Rocamadour
November 3rd
On Tuesday we got up early and went out into the French countryside. Our ultimate destination was Rocamadour, which is a Chateau and a church built on top of and into a cliff. On our way, we had a few stops at different Chateaus. The first one was not actually a planned stop. Dad had planned to drive past and point it out to us, but Chase had other plans. He got hungry so we pulled over so I could feed him. It ended up being such a cool place so it was great that we were able to have a chance to see it. It was one of the Chateaus that was sacked during the French Revolution, so it is still in ruins right now, although it is being rebuilt by a French couple. The chateau was actually closed that day, but when they heard that we were visiting from the States, they let us in and showed us two rooms that were still intact. One room was the chapel. It was a room where Charlemagne and Louis III (I think) had attended services. The other room was a dining hall. The stone of the floor was actually worn down in many places. The woman told us that the room dated back to the fifteenth century. Very cool.
Me and Chase in front of the Chateau
The entrance to the chapel
Joanna and Sandra posing on the side of the Chateau
After we left, we drove through a town (unfortunately, I don't remember the name of it) and there was another large Castle there. It was very cool, although we didn't go in. Dad was freaked out that we were taking too long to get to Rocamadour and we would loose our light, so we were hurrying. On a side note, we were driving on country roads that were wet and curvy. Sometimes driving was a little scary, especially when the roads were narrow and there were cars coming the other way.
We got to Rocamadour in the early afternoon. The first glimpse was incredible! We stopped at a vantage point and took these pictures.
Dad let us off at the top of the mountain not far from the Chateau. It was one of the privately owned castles so we couldn't tour the inside. There was a huge elevator there and we took a ride through the mountain to the level where the church was built. There are several churches there, but the biggest church is the pilgrimage church of Notre Dame (rebuilt in 1479). Some of the famous pilgrims to the church include Roland, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II of England, Blanche of Castille, Louis IV, Charles IV, Louis VI, and Jacques Cartier.
We walked down through the village on the way back to the car, and it was very cut and quaint. The only traffic allowed into the village was local traffic because of the small streets. On our way home we stopped at another small city and got out and wandered around. I stopped at a perfume shop and bought some delicious smelling French perfume. Ooo la la!
On Tuesday we got up early and went out into the French countryside. Our ultimate destination was Rocamadour, which is a Chateau and a church built on top of and into a cliff. On our way, we had a few stops at different Chateaus. The first one was not actually a planned stop. Dad had planned to drive past and point it out to us, but Chase had other plans. He got hungry so we pulled over so I could feed him. It ended up being such a cool place so it was great that we were able to have a chance to see it. It was one of the Chateaus that was sacked during the French Revolution, so it is still in ruins right now, although it is being rebuilt by a French couple. The chateau was actually closed that day, but when they heard that we were visiting from the States, they let us in and showed us two rooms that were still intact. One room was the chapel. It was a room where Charlemagne and Louis III (I think) had attended services. The other room was a dining hall. The stone of the floor was actually worn down in many places. The woman told us that the room dated back to the fifteenth century. Very cool.
Me and Chase in front of the Chateau
The entrance to the chapel
Joanna and Sandra posing on the side of the Chateau
After we left, we drove through a town (unfortunately, I don't remember the name of it) and there was another large Castle there. It was very cool, although we didn't go in. Dad was freaked out that we were taking too long to get to Rocamadour and we would loose our light, so we were hurrying. On a side note, we were driving on country roads that were wet and curvy. Sometimes driving was a little scary, especially when the roads were narrow and there were cars coming the other way.
We got to Rocamadour in the early afternoon. The first glimpse was incredible! We stopped at a vantage point and took these pictures.
Dad let us off at the top of the mountain not far from the Chateau. It was one of the privately owned castles so we couldn't tour the inside. There was a huge elevator there and we took a ride through the mountain to the level where the church was built. There are several churches there, but the biggest church is the pilgrimage church of Notre Dame (rebuilt in 1479). Some of the famous pilgrims to the church include Roland, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II of England, Blanche of Castille, Louis IV, Charles IV, Louis VI, and Jacques Cartier.
We walked down through the village on the way back to the car, and it was very cut and quaint. The only traffic allowed into the village was local traffic because of the small streets. On our way home we stopped at another small city and got out and wandered around. I stopped at a perfume shop and bought some delicious smelling French perfume. Ooo la la!
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