A Grey Day in Vezelay, France

Zagan the motorhome is all on his own, in the coach parking at the foot of the hill-top town of Vezelay (N47.46449, E3.74084). That could be because it’s a cold, grey, December day or it could be because it’s €6 a night and there are free spaces elsewhere?

Last night the rain eased so, as decided by Charlie (the chocolate drop on the left was eaten first) we treated ourselves to a night out in Moulins. Wandering back over the bridge we were lit by Christmas decorations as we made our way into the increasingly festive town.

Our first stop was the Grand Café, Jamie and Rosie had recommended to us, where I felt suitably under-dressed. We took a table by the door so we could get the best view of diners in the red velvet booths, walls decorated with cake-icing-esque carvings around huge mirrors (if you sit and look at yourself in the mirror – you see hundreds of you reflected to infinity) and the painted and stained-glass ceilings.

Jay supped a Ricard while I opted for a Kir (vin blanc of course as it’s half the price of a Kir Royale!). We made the most of our €6 spend with a trip upstairs to the loo to get a better view of the place and a good half an hour of entertainment watching a couple of women trying to fit Christmas decorations around the front door, as punters kept walking in and out. At one point a glass sphere came smashing down on the doormat, why they don’t use plastic baubles I’ll never know!

After our aperitifs it was time for some food. What they were serving in the Grand Café looked, and smelled, fabulous, but Jay has had a craving for something else ever since we got to France. We crossed the road to Eefs, a kebab shop. Oh yes, we like to live it up. We didn’t just pick any kebab shop though – this sort of meal is very important, so as we’d walked into town we’d checked out three of them, and Eefs was the one that was packed with people eating. Jay had a huge kebab while I opted for a hamburger meal and all for just €12. With full tummies we headed back to Zagan to be sniffed and given a suspicious look from Charlie.

This morning the skies were overcast, a good driving day. After breakfast we headed to the Intermarche near the aire to stock up on a few supplies. In the car park was a 24hr laundrette – well a few machines in a covered area, luckily we don’t have much to wash or our night out might have been very different!

The store is being renovated, but it’s being done while it’s open, meaning I couldn’t get my trolley down some of the aisles due to workmen or pieces of signage. My favourite pastime of drooling over the cakes was curtailed by a man on a ladder above the cake chillers, angle-grinding a spray of sparks all over them. Not much impressed, we grabbed a few things from our shopping list and left to continue our journey north.

We drove for just over two hours and I disagreed with satnav for the best part of it as she once again decided we’d prefer to use narrow country lanes over wide roads with white lines on them. Sure my route added about 15 minutes to the total journey time, but it meant Jay had less shoulder ache and the language in Zagan was less blue. We even got to drive some free motorway that wasn’t on my map – you have to give it to the French, they are quick at building roads, and I do need a new map.

A dull day and a dull run north

If you are driving across France on the toll-free roads, try to do it on a Sunday when there are no lorries!

With half an hour to go Charlie’s bladder would last no longer, so we stopped for baguette lunch and a quick dog walk by the river in Clamecy. Vezelay is listed in our ‘Discover France’ guide book as one of the top villages to see, if you enjoyed Sarlat – so I guess that means Sarlat is the top one. We did enjoy Sarlat and Rocamadour and Brantome, all of which featured on the list, now we have been here there are two more to do for a full set, maybe a challenge for our next trip?

Vezelay

€6 is cheap for a whole car park for the night!

The skies were grey and despite waiting until after locked o’clock, the town was still pretty much shut. Two blokes in a cherry-picker were stringing up Christmas lights, but looking at the signs in the shop windows many of them won’t be back until early next year.

We walked up the main road, literally as it is a hilly hill-top town, and reached the small square in front of the huge basilica. Jay went in first while I sat with Charlie, as we sat on a bench a French chap walked past with his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, picked it up and took it inside – maybe the dog had something to confess, Charlie usually does! It didn’t feel right to me, so I stayed outside, swapping with Jay when he’d had a good look around.

Less flashy Christmas decorations here

For years people came here to see Mary Magdalene’s bones, then they realised they weren’t hers. Don’t know who is in there, but not a bad place of rest!

The carving on the outside of the basilica have been replaced, those inside are mainly missing heads – such a shame.

While walking around the town for a good hour or so, we probably saw around 20 people in total, of which three were nuns and one a priest who I can only assume live here. I can understand why the shop keepers have taken the winter off.

These dudes were on the outside of the basilica, no idea who they are supposed to be, but they look cool!

Vezelay will be remembered by me as one of those places that I bet is lovely in the sunshine, and even better in the summer when it is brimming with life. Sadly though, today wasn’t the best day to visit it. True, we could wander around the empty basilica and park easily, but sometimes I do wish for just a bit more life in a place.

Ju x