Day 2 - Bourges to Le Puy en Velay

Well, today was a day of ditching the Tom Tom and the Autoroutes in favour of the trusty AA Atlas and the Route Nationale and D roads. I started off the day by going to Bourges town centre. Its a really pictoresque little place with a huge cathedral. After a good hour's walk around the town I drove to Chateauroux via Issoudun, the former wasn't that nice and the latter is supposedly a nice little medieval town. I didn't stop as the town was packed solid with middle aged men, having a mid life crisis, clad in leather and mounted upon big motorbikes. They seemed to be selling each other bike parts in the big market place, like a car boot sale, but only with old blokes in leather. Who says our French friends don't have a sense of humour. I only stopped for 15 minutes or so in Chateauroux. I bought some wild boar terrine, a nice french stick and a local very manly quiche called a Savoyand. The filling is potato and cheese and then then criss cross bacon strips on top of it. Very tasty. I wonder if old Gerard Depardieu had some in his younger years. He was born there you see.

Bourges Cathedral

After that it was a journey to Montluçon via the imposing and amazingly restored 12th Century Château at in the small town of Culan, the slightly larger town of Le Chatre and another Château in the small Hamlet of Sarzay. I got a bit lost in Montlucon after given the old girl a drink of 95 Sans Plomb (she did 520 miles on the first full tank) . I dunno whether it was the street layout or the bunch of walnut faced peasants in the petrol station that unnerved me but my sense of direction completely deserted me. Apparently the lovely Audrey Tautou (she of Amelie fame) comes from Montluçon. Perhaps she escaped early in life.

The Chateau at Culan.

I finally managed to get myself on the right road to Le Puy de Dome passing through a couple of interesting places. Firstly the ruined Château Rocher at Menat and possibly the finest example of wasting EEC money in the overly tarted up town of St Eloy Les Mines. You enter the town from the north and the first roundabout you pass is so elaborate, unfortunately it doesn't entirely cover the huge factory behind it. The local Mayor must be a complete pimp or a complete slut. The whole town looks like its been designed by Elizabeth Duke.

I got to the Puy de Dome only to hear that the mountain was full! There's a big car park on the top and it was full. If I had walked up I would still be there now so I asked a couple of times and the guy took pity on me. It only cost 6 euros and the views were amazing. Bertha didn't like it though. I think the clutch got a little hot and it wasn't giving enough drive in 3rd so I had to use second. She's been fine since though. I will get the clutch checked out in Italy. Hopefully Ele's dad, Giorgio, will have a mechanic di fiducia. That can wait though. The front right side tyre needs replacing. It's very bald indeed. I will take her to Speedy in the morning.

The view from Le Puy de Dome.

After the Puy De Dome I engaged the Tom Tom again and drove another couple of hours to Le Puy en Velay via Clermont Ferrard (which looked like an interesting place) and the Livradois valleys. Le Puy is very pretty but late on a sunday night its as lifeless as that last Elbow album.

Tomorrow will be exciting. Les Gorges du Tarn, the Millau Bridge and the Mediterrean! I've decided to cut Perpignan out of the trip this time. I have to be fairly sensible. Plus it means that I won't have to rush Provence at all now. I will try and stay near Arles now I think. This means I'll be able to visit Montpellier and Sete during the afternoon and then drive through the Camargue in the early evening. Should be fantastic.

Le Puy En Velay this evening..........