Hotel Fons Regina Gap

My parents love the mountains and have always gone to the Alps for their summer vacation since we were born. As a kid and a teenager I always joined them with my brother and sister. But I haven't had the opportunity to do so (except for in 2005) since I moved to the US.
So this year being devoted to traveling and time with friends and family, I joined them for two weeks and a half in Orcieres, a town in the ...

Leaving Cannes we picked up the Route Napoleon at Grasse, straight away we could see how good this was going to be. The further we went the steeper the terrain, we encountered a few slow moving coaches which provided a little entertainment (got a video somewhere ...

... the choice of cheese or dessert, decided to go for the cheese. We had trouble understanding the cheese choice which sounded like white or green, so settled for white cheese, which I think was really a kind of yoghurt, but very nice. Just when I thought we had finished and could leave along came some lovely large almond biscuits and proffito rolls. All quite amazing. We decided against coffee. So now back to the start of the day, which seem to pale in comparison to our ...

More information on this campsite can be found here. Beautifully located campsite with quite good facitlities at about 1500m altitude and one of the best views on the Lac Serre Poncon. Located very near the small Lac St.Apollinaire. Start of some great hikes right at the entrance of the campsite. The hikes are rather steep at the start.

... of the world I've only read about (although that's an undeniable appeal). For me, this trip, my mini-Walkabout, was about meeting people, and I'm certain that that's what will draw me back to traveling in the future. Everywhere I went, I met different people with different stories, and I could have spent hours listening to them tell me about how they ...

... The end. Stephen's entry.... The opportunity to celebrate my good mate Eamon's 40th birthday and to re-live old times with old friends. And I really enjoyed the chance to get back into the European Alps - some big mountain skiing. I've always said that half of the fun of skiing is just being there and enjoying the environment. I wasn't disappointed ...

... matin. Il ne reste déjà plus de neige à Grenoble malgré les grandes tempêtes en France des jours précédents et elle me manque déjà. Le lendemain nous nous levons vers 5 heures 20 du matin pour avoir la navette de 6 heures du matin pour l'aéroport. Il y a beaucoup de courants d'air dans l'aéroport et j'ai froid même avec mon manteau... J'aimerais bien un chocolat chaud, mais à 3 Euros la tasse pour un peu d'eau chaude et de poudre, je passe mon tour !

... beaucoup de mal à contrôler mes skis. Pourtant, j'ai fait plusieurs années de ski alpin, mais je trouvais les skis trop différents pour appliquer les techniques de ski alpin au ski de fond. Heureusement, la neige était peu collante et c'était très plaisant de se voir avancer presque tout seul sur terrain plat. Nous croisons plusieurs skieurs qui ont vraiment l'air d'être des experts avec leurs belles combinaisons et mouvements si gracieux et ...

... I've proposed an "English Language and American Culture Club," to meet once a week. I want to expose the kids to American (or Anglophone) movies and music, games (like baseball), and food (like apple pie). I'd even get a budget! I'm crossing my fingers for a positive response from The Administration. Speaking of The Administration (it must be capitalized because it's a force to be reckoned with, kind of like a brick wall to a car), I get hardly any support from them. I ...

... it's a hell of a lot cheaper than any room I could find in town. There are notices posted in the teacher's room for apartments for €300/month, which isn't bad, but nothing beats €5/day, not including vacations and holidays, plus a meal plan for about €3/meal. There's no toilet seat on the toilet, though, for reasons of cleanliness, I'm told, which is a bit of an annoyance. I don't know whether I want to buy one or what-I'd just ...