Sunday, 10 August 2014

Summer holidays (I)

This year's summer had some more complicated logistics, due to Paula's start of university days and Dorien's late start of school holidays. The only one who could stay in France the whole period was Mary, and even she had to do some remote office work. 
Paula has been working 6 days a week, in restaurant La Romanche (http://www.chaletcarpediem.com/en/restaurant-la-romanche), often till midnight, and has been enjoying her first real work experience a lot. The rest of us spend our time with the usual activities: horse riding, working in the garden, cycling, hiking and reading. This summer has been exceptionally wet and the tourist trade has been slow, but for us it didn't matter. Coline, the French friend from the girls, was in the village for 2 weeks, and also cousins Bart and Max turned up for their share of hard outdoor activity.
Also we got the a stone wall build at the edge of the terrace, something we had been planning for 2 years with local contractor Lionel, and after numerous "prochaine semaine" he finally did the job, which Mary completed with a wooden fence. Now we (and the neighbours) have our privacy back again.

 Mary and Paula at the Venosc church

Dorien riding Beau with his neck ring

 Dorien arriving on Col de Cluy

 Cabane du Pre de la Vache, a shelter high in the mountains

Dorien and Mary on a hike near Col d'Ornon

Paula, Max, Bart, Coline and Dorien at the top of the Via Ferrate des Perrons, near Les Deux Alpes

Cycling up Col de la Croix de Fer: Max, Mary, Piet, Bart and Dorien 

Paula is taking orders from her cousins and Dorien, at restaurant La Romanche

The podium on top of Alpe d'Huez: Bart beat Piet again 

Max also finished, and improved his time significantly

Paula riding Beau in a field in our village

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