Puy en Velay, France tour 5/5 eating

Comme a la Maison

Out of the 5 dinners, the two with stars are fine but not outstanding. We like the meal at Comme a La Maison at Puy en Velay and Vidal at St Julienne de Chapteuil. The dishes are more balanced with seasonal vegetables, some creative touches,  tasty while pretty to the eyes.

A local specialty is liquor and syrup made from Verveine, a herb with refreshing green lemony aroma. There is a shop that shows the history and production methods.

A big feast of dark well ripen cherries is one of the highlight of this trip.

Puy en Velay, France tour 4/5 remarkable sights

In the area around Puy en Velay there are a number of interesting places to visit, like Lavaudieu, St Julien de Chapteuil, Le Monastier sur Gazeille etc all listed on the tourist map as most beautiful villages or remarkable sites, all waiting to be visited.

 

Just driving around to these remarkable places, I came across so many lovely old stone arched bridges, on calm rivers, everywhere is very idyllic, so green and so unpopulated.

Puy en Velay, France tour 3/5 Fortress of Polignac

A short distance away is this huge fortress, built on a higher volcanic cone, to protect the approach to Puy en Velay. There is a big  water storage chamber dug deep down to supply the couple thousand habitants, and enough land to produce food. The wall and a tall tower are still in good condition, most of the dwellings are gone. The view at the top of the tower is no to be missed.

Puy en Velay, France tour 2/5 Hanging bridge of gorge Lignon

Actually the idea of coming to this area came from seeing a photo of this hanging bridge. At 268m across the gorge, amazing technical achievement and such a beautiful way to admire the landscape. Deep in the forest, with forested deep slopes down to river Lignon at the far away bottom.

The approach to the bridge is an hour's walk along farm fields and in the forest, easy paths.

The bridge is well braced meaning it is not at all bouncy, making it very pleasant to walk slowly to enjoy the peaceful environment.

Puy en Velay, France tour 1/5 The town

Planned an escape to south of Lyon for a short holiday before temperature becomes too hot in southern Europe.

It is an old volcanic area with many extinct volcanic cones rising up everywhere, in a very forested area, and a few deep gorges.

I have chosen to stay at Puy en Velay, 2 hours south of Lyon, built on one of those volcanic cones.

The buildings in the old center spiral up the hill on cobblestone paths with buildings that evolved with time. Narrow fronted buildings each one is different from the next.

At the very top is the cathedral, a grand structure with a huge entrance arch. A further few long flights of steps lead to the main building, making one feel really small.

The Rock St Michel is a small volcanic cone in the town with an chapel built at the top. An easy hike up steps and be rewarded with a fantastic view of the town and the area around, volcanic cones popping up here and there.

Puy en Velay is a lively town, with a covered cooked food hall, a small Wednesday and a big Saturday produce market at place de Plot.

The town is very pleasant to wander around to admire the architecture and most shops sell French locally produced items.