We were heading to what turned out to be a fantastic B&B in Gramat, about 15 minutes from Rocamadour, the place that was the whole reason for the trip. We would have been pretty early, though, so we stopped first along the Dordogne River in Beynac to check out another chateau. I'm so glad we did - as usual, thanks to Rick Steves for the tip. It's now on my bucket list to kayak down the river, and you might agree once you see this view from the castle:
I mean, come ON! Rolling fields, impressive cliffs, and there were three MORE castles in view (two on the right side of the river, one on the left).
The castle was more medieval than any that we had seen so far, which made the stop even more fun.
The view from the other side of the castle, down river.
Still disappointed that we couldn't get into the chapel. But the town folk still use it for services on Sunday! Awesome.
The owner actually lives(!!!) in this castle, but I'm guessing he doesn't use this kitchen.
and a real working drawbridge. It doesn't get any better.
Mom pointed out that these steps sure have seen hundreds of years of feet.
After dragging ourselves away from the river (so sad!), we drove another hour east to our B&B, Moulin de Fresquet in Gramat. Highly recommended if you're ever in the area! They only have a handful of rooms, so book early. They sent us off to a great dinner, where I finally tried some duck:
C'etait delicieux!
And another local wine (even if Malbec isn't French... whatever?) that was excellent.
And our first cheese-instead-of-dessert course which was the BEST cheese I've had yet. I discovered today that it's unpasteurized so it's illegal in the US............... I did finally find it in a store down the street (our neighborhood is wonderful, I'll post about that this week when the sight-seeing craze finally dies down), so...........
The next morning we were off to Rocamadour, a medieval pilgrimage site - tens of thousands of pilgrims per year! - that Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) also found meaningful in the mid-1930s.
View from just across the valley - how did they build up there?? So beautiful, even on a gray day.
I had hoped to visit a museum there:
(Musée d'Art Sacre - Francis Poulenc)
...but it was closed for construction. But that's better than closed due to lack of funds which it had been previously, so maybe there's hope? It was still a valuable trip!
This is the space that Poulenc had in mind when he composed his Litanies à la Vierge noir (Litanies of the Black Virgin) in 1936. I wish I had thought to put a recording on my phone so I could listen to it there. Here's a nice example if you'd like to hear the piece (if it doesn't work, google the title, this should be the first video that comes up):
I love the way Poulenc combines chant-like simplicity with twentieth-century harmonies! By the way, there is not an organ in the chapel pictured above, but there is a almost brand new one in the sanctuary next door.
As I sat in the space, I thought about how commercial it all is today. Not the chapel so much, but all of the one-street town below is occupied by shops catering to tourists rather than pilgrims. I wondered what it was like when Poulenc visited, and I reflected on the character of the Litanies and how earnest and honest they seem compared to some of his later sacred works that one might characterize as more commercial.
To explain a little: Poulenc had a largely secular upbringing in Paris, but in 1936, after losing his parents, one of his closest friends, and then a colleague in a gruesome car accident, he claimed to have had a religious conversion of sorts (at least, that's what he said in interviews later as he may or may not have been trying to drum up support for his music). I'm interested to examine how his music over the second half of his career reflects his statements about his faith, especially considering that he was gay. I'm particularly drawn to his often-light-and-humorous Gloria from 1960-61, which was actually commissioned by Serge Koussevitsky and the Boston Philharmonic, and turned out to be much more popular in the US than in France. Boy I hope there's actually a thesis in there somewhere. :)
Anyway, it was a fascinating place to visit, despite the hordes of tourists. I love to see how these sites have grown and changed over the course of a millennium.
After climbing 200+ steps from the town to the chapel - which pilgrims often did on their knees, by the way, ouch - one can climb a switchback trail with the thirteen stations of the cross to the chateau at the top of the cliff.
Near the top is the cave where St. Amadour's miraculously well-preserved body was supposedly discovered in the 1100s or so.
While I didn't accomplish everything I had hoped to on the trip, it was quite meaningful to see and experience the places I'm thinking and writing about. Now that I'm back in Paris, I will be getting to work on access to the archives at the National Library, where I can check out some more Poulenc "stuff." For example, I know that they have some of his photo albums; maybe he took some pictures while visiting Rocamadour!
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