Arrondissement de Gourdon

Yesterday was a moving on day. Not far, and still hugging the Dordogne, but it gave us a chance to catch up with shopping, planning and washing . We don't do it often, but spent the afternoon chilling beside the van and reading. We have a lovely pitch on the edge of the river and facing west so we get the evening sun. The campsite is great. Run by 2 young men who also cook in the snack bar, which seems to attract all the local cyclists, always a good sign. They cook up meals and deliver them to people's tents and vans!
Today up and away on the bikes to Rocamadour. We rode quiet lanes for 10 miles or so and then burst out into tourist central, the viewpoint over the village, Bellevue. We parked the bikes and hiked down from the top on a serpentine path with one of the 14 stations of the cross at each bend in the trail. The tourbus folk took the elevator....
Half way down is the church with the black Madonna. Pilgrims climb up the many steps from the village on their knees to show devotion. The jury is out as to whether the madonna is black from centuries of church candle smoke, or it's meant to depict the fact that Africa is the mother of all humanity. Anyway she seems to attract a lot of interest. Saw our first walking pilgrims of the trip here with shells on their backpacks.
We went all the way to the bottom of the hill to eat our picnic lunch watching vintage cars snake up the road opposite.
Suprised ourselves by the speed of our ascent back up the steps and the hillside.
Glad to get back on the bikes and away to the lanes with their carpets of wild flowers .
Then sat watching the sun go down over the river back at the van.Lue lisää