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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3072 |
21st December 2014 Hiking - Walking: Evian,France Wind Direction: Wind Stength: Surf / Sea State: Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: sunny Max Speed: Distance Covered: Sunday 21st December – walk Evian ***** Sunny Absolutely gloriously sunny day:) Mag did her exercises on the promenade looking out over Lac Leman which was really calm and flat this morning. Lots of grebes and the odd yacht going out of the marina:) After breakfast headed off towards Evian but stopped at the Inter Sport on the outskirts of the Thonon and bought our racquettes:) We had been looking for ages and these were a real bargain at 99 euros (reduced from 130) that makes them just over £80 a pair:) Just need some snow now! Rob texted to say that only one run open in Les Gets (which means that the learners in their party can do their lessons) and that there is snow at Avoriaz but they are not letting people in! Who wants to ski there when it’s that packed on crap snow anyway! They were going for a walk and Elaine too ill to go out! Went on to Evian and it was a really lovely place. Beautiful lake and tasteful buildings, on the whole. The old thermes spa building was beautiful and we think it is now a theatre with a pantomime on at the moment. There is also a huge casino. There is a big driftwood sculpture exhibition on and there are pieces literally everywhere. We don’t know if it is a year round thing or just for Christmas. Some of it is definitely a 3 week xmas village for kids but not sure about the rest. To be honest some of it was absolutely stunning and some was just rubbish and verging on littering! We walked into town along the prom and around the xmas village. Back to the van for lunch, watching the ferry go backwards and forwards to Lausanne in Switzerland on the other bank. After lunch we walked the other way along the prom past the marina and out on a long jetty. Mag collected some small sticks from the beach to make driftwood Christmas trees when she gets home – inspired by the exhibition obviously! Back to van and a drive along to the Swiss border at St. Gingolph. The road goes along the lake the whole way and is very beautiful with the swiss mountains at the very end – only snow on the very tops of them and they are 2500m. We had to take a sharp left at the border otherwise we would have been over and having to pay the road tax!! Had a cuppa parked beside the lake before returning to Evian to see the Christmas village in full swing and take photos of the casino all lit up. Parked up for the night about half way between our two destinations today at Meillerie. A beautiful little village on the side of the lake and we have a very cheeky parking spot right on the quay. Ate our tea with the door open even though it is getting cold because there were huge fish swimming right near the edge and splashing about in the clear water and we could see them in the light from the streetlamps :) Monday 22nd December – sightseeing stroll - sunny We had a really long lie in in our beautiful spot right on the edge of the lake, you could actually jump from the van door into the water if you wanted to!! Mag did her exercises overlooking the lake and went for a walk to the end of the ancient jetty and then back along the newer waterfront and through the old village – beautiful. When I had got ready we had breakfast and then did the same walk again together. Left there around 12 and after a quick stop at Super U for bread and milk headed back to Thonon and up to Allinges where we had read there were two chateaux really close together with a panoramic view over the lake. They are certainly close together! Two castles where the occupants were sworn enemies and spent all their time firing everything they could lay their hands on at each other, making holes in the walls and then rebuilding them! Crazy but it was a beautiful spot with the said panoramic views and a great walk through the grounds of one chateau, the ruins of the other and the wooded area around them both on the way back. Had lunch here before moving on through the most spectacular chocolate box scenery of the Col de Cou and the Valley Verte. We followed a winding dead end road to Lac du Vallon which was partially covered with thick ice and la Chevrerie a tiny ski resort under the Roc D’Enfer. This would be a brilliant place to ski, lots of potential! We parked up for the night alongside the lake, overlooking the picture postcard gingerbread style chappelle Saint Bruno. What a view! We had a relaxing evening, the first one where we have stayed in the van for a few nights! No Joyeaux fetes to visit tonight and colder as we are in the mountains. |
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