Clermont-Ferrand & Mule Tracks!
WHAT BENNIE'S BEEN DOING: Weeks 5-6 (Scotland/England, Ireland, France)
Part 8: Clermont-Ferrand & Mule Tracks!
Bonjour mes amis!
So, this should be the final installment of what I was doing back in sabbatical weeks 5-6, and the last French posting... Eight posts for 2 weeks, which I only discovered yesterday after realizing I had two different posts labelled "Part 4" - no wonder it's taken so long! ;)
Anyway, we had to be up very early Friday, October 5 to catch a 30 minute taxi ride to the Bercy station in Paris where we would board a train for Clermont-Ferrand around 8:00 am. That would put us into C-F in time to eat, get our rental car, find our bearings and make the hour or so drive to our bed and breakfast in the volcanic mountains of Auvergne.
As much as David and I both hate early mornings, it was totally worth it to give us time to find this place in the daylight rather than dark! After 3 failed attempts to follow the directions and the road signs (which did not match up with each other!), we finally made the gutsy decision to take a road with a sign indicating "no entry"... only to find out that this road was indeed the only way to access where we needed to go!
c'est la vie!
But, all our frustration melted away when we drove in the gate of Chateau Royale de Saint-Saturnin - our major splurge in terms of accommodations thanks to the Lilly Grant.
We only had two nights at the Chateau but enjoyed every minute, including the fabulous home-cooked breakfasts and historical tour by the castle owners/restorers...such delightful folks, who graciously endured our broken Franglish ;) They also pointed us to some great local restaurants where we enjoyed more classic French fare and even beer and pizza!
In addition to the wonderful food and accommodations, we also enjoyed a delightful drive through the beautiful Auvergne countryside so we could hike one of those ancient volcanic mountains Teilhard might have traversed with his father. The most famous of these near Clermont-Ferrand is the Puy de Dome.
Chemin des Muletiers is French for "mule track," or more literally "Path of the Mule-drivers!" This 1.2 mile trail to the summit is thought to be the footpath of ancient Roman pilgrims on their way to worship at the Temple of Mercury atop the dome.... more about that in a moment.
The ruins of Mercury's temple were discovered in 1872 while building a meteorological observatory at the summit. Now efforts are underway to preserve the original ruins, as well as construct a modern replica of what it might have looked like in the first or second century when it was built.
Unfortunately, we had to leave our little chateau in the forests of Auvergne much too soon! David and I would both definitely like to return here some day if possible. But, we can't complain because our quick departure took us to Lyon, France for the night so we could catch an early morning train across the Alps into Italy!
So, stay tuned for Sabbatical Week 7: Florence & Rome
Part 8: Clermont-Ferrand & Mule Tracks!
Bonjour mes amis!
So, this should be the final installment of what I was doing back in sabbatical weeks 5-6, and the last French posting... Eight posts for 2 weeks, which I only discovered yesterday after realizing I had two different posts labelled "Part 4" - no wonder it's taken so long! ;)
Anyway, we had to be up very early Friday, October 5 to catch a 30 minute taxi ride to the Bercy station in Paris where we would board a train for Clermont-Ferrand around 8:00 am. That would put us into C-F in time to eat, get our rental car, find our bearings and make the hour or so drive to our bed and breakfast in the volcanic mountains of Auvergne.
As much as David and I both hate early mornings, it was totally worth it to give us time to find this place in the daylight rather than dark! After 3 failed attempts to follow the directions and the road signs (which did not match up with each other!), we finally made the gutsy decision to take a road with a sign indicating "no entry"... only to find out that this road was indeed the only way to access where we needed to go!
c'est la vie!
But, all our frustration melted away when we drove in the gate of Chateau Royale de Saint-Saturnin - our major splurge in terms of accommodations thanks to the Lilly Grant.
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| We made it to our Chateau just as the sun was setting over nearby Eglise Notre-Dame de Saint-Saturnin! (This is the view from the Chateau driveway)
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| Our first view of Chateau Royale de Saint-Saturnin (back driveway) (Restored 13th century castle now a protected historic monument) |
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| Chateau Royale de Saint-Saturnin (front view) |
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| Remnants of the Castle Moat! |
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| View from our bedroom window! |
We only had two nights at the Chateau but enjoyed every minute, including the fabulous home-cooked breakfasts and historical tour by the castle owners/restorers...such delightful folks, who graciously endured our broken Franglish ;) They also pointed us to some great local restaurants where we enjoyed more classic French fare and even beer and pizza!
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| Salad made with fresh local vegetables, cheeses and breads and a sweet surprise of Red Pepper Ice Cream to compliment the Balsamic vinaigrette dressing - YUM!!!!! |
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| Who knew that we would have to go to France to find Druid Beer :) |
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| View of Puy de Dome from Clermont-Ferrand |
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| Getting ready to hike Puy de Dome! |
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| Standing in the same forest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin hiked as a boy! |
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| A short but super-steep climb! |
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| Beautiful views along the way! |
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| So beautiful even God smiled :) |
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| 1415 meters = 4642 feet Another 50 meters up is the Observatory, so summit = 4806 ft! |
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| Meteorological Observatory and 1913 monument marker |
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| Modern Replica of Temple of Mercury with ruins in background |
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| View of Clermont-Ferrand from the summit of Puy de Dome |
Unfortunately, we had to leave our little chateau in the forests of Auvergne much too soon! David and I would both definitely like to return here some day if possible. But, we can't complain because our quick departure took us to Lyon, France for the night so we could catch an early morning train across the Alps into Italy!
So, stay tuned for Sabbatical Week 7: Florence & Rome