A Day at The Races
by kokoryko
Since I live in Pau, I was twice at the races, and, if not fun as in the Marx Brothers movie, as a totally non-competent and non-involved (I do not bet) I find it interesting to spend one or two hours in this special ambience, walking around, and watch as much at the people as at the horses. . . .
Pau is a quite important place for races in France with 30 “meetings” per year, and, mainly in Winter. The Pont Long racecourse and the Sers Equestrian centre are the second equestrian complex of France just after Chantilly. The Steeple chase is said to be one of the most feared in Europe! I am not specialist. . . . I just tell for the interested people that the races are important, and yes, I have some fun watching. . . .
The following website http://www.hippodrome-pau.com/calendrier/fr_contenu.asp gives the dates for the meetings.
More information about the racecourse on the website below.
I look at the race of course (picture2), but the horses ran too fast for my cheap camera that cloudy day, and steeple chase is more spectacular live (Picture3), but I also like to walk around, look at the horses when they are prepared for the race just before they are geared (Picture4), or look just before the race, when the riders are concentrating (Picture 5). . .
HIPPODROME DE PAU
462, boulevard du Cami Salié
64050 PAU Cedex 9
Place Verdun
by mikey_e
I'm not sure if there is really any significance to Place Verdun, or if it is really just a regular square with shops and a hotel and restaurants, but for some reason it took my fancy while I was wandering about Pau. It is a fairly heavy traffic area, so it's not that it was tranquil and relaxing. Rather, I think that it was because of the arcades, which always seem to interest me. Go figure. If you too have a think for arcades, perhaps you should plan to include the Place in you list of things to do in Pau.
The Court of Honor of the Chateau
by hquittner
The most prominent part of the outside is a full sized statue of King Henri I stand under the central arch of the entrance to the Court of Honor. Some busts are also present upon different faces of the courtyard
Look in the backyards
by kokoryko
When you walk in the streets, going from one monument to the other, take your time and look in the backyards of the houses, as the main doors opening to the streets are open.Nicely decorated yards, balconies deserve a look. Given the humid climate here, and the hot summers, you may even find some tiny local tropical forests hidden in the backyards (picture 2). On rue Louis Barthou, when you enter the big doors, you even may find lush vegetation and the Pyrenees as background, and on other places just a small wisteria or a magnolia tree.
The little painted church of Momas
by kokoryko
The church is not on many guides and from outside is nothing remarkable, except the old gravestones; if you have a close look, you notice they are not even very old (picture 2). The paintings inside are rare in Bearn, and they are in a very good state of conservation, like the ceiling of the ship (picture 3).
I was lucky to be there in the afternoon of a sunny day and could play a bit with the light of the windows main picture . The colours of the windows are projected on the painted colours of the wall, and the details of the window appear more in the transmitted image than in the direct light (pictures 4 and 5).
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Queen of Navarre
Donjon and Chapel
Near Top of Funicular
Porte Corisande, Pau, France 2006
