Hiking into Puy de Pariou

Since we have been here in France, one thing is obvious, French people are very active outdoors. Here in the Auvergne Region, we are surrounded by beautiful volcanoes and national parks just outside of the city. The weather is very agreeable for outdoor activities as well. We are in the middle of May and there are still cool breezes in the air. It is not hot and humid like in South Carolina. But the warm weather is not the only time when French people enjoy physical activities outside. When it snows, many people enjoy skiing or snowboarding. Now that it is warmer, more and more people are on bikes, taking walks and jogging. There are many trails just outside of the city with clearly marked paths for all levels. And get this, it is May and there are no bugs! Mosquitoes are one thing that I don't miss about the South.




Daniele and I walk most days for about 45 minutes for exercise and Preston has purchased a new toy, a road bike. He pretty much does this without the family since I am not much of a cyclist and the kids are too embarassed to be seen with him in his outfit!






Sundays are very popular days for family activities like hiking the nearby volcanoes. So, this past Sunday, we climbed our first volcano and had a picnic lunch in the crater. Puy de Pariou is a dormant volcano and is apart of a chain of volcanoes here in the Auvergne region of France. It took us about an hour and a half to climb to the top and descend into the crater for our picnic spot. I was very excited about the hike, but the children were a bit reluctant. We were all out of breath by the time we got to the top, but it was worth it. The sun was shining and there was a cool breeze in the air. In fact, the higher we climbed the cooler it got. We had to put on jackets once we reached the top. It was a challenge for us, but we are all glad that we did it! The view was excellent and eating lunch in a volcano? How cool is that!

Later Sunday night, we went to a very good restaurant in the village of Chateaugay called Le Vigosche. It was excellent. The specialty of the restaurant is local food from the Auvergne Region. Auvergne food is typical french country food meaning lots of meat, potatoes and cheese. We loved the Truffade salad which is potatoes and cheese, with bits of bacon. Preston had the duck made with peaches and I had fish. The house dessert is the Pain perdu aux pommes caramel which is French toast, apples and caramel. Delicious! The restaurant atmosphere was lovely and very family friendly, including a children's menu. We had a wonderful French dinner and a fantastic day!