...from the north. The gîte where we stayed in the Auvergne was 200 miles south and slightly east of Saint-Aignan. That translated into a 5½ hour drive. A good part of it was on autoroutes but there was a two-hour stretch of two-lane road at the end of the trip. The weather in early march was showery but with frequent patches of blue sky.
South of Clermont-Ferrand, the region's biggest city with a metropolitan population of close to 300,000, there were several hillside villages that kept me and my camera entertained.
The Auvergne is a mountainous region made up partly of long-extinct volcanoes. This one is the Puy de Dôme, which is about 1500 meters (about 5,000 ft.) tall. Walt and I had been up to the to of it once before, back in 1995, so we didn't stop. It look fogged in, anyway.
I remember that les camionneurs (long-haul truckers) were on strike all around France at the time, so some intersections along the highway were blocked by big rigs and gendarmes. Nevertheless, we made it to the gîte, which we didn't have too much trouble finding, on time. Tasha slept on the back seat for most the drive. Walt was behind the wheel, and I was the navigator/shutterbug.
I'm glad I got to see a Puy- Puy de Dome is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI meant to say I got to see a Puy once with you all. I think Puy de Dome is the most famous of them all.
ReplyDeleteI remember when we drove up to the top of the Puy Mary. It was a misty, drizzly day, so we didn't get great views, but we had a great time. I have pictures.
DeleteOh, I remember our discussing this, I guess back then? My au pair family brought me with them when they went to Puy de Dôme. So many great memories :)
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