Whenever I drive from Toulouse to Poitiers, to see my parents, I see a lot of signs indicating cool places to see. Actually, that’s partly why I decided to visit the Gouffre de Padirac. Another sign I see everytime I drive on that road is “Rocamadour”. In March, as I was going to Poitiers to celebrate my father and my brother’s birthdays, I decided to stop in Rocamadour.
Rocamadour: Like A Dream In My Head
You see, I had a blurry memory of Rocamadour: I remembered stairs carved in the stone. We would go from the top to the bottom of the village using these stairs. There would be lights everywhere around, but like dimmed lights, my memory had become very scenic (which is why I didn’t fully trust it). And then, downstairs, there was a little harbour with small boats and a big pirate ship (for tourists, but still very impressive). Remember, I was a child with a wild imagination…
I really wanted to see what it looked like during the day and as an adult. I kept an open mind when I arrived in Rocamadour, but it definitely was not what I expected.
Going Down The Way Of The Cross
I parked near the castle and I was happy because, since it was off season, the parking lot was free. I looked at the castle from the top of the village. It’s pretty impressive because it overlooks the whole village, right at the top of the mountain, parts of it carved in it. The view is quite something!
Then, I followed the Way of the Cross which goes down to the village and, at every corner, there is a scene of the bible telling Jesus’s life. There is a sort of altar carved in a cave with yellow stone pillars, it truly is beautiful. Still, this wasn’t what my brain remembered. The stairs were not like that in my memory… Actually, it was more like a ramp.
Arriving In The Village Of Rocamadour
When I finally reached the medieval village of Rocamadour, there were stone steps, and I thought “maybe that’s it”. I ended up in front of the Saint-Sauveur basilica. Blue skies, rocks all around, an impressive white basilica, stunning really, but… still not what I had in mind.
I walked further down in the village to find a lake or something, but I only found mountains and dry land. That’s when I thought that maybe I got confused with another city…
I walked back to the other side of the village. Truly, this is a beautiful village with old houses, and the fact that part of it is carved in the mountain is pretty cool. No water or pirate ship though. I walked to the next village, l’Hospitalet, and climbed up to go back to the parking lot.
Solving The Mystery
Finally, I called my mum to tell her about my confusion regarding Rocamadour. She laughed and told me that, no, there’s no water in Rocamadour. She’s not even sure we went there as kids. Maybe I just got confused with the stories of stone steps that my father told when speaking about Rocamadour.
Apparently, my memory is of Auray, a city located in Brittany, and of the ramparts in the Saint-Goustan district. Haha, I think you should always chase your childhood dreams, but sometimes, it doesn’t take you where you think it would! Haha!
To see more photos of France, you can visit the gallery France.
