Snowy Volcanoes

Hello everyone! It's been awhile! Since I got back to France a few weeks ago I've had the seasonal allergy/cold combo and I haven't really felt much like writing. I hope that I'll be able to get back on track with more regular posts. There's so much to fill you in on. At the end of January (yes, I have a bit of a back-log) I met up with yet another friend from my grad school past who happened to be in France. Justin and I met in Lyon and from there we decided to take a less traditional adventure...hunting volcanoes and castles in central France. As you may have guessed from the title of this post, we did in fact find volcanoes, and yes, although it seems like a contradiction, they were covered in snow!

The first stop on our trip was the city of Clermont-Ferrand. A towering cathedral lies at the center of the city...but this isn't your normal European Gothic church. The church is actually made completely of black volcanic stone…how cool is that! And while you might think this means that the city as a whole is dark and ominous, that is not the case as many of the buildings have a traditional European appearance. The juxtaposition was incredible (see below). 

Clermont-Ferrand's Gothic cathedral built entirely of black lava stone!

Inside the Cathedral in Clermont-Ferrand.

The city of Clermont-Ferrand. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

When we arrived in Clermont-Ferrand, we visited the tourist information office (as any good traveler should do) and were offered free tickets to a wine festival called Salon Vinidome. Little did we know, but the festival was more than just a typical wine tasting. The event hosted over 450 exhibitors with vintners and gastronomers bringing their goods from all over France. 

Salon Vinidome 2014: Wine and gastronomy delights from all over France.

I was in heaven...when else do you have the chance to eat and drink the best French delicacies under one roof? Wine, cheese, sausage, pastries…most of it free...mmm. If anyone wants to accompany me to Salon Vinidome 2015, just let me know ;)

That night we stayed in a village nearby called Montpeyroux. I'm pretty sure visitors are a bit of a novelty...We went to the main restaurant (which also functions as the tabac shop) and had some strange looks from the locals. To help give you a better idea of how small this village is: I couldn't even find a boulangerie (bread store)! But fear not, they will deliver baguettes right to your door. One thing Montpeyroux could not do without? A dungeon! The dungeon must have been a pivotal part of the village…it stands out among all the other buildings.

The Village of Montpeyroux: Population ~1250 (+2 American visitors).

Morning bread delivery...my kinda place.

The dungeon of Montpeyroux.

We set aside our last day for hiking the largest volcano in the area, the Puy de Dome. However, we first made one more trip back to the wine exhibition…we still hadn't seen all 450 exhibitors you know…

After finally pulling ourselves away from the wine and cheese we headed to the Puy de Dome, one of the youngest volcanic features in the region. No worries about eruptions though…according to "Volcano World," the last activity was in 5760 BC. 

Our original intention was to hike to the top of the volcano, but as the saying goes we were "burning daylight," so we instead took a train to the top. As an added bonus, since it was January, it was covered in snow!

The snow-covered Puy de Dôme.

View from the Puy de Dôme during our ride to the top.

The view from the top of the volcano is supposed to be great, but we didn't find out that day because of the clouds. The Puy de Dome has another great feature though...Roman ruins! The site served as the temple to the god Mercury. 

Temple de Mercure: Discovered in 1873.

Justin and I admiring the Roman ruins (what we could see, anyway).

Following our descent from the volcano it was time to call the adventure to a close. Unfortunately, we did not stumble upon any castles worthy of mentioning that weekend…I'm still on the hunt! Hope you all enjoyed seeing another side of France.

A+
Danielle

P.S. Here are some of the other culinary delights we tried during the trip:

Escargots covered in butter and garlic.

Tartiflette: typical French dish for winter (potatoes, meat, and cheese).