Residence Mona Lisa 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 ...

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 ...

... a pass in the mountains we have to take to get to Serre Chevalier. And indeed, the road was covered in snow as we were approaching the Lautaret. My father didn't want to waste time putting chains on so we looked at each car coming on the other side to see if they used snow chains themselves. We drove slowly and made it OK although got a little worried at one point when the strong winds prevented us from seeing the road (Kristen was really good at ...

... 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 ...

... so spirited driving wasn't really possible. Until we left Verdon and rejoined Napoleon, then it livened up considerably! Stayed at a charming chalet type place in Baratier with sauna, jacuzzi and a pool (great for unwinding after 6+ hours of full-on driving ...

Doar ca noi avem de luat un avion in curand si e cam timpul sa incepem alpinismul mai serios (alpinism -> alpi -> get it? :))). Vom lua drumuri scenice peste Alpi, pana la Torino, insa nu vom reusi totul dintr-un drum. E seara, drumul e greu si e vorba de vreo 200 de km. Vom innopta la Briancon, o localitate mica in Alpi, dupa ghidul meu, satucul situat la cea mai mare altitudine din Europa. Incepem sa urcam muntele, curbe si peisaje, doar 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.

... In full french style we ate snails...YUM! after we went to the bar and were entertained by how wasted Willy got for his bday...we then all went to the Discoteque for the rest of the night. By this time Willy had thrown up and past out on one of the couches...haha! Saturday morning was filled with cleaning and tidying our rooms before leaving to go home. After we exchanged numbers and said our goodbyes we hoped on the bus again to hopefully ...

... with any kind of acute accuracy, the feelings that rush through an individual when he is quite honestly "on top of the world." The massive city of Gribnoble, reduced to a small oval shape collection of buildings and metropolis. The endless, dazzling display of mountains all around, as the they snuck up into view from obscure atmospheric anomalies to commanding blocks of rock and soil. The feint body of some mountain lake, trees everywhere ...

... 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!