French connections

I haven't spent any time thinking about how to best make use of that cute little title I just thought up, c'est dommage. This is just a quick little update on where we've been over the past week...

We started by heading back to the Alps - how I miss the mountains again already. We saw some waterfalls and snowy peaks, then spent an afternoon doing via ferrata near Val d'Isere. John had a blast and I had a bit of fun on the easier stuff. But it's dang cold up in them thar hills, so we came back down and drove to Grenoble for a brief visit.

There we finally got to see Nico (Marion's husband, who we didn't get to see before the race) and their son Leo again (adorable child!). We also made a surprise visit at the farm of Marc Sinibaldi, our orienteering club leader, and it was great to chat with him and his wife again. We also spent some time watching parapentes since it was the weekend of the Coupe Icare festival.

Next we drove up to Dijon, which we had heard about but never visited. It is an adorable town with a lot packed into a small area. We were there during the "Weekend de Patrimonie" so many things were free to get into. We spent time in the fine arts museum, climbed the tour to see over the city, and browsed the mustard store.

We're currently spending our last couple European days (at least for 2008) in Strasbourg. This city sounds French but looks German, an interesting combination. There are lots of interesting churches, buildings, and museums here, including the Tomi Ungerer illustration museum where we spent a couple hours this afternoon. The Cathedral and its astronomical clock are also quite amazing.

I've got photos but no camera cable with me right now, so that will have to happen later.

On Wednesday we'll head back to Geneva and stay the night before flying home on Thursday. It has been a pleasant, relaxing week and I have slept enough for the next two months...

A bientot!