Le Terminus des Pelerins

See the Traces of the Danse Macabre

by hquittner

On the outside wall of the Chapel of the Virgin is a fragmentary fresco of the 15C depicting a scene from the custom of the time of displaying a folk commentary of the shortness of life. There are many more fragments and elaborate expressions of this in various places over Europe. (The best one we have seen is near Chartres at Meslay-le-Grenet and we have described this in our Tips under Off the Beaten Path in that Cathedral city). There are other famous fragments we have seen in the Camposanto at Pisa and in the Aitre de St.-Maclou in Rouen. Here all we have remaining are two skeletons greeting the traveller, a part of the Story of the "Three Dead Men and Three Living".

Rocamadour

by mexicruiser

"The lovely castle and town of Rocamadour"

Location: In the east Dordogne, about 50km from Sarlat.
General Info: Park in one of the large car parks at the top of the town. Website. Pilgrimage website.
Description: This is France’s second most visited tourist attraction after Le Mont St-Michel. A magical town with golden houses clinging to the side of a cliff over the Alzou canyon, it is a holy shrine…..which makes it rather sad in some ways because it is so incredibly overrun by tourists and the paraphenalia that they inevitably attract. Nevertheless it is a must see attraction due to its unique location / character.
Our recommendations: Try to get there very early before the tourists arrive, or in the evening when the atmosphere is best and the crowds are starting to thin. Stop at L'Hospitalet to take photos of the village.
For the children: Nearby are the Gouffres du Padirac – more caves with a boat ride through them – also very busy and requiring an early arrival! Go there first and then to Rocamadour later in the day, or alternatively visit the nearby Corn Maze in Creysse.