Puy de Dôme and Volvic

The volcanic chain consists of more than 110 volcanoes and is the youngest volcanic massif in Auvergne.

As we began our ascent, the summit of Puy de Dôme was hidden in clouds.

Even when we arrived at the top, unfortunately, the view remained obscured, so we could only see a few meters from the summit.

The Temple of Mercury, which dates back to Roman times and has been partially restored, was also partly shrouded in mist.

At first, we couldn't even see the mountain station with the restaurant and viewing terrace, even though we were standing just a few meters next to it, as we later discovered.

After a round around the summit (of course without a view), we eventually found the café and refueled with coffee and crêpe.

During our descent, the clouds cleared up and we could see down into the valley.

We then continued to the town of Volvic, where we visited an exhibition about the water of the same name.

After a tour with many information boards (and a lot of self-promotion), we watched a film and were able to take a virtual tour of the Volvic factory.

To finish, we enjoyed a “tasting,” where we tried the water and various flavored varieties.

Not far away is the “Cave of the Volvic Stone.”

Here, there are various exhibitions in a disused tunnel of the andesite quarry, from which the black lava stone was extracted.

On that day, there was only the immersive light show “La Grotte des Lumières,” which is actually intended for children - we watched it nonetheless.

A small otter sets out to find the spirit of water.

At various stations underground, the story was told while the tunnel was lit accordingly.

In the evening, we arrived in Riom, where we stayed overnight to explore the city the next day.