Vichy

As I get close to the end of the trip, I encounter a new wave of energy as I get close to my last destination: Vichy, France. Vichy is full of rich, and controversial, history. Vichy was a term in WWII that was used to refer to the French Government from 1940-1944, the years when the collaborated with the Axis Powers. Petain, the French leader at the time, and a WWI war hero, facilitated the cooperation with the Axis Powers in order to ensure that France wasn't divided up and distributed among the Axis Powers. Some believe that it was an act of desperation, while others believe that Petain was impressed with the persuasive Fascist ideals at the time. Personally, I find the images below to tell the tale of the latter, but I digress.

Vichy officially became established after France surrendered to Germany on June 22, 1940. More or less serving as the Central Nervous System for France until the Allies invaded four years later. The Vichy government was officially recognized my many foreign countries, though they suffered severe opposition by the French Resistance. The Vichy government aided in the Nazi raids that left families decimated.

So, as soon as I arrived, I pursued this fascinating historical saga a the the Musee de Vichy, located right in the middle of town. As I learned more of the scandal, controversy, and loss of life that was the Vichy regime. I also visited the Chateau de Gannat. It's a historic castle on the periphery of town that served as a prison during the Vichy regime, but is now a museum. Yes, thats right. Two museumes in one day.

After checking out all the museums, I was famished. So, I headed over to Maison Decoret, one of those fancy, contemporary restaurants that also served as a hotel. I enjoyed my meal so much, I also decided to book a room for the night.

With the home base setup, I decided to head back out and wander the area again and see what amusing things I could encounter. Sure enough, I found something. The Bourbonnais Music Festival happened to be in town. So I spent the evening watching a classical concert in the Chateloy Roman Catholic Church. This isn't normally my cup of tea, but the novelty of the experience really made it worthwhile.

I was then forced to hit the hay, lots of travelling to do in the morning.

Roanne

After much fun and festivity, I embark yet again. This time I am headed for Roanne, France, a small town about 80km to the Northwest of Lyon. When I arrive, as always, I head straight for the city center, and allow myself to get caught up in the gelatinous style of European hustle and bustle in this beautiful, quaint town.



As I meandered the town I couldn't help but develop the impression that this was a place full of gastronomes. This turned out to be the case, and served as a source of inspiration and habitation for the culinary dynasty of the Troisgros family. The Troigros family is rumored to be one of the more influential families, in regards to cuisine, in France. And Roanne just happens to be the home of the family restaurant. Of course, I checked it out. It also happened to cost a pretty penny, so don't forget your wallet.






Michel Troisgros, pictured above, made an orchestra of my taste buds with authentic french cuisine. It was presented so artistically, it almost made you feel guilty to eat it... At least that's how you felt until you tasted it. "Maison Troisgros", the official name of the restaurant, is regularly featured in the "Best of" shows on travel/food shows, and I can attest to it being "da' best".

I also found myself visiting the Dechlette Museum, dedicated to craftsmen skilled at working with glass, steel, and wood.



And, then I headed over to the Port de Plaisance. Located just outside of the center of town is a port to the canal that connects Roanne and Digoin.



I then headed to the Chateau de Matel, a large, historic hotel just outside of town to unwind and get some rest just like they used to in the old days, aside from my laptop, of course.