A common man marvels at uncommon things. A wise man marvels at the commonplace. CONFUCIUS

Sunday, 23 November 2008

Lescar

Next day I caught a bus to Lescar. Nowadays Lescar lies stranded among the retail parks and dormitory suburbs of Pau, but in former, more illustrious times, it was a significant Roman city.





Above the main entrance of the Romanesque Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Lescar I noticed some remarkable 12th century herringbone-patterned brickwork; and inside the sanctuary found some perfectly preserved mosaics of hunting scenes - including this archer with a wooden leg:





At 9 o'clock the next morning I made my way downhill from the pilgrim refuge. Skirting the ramparts of the old cité, I passed under the stone arch of one of the city gates, then came across this brasserie with some early-morning customers drinking beer outside. It was much too early in the day for me to consider even the remotest possibility of alcoholic refreshment, so I moved quickly on ...





... registering this rather over-the-top little roundabout as I took the road westwards to the river, the Gave de Pau ...


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