The Alps continue to amaze me

It is fun to live in Lyon but it is also great to get out of Lyon. On the weekends we like to get out of the city and head to Val’s fathers. It is always a pleasure to be in the mountains winter or summer and the Alps definitely hold true to their reputation of one of the world’s most beautiful mountain ranges. In the summer Val’s father likes to go up into the mountains to eat and hike and each time we visit a different place. Now, we have been here for 4 years and we have experienced many different restaurants, trails, waterfalls, valleys, cows, sheep, lambs, chickens, etc. You would have thought by now that we would have exhausted the list but this weekend definitely didn’t disappoint us.

On Saturday Val and I were on our own so we took Mathieu to an ecological lake in Combloux. Combloux is a ski town just below one of the more famous ski towns in the French Alps called Megeve. They have created a mountain lake for swimming with clear, pure water that requires no chemicals to clean it. Aquatic plants, a fountain, a waterfall with a running stream all guarantee an irreproachable water quality. But the coolest thing about this lake is the view. You look up and the Mt Blanc is towering above. On a side note, I had the best tiramisu I have ever eaten in my life there. It was not a traditional tiramisu but a tiramisu made with rum and pineapple. EXCELLENT!!

Following our swimming adventure we headed over to Megeve. Megeve is similar to Chamonix. It is a charming little ski town that is as alive in summer as in winter. When we arrived there was a welcoming reception. A band was playing and they gave us a glass of champagne. It wasn’t really a welcoming committee we just stumbled across it and everything was free so we decided to take part. Then we took a walk through the village stopped for a beer and did some people watching until Mathieu told us it was time to head home. This town is well worth visiting any time of year.

Sunday Val’s father, once again, amazed us. We went for a picnic in the mountains at the Cirque du fer à cheval (basically a cul de sac in the mountains). You walk the trail at the base of the mountains and at one point you can see about 7 different waterfalls that drop more than 100 feet. All the waterfalls flow into a river at the bottom that snakes down through the valley. Just when you think you have seen it all in the Alps you stumble across another hidden gem.