Residence Les Carlines Les Orres

... Alps, near the National Park of Les Ecrins.
I won't go over every hike and climb we did, that would be boring. My uncle Dominique and my aunt Nicole stayed with us, my uncle Jean-Marie and aunt Marite stopped by for a day (they live in Grenoble, three hours away, in the Northern Alps). Very close friends of the family stay in the same valley every year so we did not spend anytime alone. Hikes for a few hours ...

... that the next night, in the Loire Valley, we found a place for three nights that is quiet and comfortable (and there's a pool!).
Back to the journey. There really isn't much to tell about the trip from Briancon to the Loire. We went along the Rhone River which is industrial and not very pretty. We weren't there long before the road took us west through rolling hillsides to the flat planes of the Loire Valley. Miles and miles of cows, corn ...

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 ...

... During this time, our French friends taught us some cuss words and they contemplated jumping off the lift. After 3 or 4 hours of skiing we were tired and decided to take the gondola up to the top of the mountain. As you can see from the pictures, it was beautiful and really really cold. That night we went back to the dance club and had fun with our new friends. The next day we were supposed to be out of our room by 10 o'clock but the bus wasn't leaving until 3. The lobby of the ...

... 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.

... de mancat. Aerul e foarte curat si tare, e soare si placut, suntem inconjurati de munti impresionanti si cu varfuri si vai inca pline de zapada. Versantul care e orientat inspre terasa parca vrea sa zica... hai la sanius. Incercam sa ne imaginam cum sunt locurile astea in plin sezon de ski si constatam ca stam bine cu imaginatia. Ne-ar place si noua, nici vorba, il punem pe lista. :) Realizam cu amuzament ca suntem la cativa km de Briancon, asa ca in ...

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.

... and upload...its heenious! I also pashed another instructor that same night.. he was kinda good looking but still nothing to write home about... The next day we spent all day on the slopes, I lost a bot of confidence from my massive fall the day before and kinda shied away from trying to do turns. That night B, Hayley and I met the boys next door to us - Staffy, Pony, Scabby Dog, Willy and Arron. All kiwi's who have lived in London for 6 ...

... and the dashingly good looks of Molly, we made it just as the doors closed. To my dismay, the bar at the hostel had already closed. Who closes a ****ing bar at 12??? Yeah, 'tis my first complaint about this land, so I guess I should be somewhat content. Putting that aside, we went out to make friends and dance the night away, only to realize that "youth hostel" more effectively means "not quite dead" (but almost) hostel. The average age ...

... out on nothing but white powder. That's how I like my snow you see, from the inside looking out at it. For someone from Canada, I have a serious dislike of the stuff which some people found funny that I'd search it out during my summer holidays but to that I say - anything to see Mt Blanc!