Holidays - Part 2

Thank goodness I have had a holiday before the Olympics - I am exhausted staying up late, watching TV and cheering on all our GB athletes.  What a wonderful Festival of Sport this has been and I have loved every minute of it and today I will be watching the Ladies Golf and cheering on Charley Hull, who is our local hero as she comes from Kettering, just up the road from here. 

Anyway the second, and you may be glad to hear, final instalment of the holidays.  Every Tuesday a local road up to a 'Col' is closed from 10.00am - 12 noon to allow cyclists to ride up without traffic and my son (who had taken his bike on holiday) was delighted that a stage in the 2015 Tour de France was going to be open going up to Alpe d'Huez so off he went and I decided I should go for a Nordic walk.  

The static caravan that was our home.  Steps on right lead up to hot tub!!
 

I set off walking by the Romanche river, slightly different from the sluggish River Nene at home.  Mountains on all sides.  I walked about five miles, loved it and saw very few people.

 

 

Later that day we returned up the 21 hairpin bends to Alpe d'Huez to have a go on the toboggan, though I thought it was more of a 'luge'!  First we had to get to the top on a ski lift, which I have never been on in my life, so that was a bit of an experience and my daughter in law and I watched whilst grandson, age 10, whizzed down -

 

followed by my son and grand-daughter riding together.

Note the ski lift top left

I suddenly realised that I wanted a go so up to the start where I struggled onto the tray (I am not very good at getting down low!) and down I went

mainly putting on the brake but occasionally accelerating until I got to the bottom where my son pulled me up off the floor as there was a queue forming behind me!  I would have had another go but our rides had run out.  Definitely an activity for the 50+ Adventure Club if there was somewhere in the UK where we could do it!!

Anyway after a short refreshment break we walked to the edge of the town and I took this photo

The town we had come from in the bottom of the valley

It was nearly time for me to come home but on my last day we went to Lake Vernay where we hired a canoe and a pedalo.

I was in the pedalo pedalling like mad with my daughter in law and grand-daughter, whilst son and grandson went out in the canoe -

The waterfall under the road bridge

 

Looking at the mountains from the middle of the lake

Then the family all piled into a pedalo and had fun while I stood on the bank and took photos of them.

The wind had got up and it was quite choppy!

Finally, my last photo taken on the last day, showing snow still on the mountain.

A wonderful holiday.

Now I must get on with some crafty stuff including crocheting a string bag and making my Mini Mania for August, that hasn't been started yet!!