26 April 2016

April Holiday, Day 6

We wanted to go into Clermont-Ferrand to see the Cathedral and the Basilica, but were not sure we would find parking. However, we were just by a bus stop, so I went over to investigate, and found that, actually, what we were next to was a tram stop, but that the southern end was not in service just now, and there was a replacement bus service. So after breakfast we bought tickets from the tram stop and caught the replacement bus and then the tram into town.
We found the Cathedral very easily, and spent a while looking round, and then walked over to the Basilica, which I liked even more. The Cathedral's USP is that it is built out of black basalt, and visible for miles around.  It is lovely, but I liked Notre-Dame-du-Port even more. Both are World Heritage Sites.
Clermont-Ferrand is supposed to be the driest place in France, so of course it rained most of the time we were there!  And my trainers sprung a leak and I didn't have a spare pair, so our next port of call was a cheap shoe shop, where I bought a new pair, and then a supermarket.
After lunch, we set off and spent the afternoon driving through sunshine and showers to the Millau Viaduct; we stopped about 30 km short as the SW needed a break, and I was delighted to find a book of suggested camping-car tours in France, with all the parking and so on suggested, too.  The SW is reading it as I write!
We got to Millau eventually, and went to to the visitor centre so we could see it properly, but it is quite a trek from the non-motorway part of the car park, and it was, needless to say, raining! And we had been before and we didn't want any food or anything, so we came away and drive through Millau (getting lost, but so what - it looked easier than it was, so I hadn't set the Satnav), and eventually under the Viaduct
and then on to Roquefort-en-Aveyron, home of the eponymous cheese, where we have parked up and will explore in the morning.  If it isn't raining, or even if it is!

No comments:

Post a Comment