Novotel Clermont Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand

... nice.

Andy told us all about how a guy in the town we're staying at invented elastic, and it had something to do with sheep’s innards, cast-offs, and a small child – I think. The place we stayed at used to be a pig farm, but it had a concrete leaping stag as an emblem. I broke their satellite decoder. It was a very strange night.

... reached the Millau Bridge, super structure and amazing piece of engineering, by late afternoon. It was no way I would make the Loire by 7 pm so we reach the little town called Issoire and stay the night at Etap hotel (like formula one). Tomorrow short drive big day.

... of the cones, as the Michelin guidebook said the view was best at sunset. All around we could see smaller volcanoes, some with craters and some dome-shaped, all now covered in trees, silhouetted by the setting sun. An extra show was provided by half a dozen paragliders hurling themselves off the summit then hovering on the updrafts - a surreal ...

... opportunity to make our lunch which usually consisted of a baguette filled with pate, cheese and or meat. We would stop along the way some where for lunch in a park or a Chateau. The cruising along the canals was incredible especially going through the locks. One part took us over one of the longest viaduct in Europe at a place called Briare where we stayed for the night. The first couple of days was heavy going but my knees and legs settled down that ...

... it was a Bank Holiday, as in the UK, but we saw roadworkers, builders and postmen - and there were no children anywhere. In the afternoon we found an Intermarche and bought some fruit and veg. Maybe Mondays are half days in these parts? At Charite, I decided it wasn't skirt weather after all and reverted to cargoes and fleece. We'd better have some sun soon, or I'm going to run out of clothes! We didn't see the sun ...

... Sarkozy), health concerns and a host of other things. It was very enjoyable and lasted through the middle of the afternoon. Taking my leave, I drove off to find a hotel for the night, and worked for a few hours while waiting for my second visit in Vichy. Hervé Dubois came by the hotel at 7:00 pm and we drove to a restaurant a ways down the road. It's a western themed restaurant called Buffalo Grill. The greeter was dressed in a long Doc Holliday ...

On Le Weekend we met a group of the French kids and clearly they fell in love with us. So shortly after that weekend they wanted to party with us again as soon as they could. And did we ever. Quentin had a number of us over to get to know us a little better. A couple 40s later we were much better acquainted. It was the start of a beautiful friendship.

... Very cute, very clean. That night I met up with some people from my class, very randomly and we went to the Horse Races at the Hippdrome. It was pretty neat, and everyone was pretty cool. They had a heard of begals come out too, with guys on horses dressed in traditional English hunting outfits too. It really made me miss Kosmo. That night we headed to Le Gloulais. That's our pub. They love us there.

2nd Day at Clermont-Ferrand. Coughing the whole night, getting really sick and couldn't sleep from 3-6am. Then we woke at 9ish to take our breakfast- a simple bread and croissant affair. Then we slept till 3pm! Too sick and tired and maybe still jet-lagged and still on Utah time. Reached the Maison De Culture at 4pm. Bought more lozenges. Checked out the Marketplace-1st day of business. Looks more like selling than buying. Got a ...

Mida lähemale linnale, seda vichysemaks ja vesiseks ka ilm kiskus. Seetõttu polnud me seal väga entusiastlikud turistid ja käisime vaid tiiru linnas ning maitsesime kraanidest vett. Tegemist oli sooja ja väga ebameeldiva maitselise veega. Seega 0,3 € topsi ostmine vee degusteerimiseks oli üsna mõttetu. Vichy külastamist jääb meile meenutama karp pastille.