Le Puy en Velay, France - Medieval Mouthful
Written: Jun 17 '00 (Updated Jun 19 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Off the beaten track, geologically fascinating, and its medieval atmosphere is very enjoyable.
Cons: A bit isolated.
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| kifwebe's Full Review: France |
Smack dab in the middle of my European journey, I visited a true gem of a town in the southern Massif Central region of France. The town, Le Puy en Velay, was quite a mouthful, especially for my non-native tongue. I was quite relieved to learn that most people refer to this architectural and geological marvel in its shortened form, Le Puy.
I made a very conscious effort to visit Le Puy. It would be extremely difficult to stumble on it by chance. First of all, it's rather isolated by most standards, accessible only by car or as in my case by a seldomly used railway line that services the region. The nearest large town, or at least large enough to have a cosmopolitan and international flair, is Lyon, where I had spent 3 days prior to taking the train through some of the most beautiful scenery I had seen since the Tuscan region of Italy. To get to Le Puy from Lyon requires a transfer at the metropolis of St Georges d'Aurac onto a single car train - essentially a bus on tracks.
And I can't just gloss over the point about the beautiful scenery throughout this region. The rural cottages and sometimes stately manors dotted amongst the rolling hills along the Loire river were breathtakingly beautiful. In fact, it was well worth violating my travel-by-night and absorb-culture-by-day rule, and I would recommend doing so for anyone who plans a visit.
Arrival in Le Puy itself was as dramatic as the long journey through the region. You see, the city was laid out amongst some of the most interesting geological formations in all of Europe. Specifically, volcanic "mountains" or cones are scattered about the region, and in fact are incorporated into the city's Roman and Byzantine architecture. From a distance, these cones resemble snarled, needle-like, rocky fingers emerging from otherwise green, rolling countryside, providing a stunning visual anomoly.
One building that is particularly conspicuous in its placement atop one of these volcanic promontories is the eleventh century church of St. Michel. It was literally carved into the peak of one of the highest cones in the city, and can be toured for a few dollars even today. On the day that Sarah and I explored its small interior we were the only visitors, which contibuted to the eery feel of its chapel. Its cold, dark, almost brooding atmosphere conjured images of a secret cave used for bizarre ritualistic practice more than a joyous place of worship. The spiralling, stone stairway to its entrance was perfect horror movie material.
Our visit to Le Puy was overwhelmingly positive in almost every respect important to tourists. Because we were there during tourist offseason, there were relatively few other travelers to this secluded gem. Walking through the preserved streets of the medieval section of town was a true joy, and observation of details was particularly rewarding. When I look back on my photographs of Le Puy, they are dominated by the gargoyle-like figures that ornamented the centuries old buildings, and their iron details. I dedicated almost half a roll to the glistening of the sun off of the cobbled streets after a short rain shower.
Another benefit of traveling during the off season was the price of accommodation. We stayed in a hotel at the center of the new section of town for 120FF per night, which at the time translated to about 18 dollars - not bad when split between the two of us. There were a number of vacancies around town, but this was the best rate we could find.
One other intangible benefit to travel to Le Puy, and for that matter anywhere in France, is that there are theaters which play American movies in their original version (designated V.O.) with French subtitles. That can really be nice when you've been away from the U.S. for a couple of months. Also, we found the tourist information office, located as centrally as possible and about a 10 minute walk from the train station, to be one of the best in all of France. Not only were they helpful, but they had a number of colorful brochures describing the various activities in town, and also included detailed maps of the city.
Our trip highlight was a trip to the orange colored statue of the Virgin and Child, which overlooks the city from atop the highest volcanic cone in town. The statue is large enough to have a winding stairwell inside and a number of small windows from which you can enjoy stunning panoramic views of the town and surrounding countryside. It costed only 2 dollars to make the climb and is well worth the money.
Overall, Le Puy en Velay is well worth the effort it takes for a visit. It can easily fill a couple of days in the middle of a tour of France (Tour d' France?) and delivers a relaxing and historical diversion from the cosmopolitan atmosphere of many of France's larger cities. I would highly recommend it!
Recommended:
Yes
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kifwebe
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Location: :noitacoL
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