Pau Things to Do

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Lucq de Bearn is a small village located west of Pau, between the towns of Mourenx and Oloron Sainte Marie, in the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Added to the nice, charming and quiet landscapes, Lucq has two things to see: the very charming little village with its houses and the old church.
The Saint Vincent church has been built in the 11th century, and despite several renovations, the main building and style a re preserved, like the bell tower with its typical bearnese style (see Monein to compare); the altar in the church is very interesting and curious as it is a tombstone from the 4th century; this tombstone is a Christian one as one can see on the scenes represented on the low-relieves; this tombstone which has been found recently during excavation works close to the church is a witness of very early Christian conversion in the area and it is a very fine piece of art.
The church itself has several altars on the side walks, displays some old paintings. .
It was at the origin the church of a Benedictan abbey founded in Lucq de Bearn in the 11th century; the roman chapiters deserve a whole page for themselves alone.

Let us first look outside, the main entrance is under the bell tower (main picture), nearby are some ruins from the old abbey (second picture) which had been destroyed in a first phase during the religion wars in the 16th century, then definitely during the Revolution.
The church has undergone some renovation or restoration works with time as this Renaissance porch shows (picture 3). The village and even the church are well hidden in the small narrow valley (Picture 4). The campanile on the northern end of the roof is a modern artefact added to the church but it is rather charming (picture5).

By far - the most remarkable place to visit, has to be the camel centre on the Haute Pyrenees, Gers border. Run by a lovely English family who sold up everything and moved out with their two young sons to set up their camel centre... La Maison des Chameaux.
There are a number of animals at the centre, as well as the camels of course! The owners, Paul and Sarah are most hospitable and really knowledgeable about the camels. At the moment, this is run as a visitors centre, with an Expo, a great picnic area in the woods, and places for the kids to run off steam. It's open all day too!! (most of France seems to close for lunch)
Such a great bunch of people and animals, a MUST DO for people of all ages!

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On a rainy Sunday afternoon, I took my sons to the “Musée National du Parachutisme” , thinking we would see some interesting history about this subject. We discovered this was a military, exclusively military museum, a museum for the glorification of military parachutists and mainly the French ones!
This being said, it is not totally uninteresting to make a short visit here just to see for instance the Nord 2500 aircraft (Picture2) on display outside, the first exclusively French aircraft designated for the transport of paratroopers; the shape of this aircraft is weird (the word is poor!) and its toilet at the back (picture3), are possibly there for the very scared beginners. . . . . . .
A Puma helicopter is also on display outside. Inside, a retired paratrooper makes the guide and explains a bit of military parachutist history and then you have to watch a movie about the beginning of parachutism until end of WW II: all those guys (all nationalities) were so brave, so innovative, so. . . and so. . . . . , then in the exhibition rooms ordered in historical logic, you see mannequins clothed in various uniforms, weapons, military models, etc. . . . not exactly my stuff. Then another room where you have to endure another movie about Dien Bien Phu, the war in Algeria, and the glorious French parachutists, etc. . .. . then other exhibition rooms with more modern weapons again, uniforms, posters, and hundreds of medals, flags, distinctions, etc. . . and . . . phew. . .
I had a long discussion with the guide about militarism, wars, sense of military life. . . well, nobody convinced the other, I just hope my boys did not get their brain too polluted. . . .
For those who are interested, you know that there is a National museum dedicated to paratroopers, and they say it is the most important in France. . . . . . . .

Entrance : 4 Euros, children free (of course!)
Open every day, 10 a.m. – 5 p. m.

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The first aircraft pilot school in the world has been founded in Pau by Wilbur and Orville Wright; at least that’s what the posters say and also what a monument (see previous tip) recalls.
I was recently at the Palais Beaumont for a business meeting and walking around, I discovered on the first floor these posters and a model of an old aircraft. It is a small exhibition called :”Pau, terre d’Aviation”
It seems 2009 will be a busy year in Pau as it will celebrate 100 years aviation schools in Pau; I did not find official documents about that, but it seems it is preparing. . . . and the posters you see here are probably just created for the preparation of this event.
The main picture is a nice poster recalling 100 years of passion for aviation in Pau.
Picture 2 is a poster recalling about the Wright’s pilot school here in Pau and picture 3 shows Blériot had also a school here in 1909. A nice model of an old aircraft is on picture 4, and. . . . don’t ask me how it works but it is written on: a flight simulator not from those times, but quite an antiquity, is on picture 5.

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Did you know that the first pilot school of the world was created in Pau? I learned it recently and looked for the memorial a friend told me of.
Bleriot and the Wright brothers created this school in 1909, and then other famous pilots took over the management and teaching in that school. This school was located in the Pont Long area, North of Pau, not far from the actual horse racing field, but nothing is left nowadays.
Not only is nothing left, there is no museum for the aviation (except a parachutists museum), no other memorials; the only thing telling that Pau has (had!) with aviation, is the big number of streets having aviation pioneers names(picture4). In the Museum of fine arts is this strange sculpture which may remind the old days of aviation in Pau (picture 3).
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Palais Beaumont, since its 2000 renovation has become a congress and conference centre. I visited it several times for professional reasons, but when it is empty you much more appreciate the greenhouse layout; big windows, inside mirrors covering totally some walls, palm trees and ferns inside, all this is really a change of scene. The main picture displays one of the huge halls with wide windows, glass roofs, a rotunda ceiling which by far give enough light to the bamboo and palms to grow. Through the big windows it is of course possible to have a look at the mountains (pictures 2 and 3); and, looking on the other side, you see the windows reflecting in the big mirrors (picture 4). In the basement there are temporary exhibitions (picture 5) of paintings, photographs, generally of local interest (have a close look at the pictures displayed).
The Palais Beaumont, as I told, is today mainly a conference centre proposing 2 amphitheatres which can accommodate 540 and 200 people. The big halls of 750 and 900 square meters can host up to 800 persons for special events like congress lunches or company gatherings. Many other rooms of various sizes are also available. The Palais Beaumont is a member of “the historic conference centres” association .

General information on Palais Beaumont:
Contact : Le Palais Beaumont, Parc Beaumont F 64000 PAU
Tél : +33 (0) 559 112 000 Fax : +33(0) 559 112 001
Email: dsportes@paucc.com
Site internet : http://www.paucc.com

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Let us come back outside to see the entrance (main picture), and come back; now we have a look at the first floor.
We are here not far from Spain and this Dehodencq reminds us with this village novillada from the 19th century (picture 2).
There are many paints and sculptures in the same rooms and some view angles are funny like this one (picture 3) where the girls watched by the nun pass by this wonderful nude from Ch. Despiau. . . . or this one, where I wonder if the girl on the painting is imitating the “Rollande” from R. Wlérick (picture 4).
I think the museum curators organised the displays in some way to remind or call from paintings to sculptures like here (picture 5) where the Etcheto “slavery” represented by this black man is highly resembling to the man on the painting of Vernet in the background. . . . .
This museum is really worth a visit!

Entrabce: 3 Euros

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The brochure of this museum says it is one of the biggest museums of Aquitaine.
Located in a 1930 style building, it is a bit an eclectic museum, with paintings from the 15th to 20th centuries, of various origins (Dutch and Italian mainly, with of course, local and French paintings). Many sculptures and modern art are also displayed. The museum organises also thematic temporary exhibitions (2-3 per year).
Not easy to tell about all what is in this museum in one tip; the entrance is quite impressive with the monumental Deveria flanked by the smaller paintings and sculptures on the left and right stairs (main picture). On the basement you will discover 2 Rubens (picture 2) on the left and late Italian Renaissance paintings on the right. You will not find Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe but “le Déjeuner dans la serre” from Louise Abbeme above a A. Boucher sculpture (picture 3), better seen from the stairs, with other paintings around.; from the other stair you may like these 3 beauties (Tango from Berges,on the right, a “Bacchante” by Etcheto, and the more anonymous Dupuy (Mme Chinon et son colley) on the left (picture 4). Upstairs right you may admire this “wedding in Laruns” from local painter Capdevielle (picture 5).

Entrance: 3 Euros