Aurevoir, France! À la prochaine!!

Posted July 22, 2014

Well it’s hard to believe but our trip is just about over. We had another busy day to end it all off. Amanda, Ben, and Ty went on a Segway tour of Paris. They had an amazing time and learned a tonne about the history around all of the landmarks. Sam and I went through the Catacombs of Paris. They are underground ossuaries that hold the remains of about six million people. It was a little spooky but very cool to see the thousands and thousands of bones and skulls.

After we met back at the apartment and had a little rest we jumped on the subway and headed back to the Jardin des Tuileries for Sam to go on the ferris wheel and swings. We then took one more walk down the Champs Elysées towards the Arc de Triomphe where we had dinner. After that we walked back to the Eiffel Tower to watch the sun go down, and the lights come on. What a spectacular way to finish it all off.

It has been an unbelievable three weeks. We have been very fortunate to see three very distinct parts of France and have learned many things about the French culture. In some ways I think we even understand my own father a little better now!! Having to speak French was also a great experience for all of us. It was great for us to get to use some of our second language. For anybody who enjoys biking I can’t imagine a better place to go – the drivers are very courteous and safe, and the country is so varied in its geography.
I think we all had a great time, but we are all excited to get back home and see our friends, and our pets. Thanks again for following us on our trip. Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Bonne nuit, tout le monde!!!

Our Feet Hurt!!!

Posted July 21, 2014

Name an attraction in Paris and I am sure we at least walked past it today. We started off walking to the Louvre first thing this morning. On the way we passed over the Pont de la Concorde which had about a billion locks attached to it by romantic couples. We spent a bunch of time looking at some of the names.

When we got to the Louvre we had to wait in line for about 50 minutes to get in. It was a bit of a zoo inside so we concentrated on seeing a few masterpieces before getting worn out – Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, etc… Unfortunately it was not a very peaceful environment to appreciate these. Mona Lisa was almost comical as you almost have to push your way close to it while avoiding the elbows of all of the selfie-taking idiots! Still, it was amazing to see. In the end we were almost more impressed by the building’s architecture than the works housed inside.

Next we walked through the Champs Elysées en route to the high end shopping area. The road through the Champs is being set up with bleachers for the end of the Tour de France. It would be so fun to still be here to see that. At this point Ty, Sam, and I split from Mandy and Ben to do more sight seeing while they hit the shops. Ty, Sam and I made it the Arc de Triomphe, before doubling back to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Needless to say we were all beat by the time we met back at the apartment around 7:00. We had a quiet dinner in and watched some TV. Everybody is asleep now and I will soon be also!
Tomorrow Sam and I are going to do the catacombs, then the big ferris wheel near the Louvre. Mandy and the other boys are doing Paris by Segway. After dinner we will spend our last evening by the Eiffel Tower taking in all of the lights. It should be a great day to end an amazing trip!!
À demain, mes amis!!

Made it to Paris!!

Posted July 20, 2014

We made it to Paris by train today. We were sad to leave the Chartreuse mountains, but it is very exciting to be in Paris. The train ride was very beautiful and relaxing, going from the mountains to rolling countryside with lots of woodland. It was very cool to see all of the little French villages. After arriving at our apartment we walked to the Eiffel Tower which is about 1.5 km away. It was very impressive to see it with our own eyes after seeing it hundreds of times in movies and pictures.

We had a great dinner out and are just relaxing now. Ben and Amanda are going to go for a run a little later.
Tomorrow we are heading to the Louvre first thing, and then not sure what.
Hard to believe we only have three more days to go. It will be hard to leave but looking forward to talking to and seeing you all!!
Bonsoir. À demain!!

UPDATE: Amanda and Ben had a run past the Louvre, through the Champs Elysées, past the Arc de Triomphe, and back past the Eiffel Tower in the Parc de Champs de Mars. Ty, Sam and I went for a walk around a huge building which ending up being l’Église du Dome which is Napoleon’s Tomb. Both very cool ways to end the day!

Goodbye, le Sappey en Chartreuse, Hello Paris!!

Posted July 19, 2014

Today was our last in Grenoble. We are heading to the train station tomorrow morning to go to Paris for our last few days. We are really going to miss our little chalet and life in the mountains. It has been an amazing week of hiking, sights, and the Tour de France.

We went to Voiron today to the distillery where Chartreuse is made (Google it). The monastery we hiked by earlier in the week is where it was originally made 250 years ago. It is now made at the facility where we visited today, but by the same monks. Only the monks know the recipe (130 plants and herbs) and the amount of aging required to make it. The storage facility is a 164 m long cave, the longest such facility in the world. It was very interesting.

Tonight we walked up to the village for one of our best dinners yet! The boys had a humongous sunday to top it all off. It was a great way to finish the week off.
Hard to believe we will be standing by the Eiffel Tower tomorrow night.
Bonne nuit, mes amis!! À demain!

First Big Hike in the Chartreuse

Posted July 17, 2014

We’ve had another two great days here at the chalet. The weather has been great. It rained here all last week so we sure got lucky arriving this week. On Tuesday we drove down to Grenoble to go to the Grenoble Museum, only to find out that the museums close on Tuesdays. Instead, we walked around the downtown area. We took a 45-minute tourist “train” ride that explained much of the history of the area and pointed out all of the old landmarks. We found an amazing pastry shop and stopped in for a snack. After a bit of shopping we came back up to the chalet and hung around for the evening.

Yesterday we had an amazing hike up to the summit of Petit Som. The first part of the walk took us past le Couvent de la Grande Chartreuse. It is a huge working monastery nestled in the mountains. As we walked by, signs indicated it was a quiet zone so there was no talking until we got past it. Unfortunately the public is no longer allowed in to see what goes on inside. We did see a few monks coming and going, though.

The hike took us over 900 m up to the summit at 1772 m. The views were gorgeous. We could even see Mt Blanc in the distance. We decided to eat lunch on the summit before heading back down. The boys did amazing, and we did our best to keep up! After five hours of hiking we made it back to the car and headed home for showers and dinner (including Auntie Kim’s world famous European Cocktail Wieners)

After watching a movie we decided to call it a day. Tomorrow we hope to get in to the Grenoble museum, then come home and put a few last minute touches on our Tour de France signs for Friday!
Thanks for reading, everybody. Bonne journée tout le monde!

Chamechaude Hike and Tour de France

Posted July 18, 2014

Yesterday we went down to Grenoble and visited the Musée de Grenoble. The art collection there was very impressive. From antiquity to modern art, we saw many amazing pieces including Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Manet, any many more that we are too clueless to list. Ty picked a beret up as a souvenir after the museum, then we did some groceries and headed back to the chalet.

Today was awesome!! Maybe top of the list. We started off with a beautiful hike up Chamechaude. This is one of the more prominent peaks in the area and the one we wake up to every morning. We were in a bit of a time crunch to get back down by 1:30 so we didn’t stay too long at the peak.

Once we got back to the car we did a quick change of clothes and walked down a kilometer or so to Col de Palaquis where the Tour de France was going to come by. The atmosphere was incredible, and the excitement built until the first rider came through. There was a caravan that started coming through about an hour before the first rider arrived. Every five minutes these crazy sponsor vehicles would drive by and throw souvenirs to the crowd. The boys got hats, key chains, candy, laundry soap, and a bunch of other stuff. It was pretty cool. Then the first rider came followed by a couple more, followed by the peleton. It was a great spot to watch from as they came over the col and started their downhill. Each rider was given some food and drink as they went over the top, and we got a great chance to see them make adjustments and start speeding up for the downhill.  After it was over the mood was still very festive as everybody headed back to their cars or to the nearest village.

Tomorrow is our last day in Grenoble. Sunday morning we head back to Paris for a couple of days before heading home. Hard to believe it’s almost over….
Thanks again for reading. Bonne nuit, et à demain!!

Fist Day in the Chartreuse

Posted July 15, 2014

Had a great day in Grenoble visiting la Bastille on the French National Holiday. We took les bulles or boules up to the Bastille. They are bubble shaped gondolas that seat up to six people. While at the top we scoped out a few other places in Grenoble we might want to visit this week.

After groceries and a snack we did our first hike right from the chalet up to Fort du St-Eynard, which has since been converted into a restaurant and free museum. The views of Grenoble were amazing! It was only a short hike as we left the chalet at 5:30.

We are back now, cooking dinner and having showers. Looking forward to tomorrow, but no plans yet. Bonne nuit tout le monde!!