Well blog believers here we are again for another hopefully fascinating installment of the Brooks’ big holiday. We have been too busy to put digit to keyboard for several days now, so here it goes.
Friday 20th August. Because of issues with booking tickets to Grenoble for next week, we had to take tickets for today, unfortunately that’s how things go. Our morning was spent making sure the house and our luggage were in order for our departure later in the day. After everything was in order we went once more to our favorite café to enjoy a quiet lunch before racing off to catch the bus to the TGV station. At this point I have a word of advice for others, be careful of how much you pack in each piece of luggage as walking down ten flights of stairs with five 30kg bags may be considered difficult by some. The TGV was an interesting if anticlimactic experience, we were expecting some pomp and ceremony but instead we stood while sharing the cabin with dogs, and the sensation of speed was almost nonexistent due to the design of the trains and the environment they run within. After a change of train, the assistance of yet another very helpful French gentleman and a couple of hours we were almost at our destination, all we could do was stare at the scenery and marvel at what nature has to offer in the grand setting which is the Alps. At Grenoble Station we met some of Luc and Myriam’s family, Julie their Daughter, Jocelyn, Myriam’s sister and her husband Jean Daniel. After the short trip back to Luc and Myriam’s house we also met their other Daughter Ann. The family broke out the Champagne and nibbles to toast our arrival in Crolles and once again we feel very honored to be welcomed so warmly by yet another fabulous family. Crolles was such a change of pace that while sitting outside Judy remarked “it’s so quiet you can hear the bubbles in the Champagne”. When it came time to retire for the evening we were grateful for the comfortable beds after a very long day.
Saturday was catch up day, we went to the local supermarket to stock up on necessities and get our bearings. The afternoon was spent exploring the local suburbs on foot and marveling at the size of the mountains which appear to encircle the local towns.
Sunday dawned hot and we were full of adventure so we packed some food and maps and headed toward le Lac de Crozet. We had been inspired to visit this high altitude lake by all the photos we had seen of it in our communications with Luc and Myriam. Our trip was going exactly as planned for 15 minutes until we came to one of the now famous French “DEVIATION” signs on the road we were travelling. We kept going though as our confidence of finding somewhere good to go is always high and the roads are fun to drive. Imagine our surprise when we rounded another bend and found the town of Uriage-les-Bains, a truly beautiful and historic masterpiece, we stopped for a bite to eat and a drink before indulging in a bit of creek jumping in the local park. As we were no longer anywhere near our destination a new plan was in order, lets visit Chamrousse and walk to some lakes there! Up, up, up we drove until we found a clearing to park. Then setting out on foot we hiked through the cool forest for about two hours to find Lac Luitel as well as a hillclimb which was in progress and coincidentally blocked our progress. We used the road to hike back to the car and shared many amusing conversations with the boys on topics as varied as what pets we should get when we go home and what their names may be, we even tested listening for cars by placing our ears to the road. As Chamrousse can be accessed from two directions we decided to get to the top via the other route, a great drive up the other side of the mountain left us at the Chamrousse ski resort. A quick gondola ride to the top left us understanding why Judy doesn’t like high places, people actually ski at this place where jagged precipices abound and the rest of the mountain is so steep that even the daredevil, if only vaguely skilled Brooks skiing technique would have to be rethought before attempting this, what is considered by the locals, small mountain.
Monday is Grenoble day, well not really but we did visit on Monday. After driving in and parking we found the tourist office where we decided on our activities for the day. Our first was catching the Petit train around the old city, we have found that these rides give us a great idea of the local history and some sense of direction for when we are left to our own devices. Then on to the Bastille cable car, the Bastille overlooks the city almost like an eagle in flight, again Judy would have enjoyed it more if it were at sea level. On the way home we stopped at a large bike shop and while the devotes were busy Judy found a Billabong store, where it was cheaper than at home, and was given some interesting information about nearby lakes and a place called La Mure. Night fell, the boys went to bed and while Judy and I sat outside we were treated to a Hedgehog display in the garden, interesting little creatures!
So on taking the abovementioned store owners advice Wednesday saw an adventure to Lac de Laffrey and La Mure. Along the way we passed through Vizelle so that I could find another bike shop but to our surprise Vizelle also plays host to the Museum of the Revolution and spectacular grounds with water features full of enormous tame trout. However as we have found, museums are closed on Tuesdays so there will have to be a Vizelle MkII visit. Onward we pushed to Lac de Laffrey where we thought a spot of sailing may be in order; however the high winds changed our minds so the short hop to La Mure was made. La Mure was different to other towns it didn’t just have a petit train, it had a real train called the Chemin de fer de La Mure, which roughly translated into Australian would mean “If you take this train you will poop yourself”. This ex coal carrier travels to St Georges de Commiers and back along an engineering masterpiece of track work, over enormous viaducts and along impossibly long sections of shelf track which stare hundreds of metres down to the pearlescent waters of the hydro dams below. We were a little late returning to La Mure which made us a little late for our evening meeting with another friend we had made over the internet through the house swap site. Isabella lives with her son Jolan not far from Vizelle and we were immediately overwhelmed by their friendly hospitality and willingness to help us with our failing Aussie French translations. Our night with them was fantastic and we plan on seeing them again before we leave the region.
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