NOTE: I just gave up on trying to limit myself to only 2-4 pictures per post. Can you tell?
After pounding the pavement in Paris, we took the train a few hours south to Clermont-Ferrand (Royat, to be precise) and enjoyed two days of hospitality from the parents of my friend, Gabrielle.
We had a nice dinner at home with them where we improved our feeble understanding of French history, as directed by Napoleon, thanks to Gabrielle’s brother, whose masters thesis is about Napoleon. We also used their washing machine (!!).
Their house is up on the side of the mountains around Cleremont-Ferrand. After admiring the amazing view of the valley and the city, we turned our backs to it and hiked the Puy de Dôme. We got a ride to the Col de Ceyssat and walked an hour up to the top of the old conical mountain. I’ve visited it before, so I knew the amazing view we were missing due to the cloud that engulfed the mountain.
As we walked down, we came out of the cloud and the day gradually cleared so we were able to see the view I was hoping for.
We walked back to Royat on trails and roads through the woods, farmland and the villages of Font de l’Arbre and Fontanas.
As a side note, we have met many friendly foreign cats. In Reykjavik and various parts of France we’ve seen more cats than I’m accustomed to, and they’ve been very bold. This one climbed up on Jack’s lap.
After our hike, our hosts treated us to a nice dinner out as a wedding gift. The food was adventurous, but very good. The ambiance and service were also delightful.
This is me eating foie gras. It tastes kind of nutty and very rich.
We both had the raw, marinated, delicious fish (left) and then I had more fish, while Jack had other delicious meats (right).
Pear and warm chocolate. Yum.
Merci beaucoup, Claude et Michel!
I'd be just as giddy as Jack--that pear and warm chocolate looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteBut the picture looks a bit deceiving...either Jack has shrunk, or that table is at a very tall seating position...somethings just not right...must be the perspective.
Jack has probably just finished giving thanks on his knees. By the way, I wish I had a cat that would sit on my lap
ReplyDeleteYou mean rather than a cat that lays on your chest :) Tell Emo we miss her.... along with everyone else.
ReplyDeleteYes, she is getting used to walking over the very unstable surface that is my stomach when I lay in bed...but it's Lori who must bear the brunt...by they way, Emo is very spoiled here, it might be too traumatic to wrench her away.
ReplyDeleteGiven how wonderful she is, we thought you might like her too much ... but we still want her back!
ReplyDelete