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Regional info
Drome-Ardèche
France The Rhône river flows through past Lyon and then south in a straight line. On one side of the valley is the Ardèche region and and Drôme is on the other. Both are part of the Rhône-Alps region. The French people still use the old name used before the French revolution, when the Ardèche region was known as Vivarais. Fruit cultivation has been big business here for years and cities like Privas, Annonay and Aubenas produce massive quantities of fruit each year. Along the rivers are many old factories that once made paper, silk and textiles. In this south eastern part of France many rivers have created deep crevices in the rocky soil. Each river and its 'gorges' are hugely popular with walkers canoeists. The high road along the Ardèche river provides magnificent views, in particular between Vallon Pont d'Arc and St. Martin. In addition to the gorges there are waterfalls like the Ray-Pic falls and huge areas full of caves. A large part of the Ardèche and Drôme areas are preserved national parks. The larger cities in the Rhône valley are Valence and Montélimar, also known as the centre of nougat production.
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Typical Drôme/ArdècheThe modern hot air balloon is by far not equal to the paper air bag Joseph and his brother Etienne Montgolfier built. It's not a coincident that their father was a paper manufacturer in Annonay in the north Ardèche area. After a successful unmanned test flight the first living creatures got airborne 4 June 1783: a duck, a rooster and a sheep (...). Only a few months later (21 November 1783) the first people went up. Every year the first weekend in June is a big hot air balloon festival in Annonay as a tribute to the inventors.
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The classic steam train ride from Tournon to Lamastre up high in the mountains runs through the most beautiful section of the Ardèche. Also, the region is ideal for a canoe trip on the Doux, Chassezac or Ardèche river. A well known assembling spot is the huge natural rock bridge near Vallon Pont d'Arc. In the Drôme region the Palais Idéal near Hauterives is a nice trip – it's an oriental castle a French post clerk built on his own.
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