Home / Trips / France, July-August 2018 66
- Clermont-Ferrand's cathedral is unusual in that it's made of black volcanic rock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clermont-Ferrand - Statue of Vercingetorix - a Gaulish king who defeated Julius Caesar's forces near here in 52 BC
Later that same year, though, Julius Caesar won the rematch - making this area part of the Roman Empire. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vercingetorix - Clermont-Ferrand is dominated by this 4,800' extinct volcanic cone - 'Puy de Dôme'
(part of a large chain of volcanic cones in this area) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puy_de_D%C3%B4me - Another famous local - the mathematician Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blaise_Pascal - ...with a 2nd Century Roman Temple just below
https://archaeology-travel.com/france/puy-de-dome-mercury-temple/ - Puy de Dôme is part of a chain of extinct volcanic cones
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cha%C3%AEne_des_Puys https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1434 - On top of 'Puy de Dôme', there's an impressive-looking array of 21st Century communication equipment...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puy_de_D%C3%B4me - Saint-Nectaire is one of the many French towns that are famous for its cheese
- Saint-Nectaire
Coincidentally, my photo is almost the same as the one on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-Nectaire,_Puy-de-D%C3%B4me - Jonas Caves
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jonas-caves - Jonas Caves
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jonas-caves - Jonas Caves
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jonas-caves - Périgueux Cathedral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C3%A9rigueux_Cathedral - On the Greenwich Meridian - and halfway between the Equator and the North Pole
http://confluence.org/confluence.php?visitid=21545 - No, not a drone photo; a photo from the top of a church tower - in Saint-Émilion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint-%C3%89milion