Every time I’ve visited Le Puy in the past, I’ve arrived under cover of darkness and left the following morning, so I’ve never had a ton of time to explore. This time around, I was committed to giving myself a day.
So what to do with all of that time? I was up at 6:30am, so I made coffee and strolled over to the 7am pilgrim mass. A pretty full house, albeit with social distancing chewing up many of the seats. It’s Sunday and pilgrim numbers in Le Puy spike over each weekend, so after that crowd hoofed out of town, plenty more rolled in to take their place.
Anyway, mass completed and pilgrim credential acquired, I found a bakery and loaded up on essentials. (For those curious, most basic pastries were running 0.90 euros in this shop, and I was happy to snag a veggie quiche for 2.2.) After breakfast, I walked out to visit Le Rocher Saint-Michel d’Aiguilhe. That’s the little chapel perched atop a volcanic spire behind the cathedral. It’s a good way to wake the calves.
I decided not to visit the statue of Notre-Dame de France; I’ve made the climb before and it’s nice, but I wanted to try out some new stuff. Instead, I headed out of the town center, walking westward to the Basilique Saint-Joseph. If you’ve ever seen the *other* big statue in Le Puy and wondered what it is, it’s Joseph. The basilica itself isn’t particularly interesting, but the adjacent shrine is built out of a grotto and it’s quite lovely. While this isn’t as high a point as the Rocher or Notre-Dame enjoy, it has the advantage of actually having all of the highlights–the Needle, Notre-Dame, and the cathedral–in view.
From there, I circled back eastward. First, I visited the Jardin Henri Vinay, which is located just south of the center. It’s a nice green space, with plenty of shade and a small pond. It also has some random animals housed there, including some peacocks and a wallaby.
Continuing eastward, I checked out the two giant frescoes painted on buildings that capture some of Le Puy’s defining imagery/themes. These were not quite as easy to find, but if you plug “Fresque du Puy-en-Velay” into Google Maps you’ll find the first one. Continue north from there; when that one-way road merges with its opposing equivalent, you’ll find the second one on the right.
Later in the afternoon, I watched the show at Hôtel des Lumières, in the Hôtel-Dieu (next to the cathedral). The hour-long light and sound show focused on Impressionist artists… and a bunch of other stuff. Wasn’t my thing. I decided to watch it because I’m a few days too early for the Puy de Lumières show, which is spectacular, but this didn’t scratch that itch. Hopefully others enjoy it. I’ll end the day in a bit with a visit to the social gathering run by the Amis de Saint-Jacques behind the cathedral.
Anyway, a full day in Le Puy is totally worth it.
