut! This morning at 11:00 some were just opening. The town, like most small towns exhibits a large number of shoe that are no longer trading. However, it is very picturesque along the river with flowers. 

We visited the cathedral 

          The magnificent organ - a recent addition

            The magnificent stained glass windows

Nearby was the archaeological museum 

and a portion of the old  city walls. 

We returned to the B&B to collect the car and onwards to Limoges