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Published: August 23rd 2012
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As I write this we are just on 500km away from Vary in the Auvergne region in a village called Villeneuve Lembron. It is situated some 12km from the city of Issoire. It was a four hour drive from the Chateau but we were very lucky with the traffic as it was another Saturday “red” day with Paris traffic heading north and south. Thankfully on the AutoRoute we were following it was the traffic north was the problem – we drove for a good 45 minutes with bumper to bumper traffic on the other side of the road; Paris was a long way away for them! We are staying in a beautiful old home that we last visited in 2001. It is set within the charming medieval town, which is high on a hill and would have been built up around the first castle; the lanes are tight and wind amongst the houses that tower above you when you wander through the streets. You can still see the large square keep today at the centre of the village; this dates back to the 12
thcentury. A flag still flies above it. The surrounding areas are all agricultural with obvious fertile lands that
have for centuries allowed the locals to forge a living and grow their own produce. Over the hill and down into Bourdes you get the sense of how the vine has been important to local culture and trade – and in fact many of the houses in Villeneuve are former homes of vine-growers.
My wanderlust instinct nearly got the better of me on one of my walks. I set off to do the round trip from this village, via Bourdes and Chalus on the hottest day of the year with little or no Boy Scout preparation. No water, no extra sunscreen, average shoes. I most probably ended up walking about 12 kilometres not necessarily in the right direction, or following the correct path. So by the time I got to Bourdes I decided to go up and over the top – this is not the easiest of climbs to a bumbling rambler but is certainly not in the Hillary Step category. However, on the positive side it does give the most spectacular views and you walk up amongst the vines, which are beautifully tended; thus adding to my agony that some people wander up there for their
day job! Their presence did give me some solace that if dehydration got me I may be found within the week – I could then be used as some kind of model for when and when not to go rambling.
The daily temperatures have ranged from the high 20s to the low 40s, which has (long walks aside) made for slow days and relaxing times in the shade. Reading has been the number one activity and I have knocked off another couple of Jack Reacher books and Narelle has read only the five books. The only book I will recommend (as I am not a great one for telling others what to read) is Charlie Mortimer’s “Dear Lupin…Letter’s to a Wayward Son” – I read this at the beach and it is a wonderful collection of very humorous, yet matter of fact letters, only a father could send to a son. Fire up your Kindles!
We have driven around the area and it really is the most picturesque of places. We revisited the town of Issoire, which always seems bigger than you think it will be. The alley ways are spectacular and
seem to lead you to the Abbey in the centre – the abbey tower dominates the skyline and the interior stained glass window above the altar is impressive in itself. The Auvergne region is volcanic and in every direction you look there are peaks and domes of long dormant volcanoes. It is large in size and covers some 26,000km², of which ninety per cent is predominantly grassland, for agricultural use or covered in woodland. We are in a small part of it and when we leave here on Saturday and drive 200 kilometres north to our next stop we will still be within the region. Within the region there is the famous Puy de Dôme, which has been a challenge for Tour de France riders in the past and also Cantal, which (and this was news to me) is the largest volcano in Europe. The region has been a major agricultural producer over many years but now tourism is being pushed as an industry – and why would you not come here? It nearly has it all. You are well on your way to The Med, at different times of the year there is the chance to ski, white water
raft, play golf, do wine tours, sample the local produce, climb hills and volcanoes, follow the historical trails and generally immerse yourself in a pleasant and friendly environment. There are also fantastic local restaurants: our latest one was called Le Beffroi in Ardes sur Couze. We tried the recipe of the region, which was a potato dish called ‘ Truffade Auvergnate’. It is pomme de terre, oignons, lardons, tome de cantal frais – basically potato with cheese! Al it would be tough on your mental status – you love potato, but you hate cheese. It was served with a side dish of jambon; as PAW would say “simple homely fare”. The more amazing thing to note was the lunch price - €14 for four courses and at 12.30pm the dining room was packed with French having their two hour lunch. At 2pm they all shuffled out no worse for wear, sated with food and with a couple of wines on board they headed back to work. We went for a nap!
This is becoming a great little interlude in our travels. We have in a small way switched off a bit and are gearing up for the
next stages of travel; four weeks today we will be on a flight to Dubai. Before that flight we have Paris, Barcelona, Menorca, London, Prague, and Budapest to tick off. It can only be a great few weeks coming up – can’t wait!
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