Ace jump France - Alpe d' Huez and Journey Home

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{short description of image} Journey from the Pyrenees to the Alps.
French Alps
Meandering through Beaujolais and Burgundy
Paris and home

Journey from the Pyrenees to the Alps
With the snow fading fast in the Pyrenees by the end of March, we decided to cut a leisurely dash across Southern France to the higher Alpine resorts. We took a route close to the coast, across the Cerdagne, a vast costal plain renowned for its horses.
Of course we had to stop in France's southern beaches en route, and our first port of call was Sete, a fishing port on the edge of the Camargue. I had visited Sete before as a student, and was keen to see if the place had changed. The sunsets here were still as good as I remembered, but unfortunately there had been quite a bit of development.

Sete sunsetSunset at Sete.

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The French Alps
Somehow we ended up at Alpe D'Huez. This is not a good resort for snowboarding. It's not just that this was the place where I broke my wrist. Most of the runs are long, narrow and in many places flat - no fun on a board.
Broken bones - I fell badly after a jump from a ramp in the snowboard park and broke my wrist.
Recuperation at the fantastic Auberge La Douce Montagne, a laid back hotel run by a dutch couple. This place is a must.

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Meandering through Beaujolais and Burgundy
Visit to the zoo

{short description of image}Bear essentials

I wasn't going to be doing any of the driving with my smashed up wrist. Katie doesn't 'do' Autoroutes. It was going to be a long slow journey back, so we decided to make the most of it. Some highlights from the trip were:
  • If you ever go to Chatillon sur Chalaronne, you must stay at the fantastic gite run by matronly Solange Salmon - the welcome is delightful, and the breakfast spread si outstanding, with home meade jams to die for. 150 Place du Champ de Foire, Chatillon sur Chalaronne. Tel: 04 74 55 06 86.
  • The Zoo at Romanche was great fun. Mainly because we wre the oinly visitors, and the French have very liberal views about tyou feeding the animals, even selling you peanuts and buns to do the honours.
  • Visit some vineyards in Baujolais. Great to gently wind through 'wine label' scenery, and visit such big names as Pouilly, Chenas and Fleurie - wow.
  • See one of the biggest bums in the world when you stay at the Hotel du Nord in Les Fontaines. Also one of the cheapest hotels in France at 130 Ffrs per night.

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Paris and Home
We stopped to visit our pals in Paris on the way back, Charlotte and Bertrand. Charlotte went to school with Katie, but left the delights of Essex for the bright lights of Paris as a student on her gap year. She never came back, and married French actor Bertrand. Charlotte seems to become more Parisian every time we visit, pursing her lips and pouting at every opportunity. The buzz in Paris at the moment is the forthcoming COupe du Monde - world cup football. Bertrand has decided to give up acting and is seeking a job as a hostess with Charlotte's modelling agency, because they get into the World Cup matches for free!

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Adrian & Katie's World Tour News - Across France                              Last Updated: 3 May 1999
Web Page by Adrian Ball  (adrian.ball@virgin.net)