Blogs from Clermont-Ferrand, Auvergne, France, Europe

France & Spain Sept – Dec 2022 Wednesday 14th September 2022 We are off!! At last!! We had decided to drive to Spain a) because Chris wanted to see his brother in Chassignolles, France b) his cousin Lynn was in Montpellier and c) hire cars have suddenly gone ridiculously expensive in Spain! We left early so that we had chance to visit another of his brothers in Lewes and duly arrived at the ferry port, Newhaven. Uneventful crossing – it was just so nice being back on a ferry! Watched the sunset over the sea just before we docked at Dieppe where we drove to Ibis Budget Hotel (secure parking with hotel if booked 10 Euros) 124611 -124808 197miles Thursday 15th September 2022 Left hotel and had uneventful drive to Bonneval where we parked up outside ... read more

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

We decided this beautiful, sunny morning, having no set agenda for the day, to head back to Puy-de-Dome region and visit Clermont-Ferrand. It was quite an interesting visit because we had no idea what to look for or even where to go. Heading to the "centre ville" is always a good idea but maybe not always a good idea in a big city with lots of traffic! We did okay, though. As we were entering the city, you come down a very long, steep hill and it was from this vantage point that we saw the entire city....the huge, black cathedral stuck out like a sore thumb! Found a place to park in a parkade just beside a main square. Lo and behold! It was a shopping mall that we parked under! Surprisingly enough we didn't ... read more

Friday 16th May Over breakfast Marion explained Owen's deprivations of the night before (in somewhat less heart-rending tone than he employed) to our hostess. She was incredibly embarrassed and sincerely contrite, apologising over and over again. In the end she cut our bill by a third, effectively not charging for the forgotten one. We decided we didn't want to brave the dog-visited city streets again so headed off for Clermont-Ferrand. The day was similar to Thursday, overcast with threatening sky. Otherwise the scenery was also similar to yesterday. The main differences were that we made a couple of steep climbs and in the mountainous region there was quite a bit of wild brush; but most of the way was lined by flat fields of crops. More toll roads. I think we've used at least one every ... read more

Here are the photos of Clermont-Ferrand I took on Christmas Eve but forgot about until now! Enjoy! ... read more