Drove to Lyon today but luckily found some more troglodyte caves to visit on the way. What is it with French people living in caves? These caves were in Châteauneuf-sur-Isère, which also was a source of stone for many ancient buildings. Then drove to Tain l'hermitage thinking I would get some good stories for Tilly about the Hermitage wine which is grown on steep hills like Porto in Portugal. But it was Sunday and the cellars were closed. But the best thing about traveling is the unexpected! And it turned out that Tain is the chocolate capital of France! So called into the chocolate factory and bought some. My next town was an interesting place called Romans-sur-Isère which happens to have the International Shoe Museum. But it too was closed.... Did however manage to get a picture of a large shoe. It is also famous for the delicious pogne, a crown-shaped brioche flavoured with orange blossom and chocolate, so I had one of these for a morning snack.
My final stop was In the small village of Hauterives, which has one monument that has been talked about around the world for over a century. It is here that Ferdinand Cheval, known as the Postman Cheval due to his job, built one of the most incredible works of art. He began to build his palace in 1879 using stones he gathered on his rounds. In 1912, the Postman Cheval's Ideal Palace was finally completed, after 33 years' hard work! Unfortunately is cost €11 to get in and most it was covered with scaffold as it was being renovated, so I kept driving. Arriving in Lyon late on the Sunday and have been sold a pup for my AirBnB - miles from anywhere, impossible parking, and at least 3km from where it was supposed to be and it also has a washing machine from 1950. More on this tomorrow.
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