Saint-Étienne Things to Do

Our friends from St Etienne took us see this great castle...it was quite a long walk up a large hill to see it (it's on the top of a crystalline dyke which is 653 metres high, but well worth the effort. From the top you look down on a nice view of the valley and the Loire river.

The castle is thought to have been built around the 12th century, with other parts added more recently, probably around the 15th and 16th century. The site has been the property of six successive families. The first of these were the
Rochbarons from 940 to 1434.
The castle is mainly constructed in sandstone, with some granite and bricks which could have been salvaged from the Roman era.

Le Puy Mary
Great panorama from the top, after a tough climb of 1 1/2 hour from Pas de Peyrol... I have been told.
What happened is the morning we planned to get there, it had snowed less than an inch during the night (we were in October!!!) and the road to get there was closed. People are wimps sometime. Gee, less than an inch!!! Better luck next time.
But life goes on in the countryside where you will find little villages and fields in or around valleys where people look like they live a peaceful life.
Classification: Hiking , Photography , Site Seeing

Le Puy de Sancy
Similar but smaller than the Puy de Dôme, but getting there and viewing the landscape is almost better than the destination.
Classification: Hiking , Photography , Site Seeing

Le Puy de Dôme
This oooold volcano can be visited just about all year. The entrance is regulated and there is a fee to gain access to the site.
You can drive to the bottom and climb to the top and either enjoy the view of the crater or the surrounding area.
You will even find gallo-roman ruins dedidated to Mercury.
Classification: Hiking , Photography , Site Seeing

Seeing the local villages.
This is a wonderful way of seeing French life, culture and architecture. I had a wonderful time wandering around the streets of some of the little villages, and this photo in particular is a town hall at the end of summer - the colours in the flowers are amazing! What I truly love about these villages is the pride that people take in ensuring that the presentation of their village is impeccable. Everywhere you go in the end of Summer/beginning of Autumn, you will see flowers and flowers and more flowers. It's magnificent, and truly a testament to the locals.

A well near the Peat Moss Processor.
Reportedly where someone famous died a very long time ago (some army bloke)... I wasn't paying much attention at the time... hehehe... I will try to find out more so that I can give an educated description... ;)

Peat Moss Processing Plant... ... ... ... WOOHOO ... ... ... the excitement... ... ... I can barely contain myself... hehehehe...
I was not that excited to see this. I have taken this picture for my dad and my grandfather to see - they will hopefully log onto here on VT and see it... :)

Hang-gliding off the mountains.
I have not done this - but I saw someone doing it whilst I was up there! :) Apparently it's quite a popular activity, and this person in the picture spent a long time floating up in the clouds with a wonderful view of the world. I wouldn't like to come down! :) I would love to try this some day in the near future. It's a great way of seeing the area from a different angle...

Native flora.
Coming from a Southern Hemisphere country like Australia, where the trees do not shed leaves in Autumn, and our summers are long, hot and dry - it certainly was an experience to see the European summer. I found it interesting to see the way that the native flora deals with weather changes, and it was a great experience for me to go wandering through the mountains with a knowledgable French native, describing what plants dealt with the snow the best etc. Very interesting.

Picking wild blueberries and raspberries.
I LOVE WILD FRUITS! Wow - when I tasted my first experience of wild blueberries and raspberries, I almost fell onto my hands and knees to scrabble around in the bushes to find some more. I only just managed to restrain myself. These are better than any farm-grown varieties, with the advantage of being freshly picked and you don't have to pay for it! Don't hesitate getting your fingers stained purple with the juices! This is a wonderful experience! :)