Road Trip 2024

 DAY FOUR From Aurillac to Le Bugue First stop Conques. Tucked away in the hillsides of southern France, in the Occitaine Region, it is a lovely village surrounding the main church. This is the Abbey Church of  Sainte Foy, a young girl martyred for her faith - the story is told in a painting inside the church, but I needed the help of one of the very helpful young guides to decipher it. The village still has that Middle Ages feel, as large vehicles cannot enter, most visitors enter on foot, and there are almost no modern buildings. Only the road / pavements have been improved.                 The Abbey has a carving of the Last Judgement above the door. The right hand panel is for those who enjoyed life too much! A short stop at Figeac, the home of  J F Champollion, who deciphered the Rosetta Stone, which enabled the Egyptian Hyeroglyphics to be understood properly. One of our objectives was to visit two estates with large gardens. ...

Day Three Ever westwards - and a rendezvous. A few kilometers out of Le Puy, we stopped in the little village of Polignac. Set upon a rise in the countryside, the castle looks down on the village surrounding it. The village itself does not offer a lot except one pretty church with paintings dating back to the 12th century - often a feature in these parts. Rolf will use a motorway if necessary, but this journey has only used minor roads since Switzerland. This means we pass through sleepy little villages and along country roads with more tractors and cyclists (they are everywhere - even on the steepest hills). But it does bring you closer to the countryside. This is Prades les Orgues, a hamlet with an amazing basalt cliff (like an organ).               French guide books point out 154 of France´s prettiest towns / villages, and this is one. Salers lies almost half way along a line between Lyon and Toulouse, but there is no direct road. It is in the...

 Day Two From Annecy to Le Puy Leaving Annecy in the extreme east of France, but north and touching the Swiss border, we headed westwards.  The highlight today was the road! Rolf had found two imposing stretches of narrow winding road with overhanging rock, small tunnels and breathtaking scenery left and right. The first was the Au fil de la Bourne.             This is a film of the road as we took it. Skip it if you are not a road fan! A short stop for a sandwich and a cold drink at a small town in the mountains - at Pont-en-Royans. Although lovely on such a hot day in the summer, it would be dismal on a rainy day. But its August, French on holiday, so it is picnic time on the river.                 Then to the Combe Laval which is a shorter stretch with slightly different feel.        Finally to Le Puy, which is noted for the three "hills" in the town. There are three rocky outcrops whe...