We took a week off from Paris and headed down to the Auvergne (Clermont-Ferrand and the parks south of it). It was simply breathtaking. We stayed in Le Puy-en-Velay the first several nights, then in a little place near Murat-le-Quaire in the Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d'Auvergne. Lots of old stuff, as we had another medievalist with us, and lots of hiking and amazing scenery. Seriously one of the prettiest holidays I've had in a while.