We have left Spain two weeks ago and slowly make our way across France into Switzerland and then Germany. A lot of beautiful days packed with adventures in France lay behind us, and we will try to backfill the blog as soon as possible.
For now just a few shots from today's adventures. We are in Clermont-Ferrand, pretty much in the middle of our traversal of France.
The icon of Clermont-Ferrand is the Puy de Dôme a large volcano well worth a visit. There are two walking paths up the mountain or for a less sweaty ascend you can take the Panoramique des Dômes, a 5.2 km long rack railway. We decided to take the train up and walk down, a good decision as we discovered later. Luckily there was no problem taking Ronja onto the train. You just need to buy a ticket and keep her on the leash. France it so much easier when travelling with your dog.
We had a warm and sunny day and once up on the dome, we had the most amazing panoramic views. One just has to use the panorama mode of the camera :-)
There are several paths around the top of the dome and ample space to have a picknick. Make sure to pack yours. In case you forget, there are a restaurant and a kiosk as well.
Once we had eaten and enjoyed the view, we started the walk downhill. The start of the southerly route can be found right next to the exit of the railway. Follow the signs towards Grand Site de France. 1H45 was the suggested walking time and was spot on for us. The path is easy to follow, but quite steep, especially in the beginning (coming from the top). We met many walkers dragging themselves uphill panting more than Ronja after an hour of throwing the stick. I guess we could have gotten the kids up, but it would have taken quite some time.
We made it. Returning to the parking of Panoramique des Dômes after a great day out.