Day 1 we took the daytime flight from New York to Paris, leaving around 8 am and arriving around 10pm. We “switched” to European time a few days before we left, and when we got in we went straight to the Holiday Inn at Charles de Gaulle. This is definitely the best way to travel if you can’t/wont fly business class. We landed in the middle of a hail storm, and wet weather would follow us for the first half of our trip. The walk from the CDGVAL train to the airport hotels is mostly covered, but it’s difficult to find in the dark and poorly signed.
Day 2 we took the TGV direct from CDG to Lyon and checked into the Elysée Hotel. We took the funicular up to the Basillica and the Roman museum . For dinner we went to the Bistrot de Lyon. Our server was interested to know we were from Atlanta since she watches « Zhee Walkeeng Dead », and asked us if we have cheese in the United States.
Day 3 we took the train up to Beaune for the day. We had lunch at Le Bistrot des Coccottes, visited the Hospices and the wine museum, then went back to Lyon for dinner at Les Enfants Terrible on Rue Mercières.
Day 4 was a full day in Lyon. In the morning we went to vieux Lyon, and for lunch we went to Les Lyonnais for lunch. We had a nice conversation with a French couple we shared a table with. Lamentably this was the only time on the trip where we really connected with locals even though my dad and I are both French speakers. After lunch we went to the Lumiere museum, took the train up to Croix Rousses and walked down to the Place des Terraux. We had dinner at a random Lebanese place on Rue Puits Gaillot since a friend of mine studied in Lyon and said I had to try the kebabs before I left town.
Day 5 we took the train to Clermont Ferrand and checked into the hotel Le Lion. Everything in CF is made out of the black volcanic rock of the Puy de Dome volcano, and their cathedral (one of the largest in France) is extra spooky looking. The restored stained glass really pops against the dark lava stone.
Day 6 we went to the airport to pick up our rental car and drove to the Puy de Dome Volcano just outside the city. We took the train to the top, but it was still rainy so there was no visibility at the top. To salvage the day, we decided to head to Issoire which our lonely planet guidebook recommended as a cute small city near Clermont Ferrand. This turned out to be the best surprise of the trip. First we went to Carrefour to see how normal French people shop (they have boxed wine just like in the United States) then we went into town for lunch at Brasserie le Globe. I ordered an Auvergne sausage (yum!) with purée, and they made their mashed potatoes with a French cheese I had never heard of called « Tomme » sort of like mozzarella. I’m going to attempt to make this for Thanksgiving this year, assuming I can source some appropriate cheese on our side of the Atlantic.
Issoire’s highlight is its cathedral the Abbatiale Saint-Austremoine. The outside is an MC-Escher style combination of black lava and limestone, and the inside has blood red columns and may the be the most extravagant Catholic Church interior I’ve ever seen. Above the nave is a huge golden painting of Jesus surrounded by rainbows sort of like in Ravenna. Even though we drove, Issoire is easily accessible by rail in about 40 minutes from CF which has an airport and rail connections to Paris and Lyon, so no car necessary
Day 7 we drove to the Dordogne. We stopped for lunch in Brive La Gaillarde, checked into our hotel in vitrac, then headed in to Sarlat for a self guided walking tour and (after the rain finally broke and the sun came out) dinner one of the cafes on the square.
Day 8 we tried to go to the Wednesday market in Sarlat but we got a late start and couldn’t find parking. Instead we drove to Domme, had lunch in La Roque Gageac, went to the castle Beynac, then went back to the hotel plaisance Vitrac to nap and have dinner.