The long wait

Hi followers, due to many internet problems we have been slow to catch up on the blog, but stay tuned there will be some final instalments next week.
cheers
Andrew and Judy

"We are sailing, we are sailing" Thanks Rockin Rod

Sunday

Seriously we did go on a cruise today, Luc and Myriam led the way to Lac de Monteynard where we boarded the La Mira for a two and a half hour cruise. Fortunately for all those on board it wasn’t 3 hours otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to restrain the renditions of the Gilligan’s Island theme song. We were blessed with perfect weather and fine company for exploring this fine Hydro dam, the scenery was picture perfect and there were many exciting water sports taking place before us. We even had a chance to view the Chemin de fer de La Mure (the train we had taken only a week or so before) if the view had been impressive from the train it was even more so from the lake where the train appeared almost model like on the massive viaduct clinging to the edge of the monumental mountain side. I think Judy felt worse looking up at the train she had been on than when she actually rode on the same train. Our trip was punctuated by a surprise champagne lunch which appeared from Judy’s basket, mysterious things those baskets! On the way home we once again ventured to the base of St Hillier where today we were in time to see the Parapont and hang gliding action close up. Our day was summed up by Harrison who said “it was REALLY LOVELY” (Luc and Myriam will understand). Unfortunately like all great days this one too had to come to an end and as this was our last full day in France that meant time to pack our bags.

Fun in the Sun

Saturday
We wake to the smell of freshly brewed coffee and sight of a table ready for breakfast. After a wonderful breakfast and a lot of chatting and laughter we saw the clock race around to lunch time. Myriam prepared a wonderful lunch which we enjoyed relaxing in the wonderful alpine sunshine. During the afternoon we exchanged holiday adventure stories and looked at some of Luc’s great holiday videos. Luc is a master of this genre; we think he may be Roger Vladim in disguise. It was also time for a long walk to the base of St Hillier to view the aerial sport action of Paraponting, or paragliding as we call it and hang gliding, it was a wonderful adventure however we were a few minutes late to catch the action, but we knew there would be more opportunities. As day rolled into night it was time for another meal, Luc and Myriam’s daughters Ann and Julie shared the meal and the evening with us, and again we had another fun filled evening with stories of adventure and humor packed French/ English translations. We feel much honored while we have been in France to have been welcomed into the homes of six different families to either stay or share a meal, and in every home we have enjoyed a very special warmth and friendship.

What? Venice in the Alps.

Friday
We have been told by so many people that Annecy is beautiful and that we must see it for ourselves. So we have decided to do just that. It is an easy one and a quarter hour’s drive from Crolles as long as you don’t take the wrong turnoff and start heading for Lyon, but that’s another story. Upon arriving in the town and parking we started to realize what people are talking about. The town is centered around an enormous lake, with picture book surroundings. Upon further exploration we found that the old town also has a series of canals running through it, which undoubtedly are the reason for it being called the “Venice of the Alps”. After a short look around the old we sat down to enjoy a pizza or three for lunch, it was here that we met the most amazing waiter. This interesting young man had the uncanny ability to throw food and drinks at the table from a great distance while at all times looking as though he had a pineapple inserted where the sun doesn’t shine, probably fitting for him that in France a pineapple is known as an Ananas. Never to be thwarted, at the end of our meal Judy asked this young fellow if he was feeling well and if we had done something to offend him, his curt response was “No, I am just like this all the time, OK”. We feel a bit sorry for his Mum.
After lunch we hired a power boat from some very helpful and pleasant dealers on the shoreline, it was a 5 meter boat with a ten horsepower motor, no matter how much I tried to convince them that our Australian boat license would be OK they wouldn’t let us hire the boat with a 150 hanging off the back, it was fun trying though. We had a glorious cruise around the lake taking turns driving which Harrison enjoyed very much, feeling very grown up. After many photos and video opportunities it was time to take the boat back and enjoy the rest of the old town. For the rest of the afternoon we enjoyed walking up and down the cobbled streets and alleyways until the sun started to set and the town signaled it was time for us to go home with the closing of the shutters on the storefronts.

Day of the long Knives

Thursday
Not really but all the males needed a haircut as you would have seen in the photos and the car needed an iPod connection as we had long ago given up on understanding the fast and furious French radio announcers while waiting for driving music to emanate from the console of the car. Not a thrilling day but a good rest day to allow us some preparation time for the adventures which lay ahead.

Lac Achard (the other side of Chamrousse)

Wednesday
Luc and Myriam had planned a walking trip today which included driving to Chamrousse and then hiking to Lac Achard. If you have been reading our blog you would understand that Judy loves bushwalking but was filled with some trepidation at the prospect of revisiting Chamrousse and its vertical nature, however she also knew that Luc and Myriam were selecting paths which were not too challenging for her. The walk itself rises several hundred meters from the starting point to well above the tree line into that alpine level where the climactic conditions change from moment to moment. The views were breathtaking and the new dustings of snow which had been laid down during the two previous nights were plainly visible on the slopes across the valley. We were feeling very sorry for Harrison who had been looking longingly at the snowy peaks from Crolles for the past two weeks and now felt that he could almost touch the snow for the very first time. Of course his very soft Father promised on the spot to take him straight to the snowy mountains when we arrive back in Australia so that he gets his opportunity. As we crested the last rise we were greeted by Luc and Angus introducing us to Lac Achard, a beautiful high (almost 2000m) alpine lake which teems with tiny fish, frogs, tadpoles and to our surprise salamanders all of which we examined closely before enjoying a picnic lunch and making the quick return journey to the cars to beat the threatening weather. We then drove back to Uriage where all the adults enjoyed a well earned frosty cold beer while basting in rays of the dying days of the French summer, while the boys spent their time creek jumping as they had done a fortnight previous. The conversation revolved around certain French delicacies which included linguistic issues surrounding kidneys and testicles and other edible internal body parts, accompanied by riotous laughter and the stares of many other patrons.

Prapoutel and Le Collet d’Allevard

After yet another enjoyable and casual breakfast it was time for some exploring. We jumped into the cars following Luc and Myriam up and down the winding mountain roads which are known as lacets, which translates into the roads resembling the shape of shoe laces. Our first destination was Prapoutel which is a ski station clearly visible from Luc and Myriams terrace. Amazingly the locals consider this a very small station, in Australia we would call it a world class resort with on piste accommodation and a range of slopes catering to all abilities. How a little isolation can affect the view of a situation? A little while later we were again in fits of laughter with Luc relating skiing stories and demonstrating some of Myriams finer moments on the slopes. In the cars again, we travelled to Le Collet d’Allevard through postcard perfect towns and over some great driving roads. The weather was closing in now but the view over the mountains was still fantastic as was the fact that we were standing in a resort which had been part of a winter Olympics calendar.
Now I know our dear readers may be getting bored with the following statement but “again we have had a fantastic day” exploring new places and watching the boys run wild in these great surrounding, which they apparently cannot get enough of.

Col de Porte

Tuesday
Luc and Myriam have organized an expedition today which sees us donning our walking shoes, hats and backpacks. We are walking up Col de Porte, another great Tour de France climb, the difference is that we will start from the roads highest point and go on from there. We were unsure about the boys feelings toward climbing another mountain after our day going to Lac Crozet, however they surprised us with their enthusiasm and fitness with Angus and Luc forging ahead and coming back and forth to the group. The climb had some testing sections and became very loose and steep near the peak, where we stopped to enjoy some lunch a few stories and a bit of light hearted video making, much to the amusement of other walkers on the mountain. The view was clear with an astonishing panorama of the surrounding area, which Judy was impressed by even though she would have preferred the view to have been from sea level, her ideal elevation. A quick trip down the mountain saw us at the café for celebrations of a yet another great day exploring the Rhone Alps.

Bad news for young boys

Monday
As everyone had work to catch up on, and cleaning to do, it was also time for the boys to catch up on some School work. Of course Judy and I were not in line for any parent of the year awards today, but the work was done with the loving parents feeling a little more like wardens on the day.

New friends

Sunday
This is our first full day at home with our new friends, we felt very spoilt when we awoke to a gourmet breakfast and news that we would venture to the local markets to collect supplies for later in the day. The markets were very interesting with Myriam secretly purchasing many ingredients for lunch later in the day. When we arrived back home it was time for lunch preparations, at this point you could have knocked us over with a feather when we saw Myriam cooking the BBQ, Judy was busy crossing herself while Andrew reached for anything sedating, this was very unusual for us and we explained that in Australia the roles are reversed. Of course this led to other interesting points of order such as two women sharing the same kitchen, Judy loves to cook and so does Myriam so an informal contract was quickly agreed upon with cooking taking place on a day about basis, just as had happened in Racheles’ kitchen where there had also been a great deal of laughter, stories and recipes exchanged. At lunch we again enjoyed Julie and Ann’s company, sharing a warm summer’s afternoon. After lunch Luc and Myriam led us up to St Hillier a very small local ski station visible from the front of the house. It is here that the local para gliders and hang gliders launch into the crystal clear alpine air. The boys enjoyed this location scaring mum at every opportunity by going as close as their bravery would allow to the drop offs and trying to encourage her to look down at the ridiculously steep funicular railway which services the station.