Blogs from Auvergne, France, Europe
Vichy - Elegant Spa Town and Capital of Collaboration
Published: August 23rd 2011Europe » France » Auvergne » Vichy
August 22nd 2011
Wednesday 6th July 2011 On today to the spa town of Vichy our route follows the RD906 north through the Parc Naturel Regional du Livradois Foret along the valley of the river Dore - a land of forestry and agriculture and a very pleasant drive. Vichy lies on the banks of the Allier River ( as does our campsite ) whose source is in the nearby Massif Central plateau a few miles to the south. Volcanic activity in the area is the direct cause of the many thermal springs that exist in and around Vichy and these have played a great part in its history. As early as 52 BC Roman settlers acknowledged the therapeutic value of the springs in the area. These were exploited in the centuries that followed such that by the end of ... read more
August 21st 2011
Tuesday 5th July 2011 Today a magnificent drive lay ahead from Avignon via Montelimar and the superb Ardeche valley to the home of the green lentil - Le Puy-en-Velay. Initially autoroute to the town of Montélimar which is widely regarded as the world capital of nougat. Nougat is one of the 13 desserts of Provence and highly appreciated throughout the country. ( Note - The thirteen desserts are the traditional foods used in celebrating Christmas. The "big supper" (le gros souper) ends with a ritual 13 desserts, representing Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles. The desserts always number thirteen but the exact items vary by local or familial tradition - you learn some good stuff here ! ) Historically travellers bought Nougat de Montélimar on their way to or back from the south of France. Sadly ... read more
July 12th 2011
Hi, guys. Sorry I haven't posted anything new for a while, not a whole lot of interesting stuff has happened :) We've done a lot of driving. On Friday, July 8, we caught a bus in the morning to Saint Tropez, a ritzy French version of Beverly Hills. There were a lot of beautiful, expensive yachts in the harbor. We took a stroll through the town, which was quaint, though not very impressive. We caught the bus back, and hung out at the lovely beach for the afternoon (my tan is improving...). On Saturday we headed out for a campground halfway to Barcelona- a nice 4 hour drive. We stayed on a nice sandy beach in a nice, beachy town. On Sunday we headed towards Barcelona- 3 hour drive. We camped across the road from a ... read more
July 11th 2011
We slept until 8 a.m. this morning, a first. Showers, put clothes in the washer, eat breakfast, and hang clothes on the line here in the campground. Just ordinary stuff, but it felt good to be ordinary rather than having to pack up the tent and get on the road. We had picked up a walking tour guide of the Le Puy yesterday, so we spent a couple of hours viewing the sites: The Place du Martouret -- where between 1793 and 1795, 41 people met their deaths at the guillotine. The many small, winding streets where thousands of lace makers have created and sold their beautiful work. The Cathedral -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its 134 steps up to its door. Built in the 11th and 12th centuries. The Chapel of Penitents -- ... read more
Driving home day 2 – Driving up through central France.
Published: June 22nd 2011Europe » France » Auvergne
June 19th 2011
Brrrr..rr what has happened to the weather. Icy bite to the wind and needed the duvet to keep warm. I know that the lake is 1000 metres up but still exceptionally cold for the time of year. It will be mid-summer in 2 days ! We passed a sign which gave temperature as 11.5 degrees. Suntops have been put away and replaced by fleece jacket. We were away by 9am as no campsite to checkout of. Bob had carefully planned a drive which was part scenic and part motorway. The route via Clermont-Ferrand and the Massif Central is easy on the motorway, definitely not on the smaller local roads and we had had quite a strenuous drive yesterday. First part of the day was on the local roads, cross-country through the very pretty, pastoral country-side of ... read more
Driving home day 1 – heading north through the Gorge de L’Ardeche.
Published: June 22nd 2011Europe » France » Auvergne
June 18th 2011
Setting of Northwards in earnest today. Only one night stops on the way from now on. Once the Tandy was packed up and as the campsite bar wifi has an excellent (and free) signal, I took the laptop down there and managed to spend a few precious minutes on Skype with Jenny in Australia. Cannot imagine what it must have been like for mothers 100+ years ago, when their children went off to the other side of the world, knowing they would not see or hear from them again for months or more probably years. We only had a 4-hour (haha !) drive so Bob said we were not in a rush but as it turned out, it was 6.30pm before we arrived at our overnight stopping spot. This was almost entirely my fault. As well ... read more
April 29th 2011
Phew! We made it to Clermont-Ferrand. Yes we now have a car and are hopefully very mobile. The day started with some nervous tension just hoping all would work out because this is the first day of a four month drive around Europe. The first part was easy just catch the train to Lyon Airport. The phone call we made three days earlier to arrange a pick up seemed straight forward but it still needed a follow up call to let the car people know we were waiting. In no time at all we were whisked away to the collection place and there was our new Peugeot 207SW ready and waiting. What a lovely sight. With all the documents signed and a quick lesson on the workings of the GPS we were ready for the BIG ... read more
May 19th 2010
Yesterday we visited Rocamadour which is about 50km from Sarlat. Rocamadour is one of those imposing French towns that you always see when watching the Tour de France on TV that are teetering on the edge of a cliff. For thousands of years the town has been a centre for Christian pilgrims thanks to the supposed miraculous powers of the black Madonna housed in one of the chapels. When we were there the French Army we were doing a training exercise which was, well quite hot. We then had lunch hanging over the cliff, which was magnificent. Following lunch, a quick exploration of the town and a painstaking walk back up the hill, we then drove off to Chateau de Castelnau-Bretenoux, which according to the Lonely Planet, is one of the most impressive castes in France. ... read more
Part 16: Painting with goose livers and jazz singers in Montlucon
Published: January 10th 2010Europe » France » Auvergne » Montlucon
December 18th 2009
Continued… Olivier saved the day. He gave me an extra set of gloves that I could wear inside my regular leather driving gloves. They were perfect to keep my hands just a tick above the weather, and the hand-warming pad that my mother hand given me before I left was of great assistance as well. Even still, the drive was deathly cold. On several occasions I pulled over just to sit on my hands for a while to warm them up - usually every 10 miles or so. At one particularly bad juncture, I pulled off a country highway to visit a boulangerie - mostly just to get inside for a while. When I restarted my trip, it became clear that the random road I had turned onto, though it had a highway off-ramp, did not ... read more
September 21st 2009
September 21st 2009: Today the weather was very good here, at Paris, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. Me and my friends then decided to go visit a famous place, and we choosed the Louvré Museum. That place is amazing, you wouldnt believe how many art objects are there! We spent a lot of time there and when we left it was over 4 p.m. Later on we decided to visit eiffel tower, the sky was clean, it was a beautiful night, and it was a terrific scene. The tower was nicely bright and beautiful. I really enjoyed visiting Paris at my vacations, and I hope to get back there someday.... read more
