Rocamadour or Carennac
Jan 6th, 2005, 02:57 PM
#4
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 5,641
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rocamadour is said to the the second most visited toursit place in France outside of Mont St Michel - don't know if this is true but times i've been there it's been a mob scene. Of course once was in August but i don't know Carennac but must be more quiet.
Jan 6th, 2005, 03:19 PM
#5
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,510
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Oh try the Fenelon!
We have looked into it a couple of times and had we not had another place to stay, might well have stayed there. I still have their card. A passing englishwoman resident in the neighbourhood lauded its restaurant too.
I realize this is all vague and hearsay -- but I can vouch for the beauty of the town.
I visited Rocamadour only once and loathed it. I was going through a particularly anti-clerical stage at the time and went with my very keen partner, under protest.
Touristy and commercial; exhausting hills; and I found the "shrine" aspect distasteful.
We got off to a bad start by taking a small road to reach it -- "road" is too kind a word for the cart track we ended up on.
So maybe I did not approach it (physically or psychic-ly) in the most positive way...
We have looked into it a couple of times and had we not had another place to stay, might well have stayed there. I still have their card. A passing englishwoman resident in the neighbourhood lauded its restaurant too.
I realize this is all vague and hearsay -- but I can vouch for the beauty of the town.
I visited Rocamadour only once and loathed it. I was going through a particularly anti-clerical stage at the time and went with my very keen partner, under protest.
Touristy and commercial; exhausting hills; and I found the "shrine" aspect distasteful.
We got off to a bad start by taking a small road to reach it -- "road" is too kind a word for the cart track we ended up on.
So maybe I did not approach it (physically or psychic-ly) in the most positive way...
Jan 6th, 2005, 03:27 PM
#7
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
We stayed at the Fénélon a few years ago. I wasn't as wowed as I'd expected to be, but maybe it was because the church bells rang very loudly every half-hour all night right outside our window - or so it seemed. Maybe you can hear them all over town. Anyway, it was very comfortable, and Carennac is just a gem of a town. That church tympanum is something!
Trending Topics
Jan 6th, 2005, 04:58 PM
#11
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,766
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
After reading this I'm ready to change my itinerary - and skip Rocamadour!
I'm staying at the Domaine de la Rhue (nearby)for 2 nights, but I'm more interested in seeing the other towns - Martel, Carennac, Collenges-la-Rouge, etc. Guess I'd better give Rocamadour a look, though - although I hate touristy places like that. I'll try to go early or late after the crowds have left. Or is it just as well to skip it totally??
I'm staying at the Domaine de la Rhue (nearby)for 2 nights, but I'm more interested in seeing the other towns - Martel, Carennac, Collenges-la-Rouge, etc. Guess I'd better give Rocamadour a look, though - although I hate touristy places like that. I'll try to go early or late after the crowds have left. Or is it just as well to skip it totally??
Jan 6th, 2005, 05:05 PM
#12
I was there one summer it wasn't too crowded that day. It is a beautiful site but we did enjoy Collenge-La- Rouge much more and had a wonderful lunch on a terrace. There's a wonderful leather shop there where I bought my dog a beautiful leather collar with silver hearts. The crowd was about the same but it was raining on both days
Jan 6th, 2005, 05:59 PM
#13
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 4,510
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In addition to Collonges and Martel and Carennac, do not miss Turenne and Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne.
In the latter town, we have often eaten at the Hotel Central Fournie: Abundant old-fashioned cooking with local ingredients -- the salade de gesiers served as a starter is a meal in itself and their nougat glace is wonderful....
In the latter town, we have often eaten at the Hotel Central Fournie: Abundant old-fashioned cooking with local ingredients -- the salade de gesiers served as a starter is a meal in itself and their nougat glace is wonderful....
Jan 6th, 2005, 06:59 PM
#14
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tedgale knows what he's talking about. Go to Beaulieu and eat at the Central Fournie - yum!
Don't skip Rocamadour - after all, it's the "deuxième site de France" after le Mont St-Michel. There's a reason. Just plan to encounter a lot of people.
And the Gouffre de Padirac is loads of fun - just wear warm, waterproof clothing and prepare for some slippery walking. Collonges (not Collenges)-la-Rouge is a nice artsy town that banks on its unusual rose-colored stone that is so different from the limestone buildings elsewhere in the region, but it's good for an hour's wander around admiring the architecture and the shops. A lot of them are kitschy, like the ones in St-Cirq-Lapopie, but I found a beautiful 18th-century miniature tapestry there which I adore in one of the antique stores.
Martel is quite historic - the town of seven towers (see if you can find them). Read up on it and you will want to visit.
Don't skip Rocamadour - after all, it's the "deuxième site de France" after le Mont St-Michel. There's a reason. Just plan to encounter a lot of people.
And the Gouffre de Padirac is loads of fun - just wear warm, waterproof clothing and prepare for some slippery walking. Collonges (not Collenges)-la-Rouge is a nice artsy town that banks on its unusual rose-colored stone that is so different from the limestone buildings elsewhere in the region, but it's good for an hour's wander around admiring the architecture and the shops. A lot of them are kitschy, like the ones in St-Cirq-Lapopie, but I found a beautiful 18th-century miniature tapestry there which I adore in one of the antique stores.
Martel is quite historic - the town of seven towers (see if you can find them). Read up on it and you will want to visit.
Jan 6th, 2005, 07:13 PM
#16
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,766
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Great advice here! No, I won't skip Rocamadour, especially since I'm staying quite nearby. Another question (St. Cirq?)- I'll be coming from Domme to that area in the AM., for a 2 day stay. Would it make more sense to first visit the northern cities (Martel, Turenne, Collonges, etc.) then Rocamadour & Padirac the next day? It looks like that might avoid some backtracking.
Jan 7th, 2005, 05:42 AM
#17
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 49,560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sue$:
Yes, I think that's what I would do - from Domme over to Souillac, then over to Martel, then Turenne and Collonges and Beaulieu, etc. Then head south the next day for Rocamadour and the Gouffre. A nice circuit.
Yes, I think that's what I would do - from Domme over to Souillac, then over to Martel, then Turenne and Collonges and Beaulieu, etc. Then head south the next day for Rocamadour and the Gouffre. A nice circuit.
