August 25, 2016
Le Puy en Velay: A day of sight seeing and planning
The wheels didn't turn today. We woke late for us and didn't go and have our very leisurely breakfast until 8am. We were out looking at the sights early. Le Puy is really an extrodinary town, Mont Anis is said to have been a pagan shrine well before the spread of Christianity and the site of the town is thought to have been inhabited since the Broonze Age. The old town is built on a steep volcanic rock. The endless steps were certainly a challenge as we made our way to the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Recent excavations show that there have been buildings on the site right back through the centuries The impressive church that we see today dates fron the 11th and 12th centuries and is an extremely beautiful and complicated structure much of which which is suspended on huge pillars built into the slopes of Mt Anis. In 950, Godescale, the then Bishop of Le Puy, undertook a pilgrimage to Santiago De Compostela and certainly started something! Every year some 15,000 people are blessed before the statue of St James in the cathedral, receive their credential identifying them as pilgrims and they start their long journey to Santiago. It was around 15 years ago that Ken and I received this blessing and set off on what was a remarkable journey.. Close to the Cathedral are two volcanic cones. On one of these is a chapel dedicated to St Michael which was built in 961 by Godescale when he returned from Santiago. It is an amazing technical and human feat. The way up now beyond my walking abilities but Ken went up as we had 15 years ago. On another rock built close by is the outcome of an exceptional technical feat. Erected in 1860 it is a statue of Notre Dame de France 23m high and made from the metal of 213 cannons captured from the Russians in the Crimean War. We wandered the ancient narrow cobbled streets enjoying the sights. There are lots of good restaurants all with outdoor terraces in this hot weather. We stopped and had a yummy meal of smoked duck salad and a beer. We are thinking that tonight we will return to the restaurant we went to last night where I had the most delicious trout I have ever tasted. Off to the station to get our tickets for the onward journey. We waited to see the next train arrive with the next load of eager pilgrims. They look so clean, eager and fleet of foot with all their new gear, their sticks and their cockel shells. I can imagine that they will look grubby and many will be limping in a week or sos time but they will all be having an amazing experience. During the morning the streets have no pilgrims at all. In this heat they would be sensible to leave at first light or at least as soon as the 7am pilgrim mass and blessing finishes . What are we up to? New plan. Tomorrow we get the train back to Roanne. We will rejoin the Loire and travel along this probably to Nantes then make another decision.
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