RESIDENCE VEGA Risoul

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 ...

The last blog was sent from Mont Blanc. Up to that point we had been pretty disappointed with the area what with the rain and clouds. Just as I was publishing the blog Shane told me the clouds had lifted and that you could see the top of the mountain. So off we went to get our tickets for the last gondola straight up to the top. Actually you take one gondola... shuffle over to wait in line for the second one (all the time hoping the clouds don't ...

The alarm clock worked and Kristen and I got ready for a full day of skiing in Serre Chevalier. After having breakfast with my uncle, aunt and father we got on the road for the Southern Alps. Getting to Grenoble (1968 Olympic Games) was no problem, we had left early enough to avoid traffic. The snow was lower than what we expected for the month of March and the signs in Grenoble were warning us that chains were required to go to the "Col du Lautaret ...

... box full of pretty random food supplies. Included was 5 containers of cheese, 3 cans of ravioli, 3 cans of green beans, 6 boxes of milk, mousse fois gras, flan, a bag of chips per person, deli-sliced ham and other things. We were confused to have gotten so much cheese and ham but no bread. When we looked in other people's food supply, they also got packages of pasta which we were very jealous of. This food was found to be okay once we got some baguettes and pasta. I don't ...

... the best dinner I've had all trip. View from my hotel window: Dinner conversation turned to why it was called 'Route Napoleon' and it was decided that he had to go the twisty way as you can't reach the toll ticket machines on a horse. If only he'd had an elephant.

... in intuneric, nu mai e nicio masina de vazut. Cum am urcat atat de mult de cand am plecat, si cum e atat de intuneric, imaginatia mea bolnava incepe sa lucreze. Fiind un "control-freak" sunt in prag de atac de panica neavand niciun reper in spatiu. Eu am mai zis ca dezvolt rau de inaltime mai nou, si incep iar sa dezvolt simptome. Cand imi dau seama cat urcam, cat de stranse sunt curbele, afara nu se vede nimic, nu imi pot imagina decat ca in partea ...

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.

... bread and local wine.. Getting back on the road was a mission after that feast, but we made it... Headed North West across to Lyon where we spent the night, checked out the festive decorations, the two rivers, the cathedral and palace on the hill - and... ate our first Royale with Cheese!!! Mmmmm Next day, headed up to Geneva on the European Motorways - driving on the Right-hand side - ahhhh. Stopped in at two gorgeous seriously old school French villages along the way through ...

... of wine even intelligent conversation must give way to pure and thoughtless fun. On Saturday night most of the Stanfordiens went to a local bar where we got free "welcome" beers. There was a live band playing some punk rock covers that night, which took me back to being 15 or 16 and going to local concerts with friends. It was one of those "life" moments where I just sat at the bar thinking of nothing but how great my life is ...

... and this is 360 degrees around, everywhere you look. Molly stated, and I concurred, that one could literally stare out for hours and days, examining different parts of the view, focussing in on certain aspects, zooming out, changing angles, etc etc etc. I had this dream of really climbing to the top of the mountain, and gazing over the peak at the other side. Every attempt had, thus far, been in vain, in that every single hill we ascended ...