We planned to visit Paula and Jasper in Lausanne, and used that opportunity for a short holiday halfway, at Lac d'Annecy, where we stayed in a cabin on a large campsite. Annecy is one of the major tourism hotspots in France (we found out), with an excellent cycling infrastructure along a converted railway track. As it was very hot we did a combination of short hikes and bike rides, relaxing, and swimming in the lake. In Lausanne we caught up with Paula and Jasper, and started with the usual walk through the vineyards, and along Lake Geneva. We even dipped into the lake (much colder than Annecy!). The following day we did a beautiful hike from Col de Jaman, with great views over the lake, and had a nice dinner at the waterfront. Our visit was topped off with a gentle bike ride in the Lausanne hinterland. They are lucky to live (and work) in such a beautiful spot!
The last week was dominated by Alpe d'HuZes, the largest charity event in The Netherlands. The idea is to cycle, run or walk up from Bourg d'Oisans to Alpe d'Huez as many times as possible in a day, and thereby attract sponsorship to fund cancer research. It is an impressive and emotional event, fully organised by Dutch people, with 5.000 participants, and some 15.000 supporters and volunteers. The start is at 04:30, when it is still dark, and soon thereafter the mountain is lit up by a continuous stream of white and red bike lights. This year Piet joined the local Team Oisans again, and managed to ride up 4 times. Mary joined her friend Sharon and rode up once. In the afternoon it started raining heavily and we had to call it quits (it was enough for both of us already). It is very satisfying to see the enthusiasm of participants and supporters, and the generosity of many, many sponsors. A memorable day!
The last few days were spend recovering, doing some last work in the garden, and cleaning the house before driving back to The Hague. We'll be back soon!
