We are staying in a pretty little village in a converted blacksmith’s forge. It is off the town square, down some pretty narrow streets.
Payrac
We have Church bells which ring from 7am until…. well we are not quite sure as we have become used to them and don’t necessarily hear them every hour. We think they stop at 10pm!
We are on holiday, we have settled in to a lazy start, waking slowly. Not so today…. We missed the 7am chimes pushing Zzzzz’s, but there was no missing the bells at 9am…. they went on and on and on. Then they stopped 😊 then they started again 🤔
Ahhh… It is Ascension Day, 40 days after Easter when Christ returned to Heaven.
Our plan today was to visit Rocamadour, a village only 14 miles from where we are staying, taking a route through Calès, Lacave and L’Hospitalet. The scenery on the journey was stunning with deep gorges, lush greenery and beautiful villages and chatêau’s at almost every turn….
They say that there are certain places in the world that you will remember your whole life and for us today, Rocamadour is one of them. It’s dramatic silhouette of steeples and chapels clamped to 150m of near vertical cliffside, built on three successive levels, beneath the ramparts of a 14th century chateau makes a powerful impression.
Today was a Holy Day and a holiday, crowds had flocked to this venerated pilgrimage site.
We approached Rocamadour from the hills of L’Hospitalet, along a narrow winding road. We parked on the valley floor and made our way back up to the town aboard the tourist train…. quote of the day “we are nearly 60 after all”!
The village is one of France’s most important tourist destinations and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has also been a crucial pilgrimage site on the ‘Way of Saint James’.
The sanctuaries above the cité are connected by Escalier des Pelerins (223 steps that the pious once traversed on their knees) We took the lift and ascenseur incliné… “we are nearly 60 after all”! From the chatêau at the top we made our way down the pretty and cave lined Chemin de Croix pathway.
Mass was just finishing as we returned to the Chapel Notre Dame, which contains a black Madonna carved from walnut wood. Next to the chapel and backed against the cliffs is the Basilique Saint Sauveur.
The streets of the village were very narrow, no traffic except the tourist train and vehicles to the hotels are allowed. The shops sell a great array of goods…. and even though it was a holiday, all were doing a roaring trade!
Lunch was one of the least memorable ofnour visit to France so far. Least said, soonest forgotten! Then it back by another route to our abode….. and more of the bells!!! A bottle of wine, some Monopoly Deal and blogging!
H&P Adventures 
My sort of place.
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