The countryside of Auvergne is original and charming, with countless cows and sheep strolling around the hills, and colorful fields and large area of forests contribute to the beautiful nature. The eating style is based on the region food, of course, as in any part of France, fresh and tasty are the points. Castles in that area are quite old, some date back to the Middle Ages. The other thing I like there is that they take 2-3 hours lunch break, and go home eat with the whole family - warm food!
At Vichy, you can enjoy one of the best spa in the world. If your budget is limited, 0.25 EUR is enough for trying different kinds of spring from the ground, and all of them taste different due to the different minerals in it. The one called Hopital tastes like smelly egg, sorry to tell you about that, but it's true. However, remember one thing when you are drinking them, they are just water, and each time just take a sip. Cause normally, you need a special prescription from a doctor to tell you how much you should drink from each kind of the spring, depends on your health condition.
My friend took me to the volcano area in the south, of course, they are sleeping volcanos, and that makes St. Nectaire from that area one of the best cheese in France. The cows there eat some special grass and flower on the volcano hills, so their milk tastes different; and very important, they are happy cows, walking around and enjoying the sun, or just laying on the grass to relax; the way of make and store St. Nectaire is also special, most procedures are manual, and the new-made cheese should be stored in the volcano caves to ensure a certain humidity and the special minerals from the cave; the hygiene condition doesn't meet the EU standard, but that's the way the really good St. Nectaire is made (i like this side of French people, flexible:). At the end of the trip, I bought a big piece of the cheese, and ate it in front of one volcano lake with baguette, however, the wine was missing as my friend had to drive back.
According to Chinese tradition, lunch should be the most important meal in the day, however, in big cities, people eat some sandwich or fast food instead, which is a pity. In the countryside of France, it's like some yeas ago in my hometown. 2-3 hours lunch break enables everyone go back home and eat with the whole family. I miss that very much! It's so great we ate at my friend's parents' and grandparents' home for several times, and I got the chance to see how they cook at home. No fancy, no recipe (Oma is elder, so she does use recipe book for some dishes), each time the same dish could taste different, as they try to use vegetables and ingredients from their own garden at that season. I think that's the essence of French cuisine, local&fresh, and not follow rules...
I also found that, not matter where in France, even a small town, you can find amazing pastry shops, which are far more better than most of that in Berlin (personal opinion). However, the volcano made the soil of that region fertile, so it's not suitable for wine growing but normal agriculture, especially cows&sheep. Anyway, Bordeaux is just 3 hours drive, so to get the best cheese and best wine in one day is possible. My friend told me people from her region are really proud of their hometown. After one week there, I do understand that.
PS: thanks my dear friend Morgane, I love your hometown and your family!
simply amazing! Thanks for sharing!!!!!!
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