Volvic, France. My wife, Cindy, and I drove into this small town, famous for its natural spring water, on Sunday, April 24, 2022. Although we have spent several months crisscrossing France over the years since retiring ten years ago, we had never spent any time in the Auvergne region. We came here to fill this “hole” in our knowledge of France and to improve our French. Thus began a wonderful week with Soline Sterbecq and her family as part of the France Today immersion program.
Volvic is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne and is located about 15 kilometers northwest of Clermont-Ferrand. Like many small towns in this area, Volvic is nestled on a hillside. Behind it, the hills continue to rise and on the ridgeline overlooking it and the valley below is, of course, a castle, Château Tournoël.
Cindy and I met Soline in the late afternoon that Sunday. She showed us our apartment, which was next to her house. As we later learned, her husband, Jérôme, and she had converted what was many, many years ago a barn into a very modern and well decorated 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment that also served as a “gite” when not housing her students. That night, we met Jérôme over an aperitif and learned that the couple’s two boys were spending their spring vacation at their grandparents’ farm near Chartres.
The next morning, and each morning through Friday, classes started at 9:00 a.m. sharp. Soline came to our apartment where the classes were held around the dining room table and lasted until noon. As both my wife and I have reached the intermediate level, Soline concentrated on improving our conversation skills. We covered a range of topics, and, after each day, we received written notes reminding us of what we had covered and what we needed to work on. Towards the end of the week, we played some word games to improve our vocabulary.
After the morning sessions, Soline (and Jérôme) prepared a scrumptious lunch that we shared with them either at their dining table or on their outdoor patio while continuing to speak French. On Monday evening, Soline invited us to her house for dinner, where we again were able to enjoy delicious French food and wine while practicing our French.
Besides daily morning classes during the week, we took two afternoon excursions with Soline and, on other afternoons, explored the region on our own. In the way of background, in the months before traveling to France, we were able to select where we wanted to go for our two excursions. We chose to visit Vichy and Clermont-Ferrand, two nearby but quite different cities. In each case, Soline was able to find two excellent local tour guides. In Vichy, one of the great spa towns of Europe, a retired French actor led us on an outstanding and entertaining walking tour of the art deco/art nouveau central downtown area, including its sparkling opera house.
Likewise in Clermont-Ferrand our guide was top-notch, and the tour of the city center very informative. Especially striking was the majestic Cathedrale Notre Dame de l’Assomption, which was built entirely in black lava stone making it highly distinctive and visible from a great distance.
On two of our ”free” afternoons, Cindy and I hiked in the hills overlooking Volvic, on one day visiting the place where the Volvic water originates and on the other day climbing up to the Château Tournoël (though the castle was not yet open for the season).
And on a third afternoon, Wednesday, we drove about 20 kilometers south to the visitor’s center below Le Puy de Dôme, an extinct volcanic mountain that along with other volcanic mountain peaks in the area dominate the landscape in this central region of France.
From the visitor’s center we took the tourist train to the lava “dome” on top of the mountain. There, we could see for miles in all directions since the day was clear and crisp. Besides those of us enjoying the 360- degree views, there were many locals parasailing –- taking advantage of the brisk winds and the many easy jump-off points atop the domed mountain.
On Thursday night, Soline invited us to join her at one of her favorite local restaurants for a “farewell” dinner. Again, the evening was quite enjoyable and provided ample opportunity to practice our French, ordering our meals and discussing the world’s problems over excellent regional French food and wine!
All in all, it was a memorable week, well-worth the time and expense of the trip. Thank you to Soline for the detailed planning in advance and outstanding execution during our week in Volvic and to both Soline and Jérôme for your wonderful hospitality throughout our stay. Quelles merveilleuses vacances!
Bill and Cindy