Residence Maeva L'Eyssina Vars

... 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 ...

... in again) then, when you think you are on top, there is an elevator to take.
Now this in one crazy destination! At 3807 meters above sea level you can imagine the feeling. It was cold and sunny. There were quite a few crazy ice / rock climbers up there for us to watch when we weren't gawking at the view. It is amazing the engineering that went in to providing public access to the area. There are tunnels through the mountain so you can access ...

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 ...

... this lot) but we were generally able to get past and make good progress. Then we got to the Verdon Gorge. Stunning place, beautiful weather, but too much traffic. The road itself became secondary to the views as around almost every corner was a camper van or ...

... incep sa vorbeasca italiana. Undeva, am trecut granita. Incepem sa coboram, unduim in continuare in peisaje de vis. Pe cate un pisc singuratic, cate o fortareatza, sau un zid, ramasita a vremurilor tulburi si imbarligate ale Europei si tarilor ei. Trecem prin satucuri de munte italiene, insa nu mai oprim. Cand peisajul incepe sa se mai linisteasca si sa se uniformizeze, intram pe autostrada, ne ia italianul euroiul si acceleram pana la Torino.

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.

What better way to see out the Winter in London than to run away from it!...... We headed to the French and Swiss Alps to escape the bleak London winter. Flew into Grenoble and were met by Andrea's cousin and partner, Jeneane and Jean-Paul. Headed back to their place which Jean-Paul built himself (incredibe), overlooking the valley. Amazing. We were treated to an amazing traditional French lunch of local cheese, cold cuts including saussi seau (sp?? - delish French salami covered in ...

... how fortunate I am that it has been that way. And then the dancing commenced - mash pit and all! So after three days in the mountains I'm back in Paris and was back in class at 9:30am after having just arrived in Paris at 4:30am. It was all good, but can I just say that when you feel sad about coming back from a vacation to return to Paris (which is a few classes away from being a vacation in and of itself) you know your life is too easy.

... a first day on the slopes and chrissie... I still got to bed though at 1am... Christmas Day - Emily, Emma and I had a lesson in the morning with a sexy french instructor names Tristan. After lunch I went out with B for the afternoon, we went down this green run and I was going really well until I stacked it badly and bruised my tail bone... the worst thing was I did this on the flat part of the mountain after going all the way down the ...