Last Wednesday was All Saints’ Day in France, a national holiday. We celebrated by going to the top of the highest of the chain of 80 volcanoes, the Puy-de-Dôme. It was only a 25 minute drive. The summit is accessed by a cog railway train, very modern and sleek. Many people brought their dogs with them right on the train. You can also hike up – or down – or both ways, if you wish! The top is 1,450 meters high — that’s 4,575 feet for us anglophiles!
It was a PARFAIT day, cool, not too breezy — and every hang glider in France was there! We were right next to them on top of the mountain – it was fascinating to see them run up to the edge of the cliff and the updraft catch their beautiful parachutes and swing them up. They just swooped and soared, the next best thing to really having wings.
At one point, there were 28 parachutes up there, almost suspended in the air near the top of the volcano. Completely amazing!
I thought this was something I wanted to do — before I saw how far down a fall would be! I’m quite content to just take pictures now. It’s a loonnngggg way down…..if you look closely, you’ll see the twin steeples of the Cathedral in Clermont Ferrand way down below……
At the very top is France’s tallest meteorological tower and an excavation of a Temple for the god Mercury. Archaeologists figure that it was built in the 11th Century. It was discovered in 1870, and the excavation has been on and off over the last 100 years. (It would be a long commute for the meteorologists every day!)
Puy-de-Dôme is one of the most stormy areas in France: the daytime storms are very frequent and sometimes violent. Did you know that volcanoes actually attract lightning?
It was a beautiful excursion and I told Tanner that we’ll be going back up there many times — as in every time someone comes to visit! 🙂
À bientôt !
Psalm 33:20 Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.
You must be logged in to post a comment.