Clermont-Ferrand

We tried again today for some winter gear, as the temperatures are not forecast to increase at all while we're here. We found an outdoor outfitters by the cathedral. Super nice folks that were very helpful. The girl helping us said two weeks ago the temps were in the 30s (80sF), and this morning the temp was 3 (37F). Unfortunately, it hasn't gotten much warmer than that since we e been here. But, we found some hats and gloves, so we're off to get to the top of the highest local volcano.
After a bit of a misguided start because the bus lines weren't properly marked, we made our way up the mountain. It was definitely colder there, and while we were in the Visitors Center waiting for the cog train, it started snowing lightly.
After a bit of a wait, we finally got on the train and made our ascent to the station on the volcano. Thankfully we had found a hat and gloves to buy, as well as hoodies in Bourges, because the winds were strong and the temperature low. We climbed up the trail with the hundreds of others, mainly school kids, who were on the train with us. First stop was the remains and partial reconstruction of the Temple to Mercury, a Roman temple built along the the road from Lyon to Saintes, which was apparently a major highway of the 2nd century.
Then we started to walk around the radio/satellite tower, but the wind was howling and it felt like we were high in the Alps in the middle of winter. So we turned around. A quick visit to the museum finished our jaunt and we returned to the train to go back down.
Unfortunately, once back down, we had to wait nearly 2 hours to catch the bad back to the city. We didn't realize that until we had been standing outside a long time. A few minutes of sun alternated with clouds, wind and snow. All in all, not the best of vacation outings.Read more