This particular virgin is a cracker though. She is made of captured and then melted down cannons from the French victory at 'Sebastapol' during the Crimea war. She towers above the very motorhome friendly city of 'Le Puy en Velay' atop her lump of left over volcanic rock. €3.50 bought me a ticket and like many others I was soon up her. (Sorry. Rather unsavoury but I could not resist a bit of humour.) And I mean right up her. Literally a spiral staircase and finally a steel ladder to a perspex dome where eyes view the spectacle below between the twelve celestial stars adorning 'la Vierge's' head.
I have to admit to enjoying and being impressed on several layers. Firstly the setting, high up atop this tower of volcanic rock, is so perfect. Second the actual statue really is a breathtakingly beautiful metal sculpture. Third; the engineering, which of course is fully exposed from the inside, reminded me so much of my old Navy days with the nuts and bolts and thick steel of post WW2 HM navy Aircraft carriers. The statue for a time enjoyed status as the tallest metal statue in the world, until that is, America unveiled Madame statue of Liberty. No matter, La Vierge, mother and child had a major refurbishment and paint job last year making her spotless and shiny new both inside and out.
'Le Puy' as the city is known, is, as I said very motorhome friendly with all five major car parks around the city having spaces for motorhomes. We chose the one by the station. La Vierge towered above with her back to us making for easy orientation as you walk around the old part of the city on the hillside below. In particular the Cathederal was splendid with its entry via a steep sweep of steps delivering you up, from those dark places below, to where your eyes immediately scan heaven-ward to magnificent alters, sculptures and stained glass. All this with Tanya snuggled in my arms too. No one seemed in the least bit bothered.
We had journeyed to 'Le Puy' over the high Ardeche courtesy of twisty steep minor roads. Well worth it apart from my one glaring error. We were dropping almost vertically and I was tired. Round one more impossibly tight zig zag and there it was. Straight in front of us. 'St Julian de Gua' with a small church clinging to the hillside but more importantly, a level and safe square to park Sadie right out front. Believe me it is hard sometimes in these mountainous areas to find a level'ish and safe spot to stop. I swung Sadie in just as an oldish guy wielding a bunch of keys emerged from the small, but, as I found out later, very beautiful mountainside church. In my excellent French I checked with him re camping por un nuit. He lived in the house right next to where Sadie was parked and was the curator of the church. I got a lovely smile and;
"No problem. Ave un bon nuit."
"Thats nice" I thought.
It was about six forty so we settled in with first job feeding Tanya. At seven o clock the church bell, directly above us, chimed seven times. It was loud!
"Oh dear" says I. "Never mind I don't expect they ring it all through the night. Surely not".
Yes they did. Or at least the electronic bell ringer did. On time too with each half hour honored with a single chime. I heard every single reverberating ding dong chime that night but also, amazingly did sort of doze-sleep in between. Early morning arrived as M'sieur curator passed on his way to unlock the church and wished us a cheery, did I detect malicious, yes I'm sure I did,
"Bonjour monsieur!"
"Oi! Clear off y'b*****s"
That's me by the way shouting at a bunch of young cattle whose probing tongues and huge wet noses are getting a bit too inquisitive around Sadie. They've gone now. Frightened the b-jesus out of them I did, by suddenly emerging from Sadie waving and then opening out my umbrella. They're still stampeding, all four of them, but now over the far side of this fishing lake where I'm parked for the night. Doubt they will come back as its getting dark and they've now joined the rest of the herd and telling them their tale of woe.
"Yeeah ... go on .. go on .... you tell em .... tell em all don't go near that white thing over there. It tastes like shite and there's this bloody great big fiery bull monster comes flyin out of it all noisy and green and flappin. No kiddin, nearly had us it did. We're stayin over here with you lot now. I tell you that was Cowin well heffalumpily frightenin!!"
Must have worked. They did not come back and a very peaceful, bell free, night was enjoyed.
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