Weekend in the French Alps

Chambre d'Hôte

Ascension day was Thursday. Everything was closed. Many people including Jed & Helga took Friday off to make it along weekend. We rented a car and our two vehicles caravaned the family to the French Alps. We had reserved rooms in a lovely Chambre d'Hote in a village called Villard de Touage.

Our host, Fabienne, was from Lyon. She gave up city life to join her man friend in this tiny village, buying a very old stone building and taking a year to renovate. She told me there are 10 full time families in the village and in summer there are 14. This makes TSRS and Gualala seem like a metropolis. 

She did a beautiful job with the building. Without altering the outer walls she added modern bathrooms and heating in each room while maintaining traditional French touches everywhere. 
As in all old farmhouses the walls are at least a foot thick, the better not to hear your grandsons early in the morning. The old beams were scrubbed and whitewashed. The new beams and wooden doors were also whitewashed and everything blends in for a perfect combination of modern convenience and traditional French flavor.




The beds were very comfortable. Our duvet cover was in the lovliest shade of pink which I am told is called vieux rose (old rose). A sumptious breakfast was offered each morning and  included  the lightest, flakiest croissants, homemade yougert and homemade confitures, several other breads, fresh ham, juice, fruit and homemade teas. Coffee and tea is served in a large bowl, the French tradition, which makes it easier to dunk your bread. I goofed the first day and used that bowl for cereal and yougert. I am learning to improve my French manners.  Zoe tried to get the recipe for fabienne's homemade tea but other than learning there are seven herbs and spices in it, the recipe is a secret formula. 


Across our driveway was a barn with sheep. Each day an older man moves the sheep to pasture in the morning and returns them in the evening  with the help of three old dogs. The sheep have bells like cows and it is a special sound by which to be awakened. This morning I heard the bells and clamor of the sheep and jumped outof bed to get a photo. I saw the shepherd lady bottle feeding the babies.



The weather was supposed to be rainy all weekend but we hiked the first day anyway. We encountered only one brief shower and took cover under a tree while we munched on bread, cheese, and salami for lunch. One lesson I have not learned in the past 40 years is that if Jed is the hike leader it will be a substantial hike. It was at least five hours of hiking and Tern made it the entire way.  He was my inspiration to keep going. At 4 years old he is an amazing hiker. 





The partial cloud cover kept the air comfortably cool. We hiked up and down, through forests and along meadows where we saw more happy cows and heard their bells. We came to a long, narrow, suspension foot bridge spanning an enormous canyon. It is the kind of bridge that in a third world country would be made of bamboo and you would be shaking wildly from side to side. This bridge was made of aluminum and seemed anchored and tethered very sturdily to the canyon walls. It was fun to walk across and dizzying to look down to the river below.




We started on Saturday at the local farmer's market. Great strawberries, a magnificent olive vender, several cheese venders, and lots of wonderful veggies. In the afternoon Steve and I returned to our maison and the youngsters went on a Via Ferrata. This is a high mt route equipped with fixed mt aides, metal rungs and steel cables, anchored in the rocks. I am told that this was an easy, practice route. Jed, Helga and Zoe took turns with childcare and rock climbing. I was glad for the peace and quiet at home and that I did not see what they were doing. We enjoyed another of Fabienne's delicious dinners that evening.

      We took our time returning home on Sunday. We made one last stop in a French village for lunch, cold meats and warm chevre avec boules of glace for dessert.