Last Few Busy Days in the Auvergne....

August 15-Well, the pretty little tour of the hills was great practice for le Mont-Dore (elevation 3422'), central France's highest peak. Jean Francois (Pascale's dad), Pascale, her brother Eric, and I headed off with our picnic lunch. We took the cable car up (Téléphérique du Sancy), and had a delightful hike/walk down-quite steep in some places, much easier in others. There were other hikers, but not crowds, so it was great fun. I loved watching the Queen Anne's Lace (one of my favorites) moving with the pleasant breeze following us down.

We stopped for lunch and also enjoyed the wonderful views. The walk took us an hour and three quarter down.

On the way back we stopped to pick some wild raspberries, which were quite off the beaten path! Jean Francois, like many French people, makes lots of jams (confitures). I had asked Pascale if (before her  mother had died about thirteen years ago) her father had done much in the kitchen. Apparently not that much, but now necessity had forced a change. His jam-making was impressive! When we got home, he made the raspberry jam right away! (It reminded me of when my friend Jane made apple pie as soon as she bought the apples from the fruit vendor who came to her door in Plattsburgh, NY, long ago!) While he was making the jam, I picked some pink currants (groseille), and he made them into jam the next day.
Friday was to be my last day in Ceyrat, and Jean Francois wanted to take us to Chateau Vollore, where descendants of Lafayette still live. We had lunch before we left, as Vollore would open al 2. Jean Francois poached an Alaskan Salmon; I liked it; they didn't think it was too good!

Did you know that Lafayette was 20 years old when he asked Louis XIV to bring soldiers over to fight in the American Revolution?

He sent 4000 soldiers to fight. Brandywine was Lafayette's greatest victory. There was quite a collection of his memorabilia...very interesting!

Vichy near the Parc and springs

We stopped briefly in Vichy, whose "understated grandeur" (Lonely Planet) made it quite charming to see albeit it briefly! Napoleon III had laid out the delightful Parc des Sources, near the springs.

And then we were off for a 5:30 appointment to see Claire Basler, a well-known French artist,www.clairebasler.com whose work Pascale really enjoys. The day before she left on holiday, Pascale went home for lunch to accept the shipment for a painting she had ordered from Claire. She lived in an old (I guess they are all old!) chateau

about 30 minutes from Vichy. Two years ago she and her husband Pierre had bought the Chateau Beauvoir. When they bought it, it had no heat and no water. We guess-timated it might have cost $500,000....Most rooms have murals which Claire had painted. WE saw those rooms which were finished, and one can only imagine how many rooms there are in all! 

Cooking area of kitchen

Refrigerators

Claire and Jean Francois in the dining room which could seat at least 18.

They think this tree is at least 200 years old!

One of her two studios was in the former stable....this painting is one of my favorites!

Visiting and meeting the enthusiastic and charismatic Claire was SUCH A TREAT!!! She very graciously gave us a wonderful tour, and then Pierre took us to the top of the tower (nearly as big as Joan of Arc's in Rouen!). I figured the chateau has about 74 acres of land with it. And before we left, she invited us to have a glass of wine with them!

For dinner that evening we met Eric at Le 1513 in Clermont Ferrand, a medieval mansion which specializes in crepes, so that was a very fitting end to a fascinating day!!

MANY thanks to Jean Francois for his wonderful hospitality and tours of this delightful area!

Next stop: Brioude and meeting the tenants! Now I am off for a swim in the pool here in the Pyrenees. Thanks for traveling with me....