#Chapter 6

I'm a couple of weeks behind,

again!!

Briancon was a quick stop - 

just a couple of days to stock up on

spare bike parts,

and enjoy my most favourite campsite again.

Breakfast under the trees,

fresh baguette and coffee :)
I did of course squeeze in a walk -
this time exploring the old forts.
I cant help but imagine what it must have been like
when these forts were built,
the battles that were won and lost.
The sheer size of them is staggering,
how many men and hours must it have taken to
build them!

...poppies growing wild in the stones

outside the fort...

We had a two week break from races so

decided to head north to Les Gets

and spend a whole week in one place!

Les Gets is another small alpine village with, 

of course,

a bike park

 (fully serviced by a ton of chairlifts).

It also has miles and miles

of walking tracks.

No matter where we go,

especially in the mountainous regions,

there are more tracks 

than you could possibly ever hope to walk

in three lifetimes!

It is a hiker's paradise.

We stayed at the most gorgeous little camping ground,

high up the hills above the village.

Jake had stayed there last year

and wanted to return,

and I'm very glad for that

cos it was sooooo lovely.

Every morning the local baker

drove up the hill delivering

fresh baguettes and croissants.

I confess,

I really really like

starting the day in this fashion :)

I also quite liked looking out on Mont Blanc
whilst having breakfast.
Unbelievable view from the camping ground!

So while Jake spent the next six days

riding the parks,

I spent some of them walking,

and a couple of them sitting in the shade

stitching.

The hot summer continues,

and some days it's really too hot to do much at all

in the afternoon.

Perfect time to sit and stitch

 a few more memories in my journal.

My walks took me high up the hills,

covered in wildflowers of every description,

and the views...

One of the highlights of my trip so far

would have to be the day I set out

for the Aulps Abbeye.

The Abbeye was built in the 12th century!

Still trying to get my head around that date :)

The best surprise of all was finding

the most beautiful herb garden I've ever seen,

tucked away down in the corner of the site.

There was a potager and a herb garden,

side by side,

within stone walls.

 

...took me a while to leave the garden,
it looked and smelled so good :)

On our last day in Les Gets
 we decided to take a chair-lift

to the French/Swiss border.

I discovered something new about myself...
I am a complete and utter sook

when it comes to dangling in a chairlift

flipping metres and metres off the ground!!!

The only good thing about the ride up

was the knowledge that my "discomfort"

was providing someone

(who shall remain nameless)

with enormous amounts of joy!!

I'll never forget
 the best part of the ride...

 that would be when whoever was in charge

down below

decided to stop the lift for a few minutes,

and luckily for us
 we happened to be smack bang

in the middle of a span.

According to the laws of physics

this apparently seems to mean that the chair 

gets a really good "swing" on

and in fact it almost feels like its on a

bungee cord!!!!

Never been so glad to put feet firmly on ground

as I was stepping off at the other end.

 The views from the top were indeed magnificent

and pictures cannot do it justice.

It was worth every minute on that chair-lift thing

to be able to look out over the mountains

in all their majestic splendour.

So, getting down the mountain was the next step,

and I opted for the walking mode.

It was a long long way down,

but there was no way,

not in a pink fit,

that I was getting on the chair-lift.

Besides,

it was a beautiful day for a walk.
Just didn't quite count on it being 10km down!
Funny thing is,
I distinctly remember Jake telling me
it was only a couple of kilometres...
hmmm...
open to interpretation I guess:)


Thoroughly enjoyed my week in Les Gets,
and maybe we will get a chance to revisit 
before the trip is over.

The next stop was only half an hour away,
in the next valley.
World series race for Jake.
The village of Samoens
stole my heart.
I found the perfect cottage :)

...is this not the cutest most gorgeous 
cottage
that you have ever seen :)
See you in Samoens :)
xx