France is a very centralized country, where people living in Paris (like me) have a strong tendency to think their town is the world center, when other places like Clermont-Ferrand are no more than a..holes of the world, filled with ‘culs terreux’ (I’m pretty sure you can get the meaning of this not-that-delightful french expression).
Actually, there is some truth beneath: you can’t really go to Clermont-Ferrand by chance. If you’re there, it’s probably because you came to strike a deal with Michelin,you work for Banque de France or more probably you’ve simply lost your way in the middle of nowhere.
Now you get one more reason to go there: attend the Carnet de Voyage yearly meet-up. And it’s a very good thing, because this place is not exactly filled with ‘ploucs’.
This is where our ancestors ‘Les Gaulois’ took their roots and it is aa area that deserved to be better known. It is delightfully nested below the old chain of French vulcanoes (Puys) and has incredible hidden treasures, like this wonderful Roman Basilica.
And, oh yes… surprisingly, they even have wifi in the hotels for posting.
Arrogant ? Who said Parisianers are arrogant ?
Les carnets de voyage de Flinflin 