Le Puy-en-Velay
Saturday the 21st of March, my friend Jo and I took a day trip. Two hours South West from Lyon on a train, via Saint Etienne, is Le Puy-en-Velay.
The town, or rather small city, was bustling with markets of all sorts when we were there. It’s busy and somewhat urbanised, but is still filled with beautiful old buildings and authentic squares and fountains.
The most striking attraction is the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Puy, which stands out at the top of a long walk up hill.
The unusual colour scheme of the cathedral’s façade adds character to the ancient place of worship.
Needless to say, the inside of the cathedral is equally as fascinating, especially the vivid light patterns made by the intricate stain glass windows.
From the cathedral, we walked further up hill, through cobble stone passages and enclosed stair cases, until we reached the entrance to the park where the Notre-Dame de France statue is perched over looking the town. The lookout at the statue’s base provides 360° views of Le Puy.
After our climb, we found a cute little restaurant for a lunch of thin crust pizza topped with the famous Le Puy green lentils.
Lesson of the day: lentil pizza can actually taste really damn good.
