I skipped Figeac, deciding it didn’t have enough to offer given the time available, and headed straight to Rocamadour. I’ve read variable reports on this village that clings to the side of gorge cut by the Alzou river, a tributary of the River Dordogne. Some say it’s a tourist trap, and not worthy of the attention.
I’d have to say, it’s not the most photogenic of villages, but you have of hand it to the builders of the Chateau and various chapels for defying what today’s surveyors and building inspectors would consider a reasonable foundation for a house. I doubt they allow ball games in the Chateau garden, but it that way.
Most of the chapels are plain and simple affairs, and even the church of Notre Dame for which it’s famed is a simple affair, but there is power in that simplicity. The vaulted ceilings are impressive, and the wooden galleries at the back cling to the rock face like most other things in the village. Oh, and there is a Black Madonna.
€2 for the lift from the carpark atop the gorge seemed a bit much, so I opted for the zigzag ramps via the garden of the Chemin de Croix it’s a pleasant walk, even going up.
