Advertisement
Published: October 22nd 2017
Edit Blog Post
Geo: 45.7159, 0.919416
On Wednesday afternoon, our last outing whilst at Urrugne was by bike when we took the scenic coastal road out of Socoa towards the Spanish border and the town of Hendaye. The long, sweeping bay has clean, golden sand and is a haven for surfers, who were out in force taking advantage of the waves, whilst around the end of the promenade is the marina where dozens of ocean-going craft are moored.
We retraced our route back along La Corniche and the campsite where we enjoyed a last bit of evening sunshine with a cuppa, reflecting that we were perhaps a bit hasty to move on when there is so much in the area to see and do. However, some rain had been forecast for Thursday, so we thought it prudent to travel on to another destination.
Thursday afternoon we arrived at Parc Verger at Champagnac La Riviere in the Limousin area, not far from Limoges. The temperature was decidedly cooler than we had experienced in the Basque region, so much so that we resorted to putting on the caravan heating - the first time since the unexpected snowfall in Italy at the end of June. We also got out trousers
Church, Oradour-sur-Glane
Where women and children were murdered and fleeces which we had become unaccustomed to wearing for many months.
After much travelling, we decided against cooking so went down to the village to Dino's, run by an Anglo-French couple, for a pizza and a glass or two of 'red', and retired for early night shortly after getting home. Compared to many locations we have stayed at, this one is extremely quiet and we are relieved to see from the guidance notes that the 'quiet' time kicks in at 10.00pm - no good for the Spanish here then!
After a late breakfast, we chose to visit a location that had been brought to our attention some years ago as a 'must see' - Oradour-sur-Glane - the so-called 'martyr village' which was destroyed by the Nazis in WW2, killing 642 men, women and children on 10 June 1944. There are various theories as to why they did it, such as revenge for the D-Day landings a few days earlier, or reprisals for being involved with the Resistance, or simply as a show of force and might. The women and children were herded into the church while the town was looted before setting the building alight, killing all but one survivor who
managed to escape through a window.
Meanwhile, the men were led to barns and sheds where they were shot in the legs by machine guns, according to one of the few survivors. Unable to escape, their bodies were covered with fuel and set alight.
After the war, it was decided that the village would never be rebuilt, remaining as a memorial to the cruelty of the Nazi occupation. However, at the end of the war, the new town was built nearby and more recently a memorial museum was dedicated in 1999. I see from the internet that just last month it was in the news once again when the first visit by a German president took place - a milestone in peace and reconciliation to ensure that we never forget.
Having visited other French and Belgian sites connected with both World Wars over the years, such as the Normandy coast and Ypres, this turned out to be a very thought-provoking day and an insight into the civilian casualties of conflict. Unique and humbling.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.242s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 11; qc: 50; dbt: 0.0947s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb