Or, Summer holiday, stage 1.
Took the train down to Savoie on the Tuesday night. In-flight entertainment was provided by the two conductors coming down hard on someone in the seat in front of me who had forgotten his discount card - doing a kind of Laurel and Hardy /Kafkaesque double act of bureacratic persecution. A tip for the future, guys, customer service sometimes means letting the client finish their sentence...
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| The Famous Four about to set off on walking adventures. From Summer 2011 |
On the Wednesday Godelaine took me on a walking tour of Les Chapelles village:
And Dad went for a walk a bit further up in the hills.
On the Thursday we went to the Col du Petit St Bernard to walk to the Lac Sans Fond.
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Dad and Rene went up the Lancebranlette peak and had a view back down to the lake
From Summer 2011 |
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| TThe road back down was pretty long... From Summer 2011 |
In the evening we went to a free performance of Baroque comic opera next to the Roman Basilica. Very strange story line, involving a brother and sister trying to defraud a rich man - and for some reason this involved the brother dressing up in a bear costume, and much comic opening and shutting of doors.
On Friday we walked up the Prarion valley, following the source of the Isere river.
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| Meanwhile, Dad was preparing for the ski season. From Summer 2011 |
On Saturday we walked to a village where you can only get to on foot.
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| The annual meeting of the Hauteville Preservation Society. From Summer 2011 |
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| The apero, which lasted longer than the meeting!! From Summer 2011 |
Sunday was a day of blessed rest, broken up only by a walk up the hill and a trip to get cheese.
We ate pretty well in Savoie. Of course, you never go hungry in France - but even so we did well.
Wednesday was smoked salmon and ravioles (like ravioli) de royan (filled with cheese).
Thursday was homemade foie gras and serac de chevre (goats cheese made from whey) on potatoes from the garden. Friday was wild mushrooms, raclette fondue and mandarin icecream with mint and strawberries. Saturday was salmon and rice, with kouign aman for afters! And
Sunday was bourgogne fondue - four cuts of beef and five different sauces!
Holiday reading: A Place of Greater Safety, Hilary Mantel. 700 pages about the French Revolution - all fascinating.
