Clermont-Ferrand and volcanic areas (France Part 5)

On our journey westward, we stopped in Clermont-Ferrand - mainly because it was conveniently located for a break on the way and I felt reminded of the stories in my first French textbook.

In the tourist information, we unexpectedly received a lot of information about activities in the city and surrounding area: There were a total of four city tours, of which we did one.

We started at and inside the cathedral, which - like everything else - naturally took a two-hour lunch break. The French not only like to have a meal in the evening but also in the afternoon, and that's why everything closes - except for the popular restaurants. But we managed to enter the cathedral just in time before 12 noon.

We walked through the old town, which was nice but had nothing surprising to offer. We liked the older church Notre-Dame-Du-Port (which we only saw from the outside because the lunch break was still ongoing).

Near Clermont-Ferrand, we stopped at the 'Chaîne des Puys', a chain of volcanic mountains in the French Massif Central, which extends over a length of 30 kilometers.

Puy de Dôme

We climbed the "Puy de Dôme", which not only had a steep ascent but also faced strong headwinds... The view was naturally beautiful and initially enjoyed under a blue sky.

Unfortunately, it became cloudy and started raining while we were descending, and the hiking trail was quite muddy.

We continued driving until Domme, passing many beautiful villages and castles.