In The Alps at Villard de Lans

We arrived in Geneva an hour early! Unheard of! We had a 180mph tailwind the whole way over. We rented a car and drove toward Villard de Lans. We decided to drive around Lake Annecy. If you watched any of the Tour de France this year, you remember that one of the stages went around the lake.

It was raining all day and very overcast, so the pictures look pretty dreary, but beautiful regardless.

The rain finally stopped after we got past the lake, and the day turned out to be beautiful. We drove around Grenoble and then into the valley that contains Villard de Lans. This beautiful city has been a stop on the Tour de France several times.

We stayed at a beautiful B&B called Le Val Sainte Marie. It sits on way up on a mountain down the road from a ski lodge. I feel sure that it's georgous in the winter with all the snow. Apparently, Villard de Lans is a big Nordic skiing place, because we saw many people practicing on the roads on cross-country skis with skate wheels. They were just chugging up the mountain like it was nothing.

The Grottes Choranches

The next day we drove way up in the mountains to see a beautiful grotto, Les Grottes Choranches. This place is unbelievable! It was completely unknown until some of the locals discovered it by accident in the late 1800's. The grotto was inhabited by dinosaurs and prehistoric men after them. There is a species of blind salimander that inhabits the rivers that run through the grotto.

On to Provence

The next morning we left for Provence. Here's a slideshow of our two days in the alps.

I see if I can get the photos up of our trip into the Calanque and our trip to Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Beaume de Venise.

Until next time, may your wine glass never be empty…