Date and time of visit: April 25, around 8 p.m., overnight
この旅最大の目的にして、最上級の美しさ、「Vézelay（ヴェズレー）」 4月25日の宿泊地は美しい丘にそびえるこの村です。フランスで最も美しい村のみならずユネスコ世界遺産（ヴェズレーの教会と丘）にも選ばれているこの村は数ある美しい村の中でも最上級の風格を備えている、そう言っても過言ではないでしょう。
The village is also a destination for Christian pilgrims and the starting point of the pilgrimage route to San Diego de Compostela.
I’ve been planning this trip to the “most beautiful villages in France” since around 2008, and Vézelay was the village I wanted to visit the most from the beginning.
We came from the Loire region to Burgundy at once using the highway. After leaving Montresor, it was raining lightly. The road leading to here was anyway straight all the way like the picture below.
Would we spend so much time in Montresor, which was more beautiful than we expected, that we would have to wait for the day to arrive at Vezelay, where we had reservations for the day? God waited for us. When we arrived at Vezelay, the sun was back and it was a beautiful sunset.
The road leading to Vezelay goes through the forest all the way to this point. When you pass through the forest, you will suddenly see this scene in front of you.
I wanted to somehow get a full view of this beautiful red village before the sun went down. I forced my way through the narrow streets to the hill on the other side of the river where I could get a panoramic view of the village.
It was an impressive sight.
The hotel was actually booked 2 days before from the internet. We decided to stay at the best hotel in the village. I decided to spend a lot of money, but it was a local village, and even a 4-star hotel cost about 110 euro.
By the time we arrived at the hotel, it was already dark and the restaurants were closing. After checking in, we had a meal immediately without taking a rest. While we were eating, the tables around us were gradually cleared away. Needless to say, I was the last guest.
The date changed to the 26th. It was another fine day with no clouds. By the way, this is the hotel where we stayed. It is located at the entrance of the village.
We went to the Cathedral of Sainte-Madeleine, which was named after Mary Magdalene, and was built in the 12th century, the symbol of the village.
The road leading to the cathedral was steeper than I expected.
Now to the inside of the cathedral. I was overwhelmed by the mystical air. As I expected, it was very beautiful.
It was Tuesday. And it was still 9 o’clock in the morning, so there were only two groups of tourists including myself. I could see the inside of the cathedral very quietly.
We went down the hill leading to the cathedral again to the hotel. I bought a Michelin map of Burgundy at a shop on the way. Today we are going to start sightseeing in Burgundy, so we are preparing for it.
We got back in the car again and left the village, taking one last picture of the whole village from a different place than yesterday.
念願のヴェズレーに訪れることができて本当に幸せでした。
