Arrival in France
Tuesday June 5th-A highlight of our time here
Agnes lead us on a 7 hour walk across the Vercors Plains, surrounded by the mountains, the ground carpeted with a variety of colourful spring flowers. Agnes has walked this aea from childhood and was therefore an excellent guide--as well as providing our lunch! We also saw Marmots scuttling about around the rocks. It was perfect weather for the walk --varying from a few degrees above freezing, to maybe 18Deg C. We also the residues of winter snow. I will try to add pics but the signal right now is at minimum. Note the baguette!
Monday we visited several historic--and tragic--sites in the region. A huge cave where the locals hid a makeshift hospital from the German invaders--but they found it and shot everyone in it--nurses, doctors, patients. A town square where the Germans summarily executed 16 men --a museum which recorded in excruciating detail what the German army did to smash as many homes as possible and kill anyone they found---whatever age. These people will never forget this era of devastation, or who did it.
Monday night we invited Agnes, Nino and the owners of our chalet--Geoff and Henny, to a meal in a nearby hotel.
Today, Sunday, we walked from our cabanon across a river to La Chapelle. We were surprised to find that a major cross-country event ran along the same track, so we were treated to a stream of joggers overtaking us!
At La Chapelle we collected Agnes' car and in the afternoon drove to Vessieux, where there is a museum dedicated to the terrible losses inflicted on the population at the end of WWII by the German army. They ruthlessly destroyed as many people and as much property as they could, as theis area was a centre of the French resistance movement. German is still not taught in the schools here.
I include here some of Mary's pics as well.
This on below, shows Justin --Agnes nephew and Nino, playing with a Greenhills Ball--great marketing, MacKays
Mary outside our 'cabanon'
At last--a proper internet connection! We started the journey on City rail to the airport.
The flight to Abu Dhabi was very very long, but uneventful and we would not rave about Etihad cabin service, or the Airbus 340.
The airport at Abu Dhabi is very modern and wreaks of advertising for lives of obscene luxury. I include a pic of the central mosaic pillar.
In spight of our concerns, Geneva was bathed in warm sunlight and Agnes with a friend-Eric was there to greet us. They had really devoted the whole day to this, as La Chapelle is over two hours drive away. On the way back, we collected Nino from his Playschool--which was situated in a delightful old building next to the Mairie and the children all looked just like Australians--except they spoke in French! Nino was overwhelmed to see us and threw himself at me-- I was very touched.
We were taken to a delightful converted 'cabanon' owned by an American/Canadian couple who allow friends to use it. Pics below. We ate that night with Agnes and Nino in the place they are staying (after frozen pipes made their own house uninhabitable).
The cabanon is right in the countryside and the fields are green and there are all the spring flowers on the raodsides. After a night's sleep in a proper bed, then shopping in the village and coffee with Agnes' sister and family, we were ready for a tour of Vercors with Agnes and Nino, including a short walk to oversee two valleys. The scenery is truly spectacular here.
