Works of Puvis de Chauvannrd
A true fixture of Lyon!
The Upper Facade
all the way to the top for fantastic views!The best part of this trip was...
The best part of this trip was easily the weekend spent in the Alps in the small village of Alpe de Grand Serre. Round about 4.30pm, we had to stow our luggage into the Peugeot station wagon, snag Florian from the babysitter's flat, and get Isabelle as she knocked off from work. As the sun was fixing to set, the town's decorations were at their full effect. Those in this particular part of town were all sorts of shapes. I call it "Nightmare on the Eve of a Geometry Test". Believe it or not, despite the fact that it was 8 December and so cold the California raisins were volunteering for rum cake duty, there was lightning off in the distance. It was COMING UP A CLOUD (a thunderstorm was taking place) somewhere within a few miles of there. Most of the ride up was uneventful, however, when Luc made that hard right turn, the road got narrower and narrower, higher and higher, with more curves than a "Playboy" centrefold. Once we attained a certain climb, my ears popped again as if we were in the cabin of an airplane. The chalet in Alpe de Grande Serre is at 4600 ft. (1400 m.) above sea level with surrounding snow capped mountains as high as 7200 ft. (2200 m.).
Just like those Friday night trips of yore to Grandma's house, Luc's mama (Marie-France) had supper waiting for us as Grandma used to. Luc's folks were still about the same only his daddy, Marcel, retired from being a principal in the French school system. His mama still cooks meals that are the best I've ever had in a foreign country. The following day was rather uneventful. After lunch, we took a walk through the little town and along the stream. It was cold and I felt about as much like leaving the warm comfort of the chalet as hopping to the moon on a pogo stick. There we all were- Mr. and Mrs. Marcellin, Luc and Isabelle, Florian and me- pram and all. The town of Alpe de Grand Serre has about as many year-round inhabitants as Virgilina, Virginia (that small town on the Virginia-North Carolina border) where my grandmother lives. However, they do a brisk ski business in the winter months. On that walk, we also visited the Hotel Nivose, where Luc and Isabelle's wedding reception took place and where all the out-of-town guests stayed. I was so glad when we started back for the chalet because I was fixing to get numb.
The following day, I got up only to notice as the sun started to rise a dusting of snow that had fallen on the valley the previous night. With any luck, it would snow some more, and we would be stranded in the warmth of their mountain chalet where we would have heat from the non-electric heater (even if we lost power), and Luc's mama would still be able to cook the dishes she knows best. Heavy snowstorms this time of year were not unheard of at this time of year as there was 3 ft. (1 m.) of snow a few weeks before then. I wouldn't have minded that as long as I could leave on Thursday as planned.
With the preacher and a nun coming over for lunch, Luc's mama outdid herself again. In France, you had to sit through all the courses and all the conversation- at least until the host or hostess adjourns from the table. That was fine and dandy until they ran out of food, but I was ready to get up once dessert was over. I bet we were at the table more than 2 hours.
