I can now cross off an
item on my bucket list! Visiting the French Alps! What an experience! As you
can see, the views are magnificent. Because
the Alps have the best skiing in Europe, most people think of the French Alps
as only a skiing destination. That is far from the truth. There are so many other things to do. Although the area is most famous for skiing,
there are many more outdoor activities such as biking, golfing, river rafting, hiking,
mountaineering, paragliding, and motorbiking…just to name a few. And, of course, there are the sightseeing
tours, trams and sky rides. No part of France has more dramatic scenery than
the Alps. Mont Blanc is the highest
mountain in western Europe and Lake Geneva is the largest lake in central
Europe and is known for its exceptional blue color. Another thing this area is known for is it’s
varieties of cheese. Of course, I’ve got
to try a few out while I’m here!
|
I rented a car so I could
travel around at will. I traveled from
Monaco and made my first stop at Grenoble.
Grenoble is the commercial, intellectual, and tourist center of the
Alps. It is considered the ‘Sports
Capital’ and hosted the 1968 Winter Games.
It is a large city and attracts a lot of foreign students. When I learned that the University of
Grenoble has the largest summer session in Europe, I never imagined the student
body would be 50,000!!
What else to start the
first day doing in the French Alps than skiing?! January through March is the
busiest ski season so it wasn’t too busy.
I’m a really bad at skiing but had a great time anyway. How could you not? It’s best at this time of
year to ski in the morning because in the afternoon it becomes slushy. That worked out great for me. I skied for a few hours and then I had the
afternoon left to explore other things.
I really wanted to take in
the sights of the city and thought a great way to do that would be to take a
ride on the Telepherique-Grenoble-Bastille cable cars. The cable cars overlook the Isere River and
the valley below! The cable cars here
look so much different than ones I’ve seen before. These look like little ‘pods’ instead of
cable cars.
As usual, I chose one of
the best hotels in the area. I stayed at
the Park Hotel. It is one of the most
prestigious hotels in Grenoble. The most
important politicians and those in the entertainment industry stay here. The room wasn’t as plush as I thought it would
be. It was pretty simple but the bed was
sure comfortable and that is what is important.
My next stop is
Aix-les-Bains. I’m just passing through
headed to my ultimate destination of Evian.
I stopped at the Musee Faure which is a really interesting museum. It has a lot of modern art collections. I stopped because artists’ work such as
Rodin, Degas, and Cezanne are there.
And, it is located on a hill overlooking the lake and the town.
After the short stop
there, I moved along to Annecy. I
visited the Musee Chateau d’Annecy which is a grey, stone monument that is
known as the Queen’s Tower. This museum
contained regional artifacts that included furniture, religious art, oil
paintings and modern works. One section
is entirely devoted to the geology and marine life of the regions deep, cold
lakes. It was an interesting museum but
my favorite spot to visit in Annecy was the Gorge du Fier. As you can see from the picture, it is just
stunning. There is a gangway that is cut
through rock by torrents of water. While
walking along this gangway, the water is just roaring down below. It was unreal!
After a long day of traveling and sightseeing,
I found a nice hotel and a small restaurant to settle down for the night. Annecy is such a beautiful place with so much
more to see. I wish I could stay here
for a few more days. But, tomorrow I’m headed to Geneva and Evian. Good night!
I am excited to get to
Geneva and view the beautiful lake. I am
REALLY excited to get to Evian and hit the spa!! Evian-les-Bains is a little
spa-town and is one of the leading spa resorts in France. Evian water first became famous in the 18th
century and the first spa buildings were built in 1839. In 1789, during a walk,
the Marquis of Lessert drank water from the Sainte Catherine spring on the land
of a Mr. Cachat. The marquis, who was allegedly suffering from kidney and liver problems, drank
regularly of the water while he walked, and claimed that his health improved.
Encouraged by Lessert's advocacy of the 'miraculous' water, local doctors began
to prescribe it as a health remedy. In response to the growing success of the
water, Mr Cachat fenced off his spring and began selling the water. The first
baths appeared in 1824. The name of the spring was changed from Sainte
Catherine to the Cachat Source. Two years later, the Duke of Savoy gave his permission to start
bottling water from the spring and in 1829 the first Société des Eaux Minérales
(Mineral Water company) was founded. (Wikipedia.org)
I’m going to stay at the
Hotel Royal (pictured below) because, of course, it is one of the best! I’ve also been told there is an amazing
restaurant I should go to for dinner that serves the best omble chevalier (tiny
local whitefish) with whiskey sauce.
My travels of France have
ended and now I get to relax in an extraordinary hotel, eat delicious meals and
enjoy a few days of spa treatments. I get to find out if it is true that behind the hotel is the La Source Chachet,
which is the original source of Evian water. I’ve been told it’s glorified with its own
pagoda-like covering and paving stones, and the source pumps Evian out at an
extraordinary rate. The hotel has
bottles that you can use to fill with water…the locals do it everyday.
