In Borg L’Etang we stayed at a Chateau that was one of the watch towers for Chateau Ravel. So of course we visited the ruins of the Ravel while here. This is the heart of Auvergne and my favorite quote for this area is “They are a strange wild race, fond of money, avaricious, yet well off, extremely uneducated and coarse in their manners, easily excited, and somewhat brutal in their habits” – Louise Stuart Costello, A Pilgrimage to Auvergne – 1842.


In this region we also stopped on the Route de Fromage for some amazing cheese. An aged and creamy goat cheese was the star from this fromagerie. Our dinner that night was at the second Michelin starred restaurant of the trip and the food was truly wonderful. 

The next day on the way to the Northern Rhone we visited Thiers, the cutlery (knife) capital of France. We got lucky and stopped at a shop where the knife maker spoke excellent English. He sold knives from all 55 of the local craftsmen. Albert definitely liked this stop!