Bonjour from the Alps.
It was very sad leaving our 17th century town house with its slanting walls and uneven stairs, but all good things must come to an end and another chapter needed to be opened on our french adventure. We estimated the drive to be about 3.5 hours (well Michelin maps did), however we decided to go the scenic way on the Napoleon Route, so we took longer than that. It was a lovely drive with the view of the Alps getting closer and closer as we drove along. As we left Gap (the gateway to the Alps in a sense) and we climbed high into mountains I turned to Neil who had a huge smile on his face. He was back in his beloved playground and I'm sure he was thinking about the upcoming rides. As we were driving down one of the valleys with soaring peaks all around us he said to the kids "look at the great mountains" and in unison from the back seat we heard a "wow". Neil's grin grew even bigger.
We had been to Bourg d'Oisan in 2004 when Neil and I followed the Tour de France so we knew the general layout and what the town has to offer. It is your typical alpine village, catering for hikers, cyclists and adventurists in the summer and skiers in the winter. Our house is a block from the main street and backs onto a crystal clear river with ducks floating downstream (and every now and then a tourist in a canoe as well) and large fish swimming upstream. From the outside the house looks like a dolls house with a large backyard for the kids to run around. It is quite different to our last accommodation but equally as comfortable. Neil has a very busy riding schedule so this fortnight will be quite different to our lazing around Provence. Tomorrow Neil gets straight into the riding and climbs the legendary Alpe d'Huez while I make shopping lists and sort the washing ready for visiting the laundrette.
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