Saturday Trip to Le Puy

On Saturday, we drove 2 hours south of Lyon into the mountains to visit a small town called Le Puy.  In French a "puy" is a mountain peak or dome, usually of volcanic origin.  Le Puy is in an area surrounded by ancient volcanoes, and has several plugs of old lava rising sharply out of the valley floor.  On each of these "puys" they have built churches or statues.  The entire center of the old town (dating to medieval times) climbs the slopes of one such hill, with the main cathedral crowning the top.  (Left side of photo below.)  Above that is an even higher puy with a statue of Mary and the Christ Child.  (Center of photo.)  Below and to the right is the Rocher St. Michel.  ("Rocher" means "rock.")  Hidden from view is the Rocher St. Joseph, and beyond that is the Chateau de Polignac (not pictured - maybe next time).  

(Above)  View of Le Puy from a hillside on the edge of town.  

From near the Préfecture in the business section at the bottom of Le Puy, looking up at the main cathedral, and the statue of Mary beyond.  The statue was made from the iron of 213 cannons captured by Napoleon II from the Russians during the Crimean War.  It was erected in 1860.  

Here's a telephoto close-up of the statue.  I was here in 1967, when this statue was already more than 100 years old, and I did not remember her looking so bright and shiny red.  Then I discovered that the monument was restored in 2013.

A steady climb through the old streets leads to the Cathedral Notre Dame.

Plenty of natural light inside the cathedral, and numerous beautiful stained-glass windows.

This is a telephoto view of the Rocher and the Chapel St. Michel from the hill above the edge of town.

This view of St. Michel is from the level of the Cathedral Notre Dame.

Same location, St. Michel with medium telephoto.

Same location, St. Michel with maximum telephoto.  If we had had more time I might have climbed the stairs.

This photo is looking west from the level of the Cathredral Notre Dame toward the Rocher/Statue St, Joseph (Mary's husband with Christ Child.

Same location, St. Joseph with medium telephoto.

Same location, St. Joseph with maximum telephoto.  

Behind the Cathedral Notre Dame is this wonderful cloister.

The view from the other end.

Our visit happened to coincide with a Medieval Fair, so the whole town was full of people dressed to the hilt in medieval costumes.  The parking was tricky, but once we found a spot, it was worth it.  The costumes made our visit feel like a step back in time

A proud lord of the manor with his beautiful young daughter.  Medieval version of sending her off to the prom I would imagine.

This is more of a merchant class gentleman, with his lady all dressed up to go to town.

The Black Knight and his page.

Is this Silver Knight getting ready for a contest of arms with the Black Knight?

How would you like this for a bike helmet?  It would keep the rain off the back of your neck!

Miracle of miracles!  I found this quaint street with no pedestrians!

We watched this sharp little dog shepherd a flock of geese . . . 

The handler would holler "right," "left," "stop," "go."  And the dog would make the geese waddle around the court yard, first through the tunnel at one end, then over the bridge on the right, then through the tunnel at the other end, and then finally into the holding pen on the left.  It was pretty fun to watch.

Le Puy is famous for the hand-made lace ("dentelle") that the ladies make, using this kind of lap cushion and these little spindles, called "fuseaux."  They still teach the younger generation how to do this to preserve the culture.  The streets leading up to the Cathedral had a dozen or more little shops selling different lace products.  Only the products that are actually made by hand are allowed to be labeled with the special "hand made" sticker.

We had a beautiful day.  Enough clouds to keep the heat down, and to make for beautiful skies, but never any rain.  This fountain in the town's main commercial square was surrounded today by the Medieval Fair booths, with demonstrations, and souvenir sales.  (And crowds of people!)