The Good Life France Magazine




The Good Life France Magazine brings you the best of France - inspirational and exclusive features, fabulous photos, mouth-watering recipes, tips, guides, ideas and much more...


Published by the award winning team at The Good Life France

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3 months ago

AUTUMN 2024

  • Text
  • Free magazine
  • Paris
  • France
  • Brittany
  • Lyon
  • Bordeaux
  • Photography
  • Travel
  • Recipes
Packed with brilliant guides, features and stunning photos, mouth-watering recipes from top chefs, culture, history and much much more. Discover Paris & its hidden gems and dodge-the-drizzle treats, beautiful Bordeaux and it's secret seaside sensation, Cap d'Agde, Corsica and the off-the-beaten track Cele Valley in the Lot, Narbonne, Lyon & Languedoc and many more fabulous French gems.

One that didn’t make

One that didn’t make it to market – test car at Michelin Adventure Museum Michelin Man – Bibendum Buildings made from or decorated with volcanic stone blanc, cream and sugar. You won’t need to eat lunch after this! Also try the fruit patés the town is famous for. Head to the shop of Hélène Martin-Mayeux which specialises in the real deal (Aux Délices des Puys). These sweets are a tradition from the 15 th century and are adored by the locals. Helene is an expert on the topic and explains that the real thing is always filled with apricot jelly whatever the flavour on the outside – strawberry, passion fruit, mandarin, blueberry and even angelica which grows only in water where there is a lot of sun. Culture vultures will find plenty to enjoy at several museums including the excellent Musée Bargoin archaeology and textile museum, and the Henri LeCoq science and technology museum. Michelin From the city centre take the tram into the old Montferrand part of the town to visit the Michelin Adventure museum. This was the first tram system built in France – by Michelin! Almost every family in Clermont had someone working at Michelin tyre company over the years and it doesn’t matter Train winding helter-skelter like to top of the Puy-de-Dome © J Way, Clermont Auvergne Volcans Tourisme if tyres don’t interest you one little bit, it’s a surprisingly fascinating presentation of Michelin’s history, telling the story of the Michelin brothers rise to fame and wealth, the company’s progress and the huge influence they had on the city and its people as well as on France and further afield. End the tour in the Gran Turismo section where you can enjoy a simulated sports car race. Volcanoes The number one attraction for visitors to Clermont-Ferrand, are the volcanoes, which you can clearly see from the city. The Puyde-Dôme is the highest of the dormant (not extinct, the last eruption was around 8500 years ago) volcanoes of the Chaîne des Puys which were born from successive eruptions that burst through the surface of the earth around 11,000 years ago. You can hike to the top or, as I did, hop on an electric railway to gently glide to the top. There is a restaurant, bar, museum, laboratory with a cloud catching window – the scientists test the cloud content to monitor water, bacteria and pollution. Most extraordinary are the ruins of a Roman Temple built to honour the God Mercury. And the views are mesmerising as you take in the panorama of some 80 volcanoes. Equally incredible is how quickly the weather changes. I arrived under a blue sky with clear views but within minutes of alighting from the train, dark clouds began rolling in and swirling around me, cold and damp. And then it cleared again – a majestic natural phenomenon. You can visit several of the volcanoes including Puy du Pariou, the star of Volvic commercials. Reaching 1,290 metres above sea level, this volcano has two hiking trails to the top. You can even descend into its centre to explore the bottom of the crater. 26 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 27