Day 06 21.04 . . . Last leg Home

When Tre whispered to ask me what time it was (6.30am) it was all that was needed by Loup to let out a little whine, indicating he was also awake and needed his walk. We both got up and took him for a walk and visited the facilities. We had last night parked in the Chateau car park at Rocamadour for the princely sum of 19 Euros which we were still to pay. For this price we had a very large car park and access to the church grounds and rear of the church which stands at the top of the rock outcrop. Whilst on the walk the church bells rang for the first time this morning - 7am. We had been concerned at 10.00pm last night when they were still ringing, that they would ring throughout the night - thankfully not.
The Sanctuary of Rocamadour has been an important pilgrim destination for centuries. The Sanctuary is made up of a group of beautiful buildings in a cluster halfway up the rock face and with stunning views over the village and the valley.
Legend has it that Rocamadour was home to a hermit, Zaccheus of Jericho, who is said to have personally spoken to Jesus. He died in 70AD and was buried at Rocamadour. The Virgin Mary was worshipped in Rocamadour from the 9th century but in 1166 a perfectly preserved body was found which was said by some to be Zaccheus and by others to be Saint Amadour, a hermit who lived in the caves.
Either way the discovery caused the pilgrims to come flocking and Rocamadour became a major pilgrim destination. The body was found with a black wooden statue which has since been linked to many miracles and the Black Madonna attracts many pilgrims including, in the past, King Louis XI of France and King Henry II of England.
During the Middle Ages Rocamadour was the third most important pilgrim destination in the world after the Holy Land and Santiago de Compostela. It still receives around one million pilgrims each year.
Walk ended we packed up our belongings and headed to the exit. Tre quickly found that the two main pay machines were not in service, which caused some anxiety for us as no staff were on site. We then saw a further machine right by the exit barrier. Tre waved the ticket at the machine and as we know miracles do happen - as says the church, for the barrier lifted and I drove Rox out . . . . No overnight payment required it would appear!!
We then drove mainly north on the A20, skirting Brive-La-Gaillarde and then bypassing Limoges. We were again spoilt by stunning scenery, beautiful villages and small towns along the route.
We had decided to make one stop on our 3 hour trip home, which we made at a services to give Loup a run around. Shortly after being back on the road I realised we weren’t going to make it all the way home without further fuel . . . so another quick stop was required . . . . muppet!
From Limoges we headed north west towards Civray, where we stopped to grab some food for when we got home. Then it was a 20 minute jaunt back to our little place.
The weather had been glorious on the drive home and so it was when we pulled onto the driveway of our little place. Loup was thrilled to be running around the garden again and checking everything was where and how he had left it.
The garden was definitely more green than when we left and all of the plum trees showed first signs of fruit - even the pom pom tree was in bloom when there hadn’t even been a bud in sight when we left.
We had the most brilliant time on the road, if not a little tiring - especially with Loup, and we saw some amazing scenery and architecture . . . but it was lovely to be home.
Not long before we go on another little adventure - France to the UK for a festival and family visits, then back to France and onto Italy . . . this time with Mr & Mrs Annals - which could be messy!

Our song of the day is:
Little White Lies (Long Version) - Michael Kiwanuka (Tre’s choice)

Todays album never heard before in its entirety is:
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers (Our Rating 8/10)Read more