Family arrive at Geneva airport. Flight was early - the airport online arrival information update changed suddenly! Not a good start - time I'd arrived at the airport the plane had landed. Fortunately time passport control had been cleared & baggage had been re-claimed, I was in place in front of the arrivals exit. First night spent in my 3 room "cave" in the Pay de Gex - Jen, Ryan & Jack on v. comfortable airbeds!
Holiday starts properly - a 5½ hours or 4½ hours depending on whether I believe the Michelin route plan or the AA route plan. Is it going to be cross country or motorway all the way? Yes you've guessed it the time difference between the two routes depends on if you believe Michelin or the AA - though both agree it's slightly quicker. Cross country it is - 1 mile away from the house, it's a U-turn. I've forgotten all my important documents: ID card; passport; car insurance; car registration; ... 6 hours later we finally in the Cère valley at a small village of Thiézac in the Cantal department of the Auvergne. The kids had the fun game of accumulating the body count at the accident black spots as we passed the cut out corpses that seem to be popping up at the side of French roads. The gîte is spot on & in a grounds of a château -I guess I wasn't as a stingy this year when booking online. Either that it was on a Saturday night in January after a glass of wine too many.
Day 1 for walks and we're off! I promised that I wouldn't start off with the highest peak in the Cantal on the 1st walk this year. So true to my promise it was off to the rolling countryside south of the valley we were staying in for a gentle stroll. Well that was what they thought! I'll get my own back on them laughing when I had to turn around for those documents. Starting off from the church in Pailherols to return a mere 14½ miles later with a total ascent of 950 metres. That ascent comes from visiting the next valley and the next one in that rolling countryside. Ha Ha! They weren't laughing so loudly now. Mind you my blister on that little toe wasn't laughing either.
The return was two weeks ago now and it seems like an age. In fac it seemed like an age after 1 day. The relaxation of the holiday immediately turns into stress when you get back to 500 email & thats after the SPAM filter!
Lots of spelling/grammar mistakes hehe!
It was a nice holiday but it feels like ages ago now- especially with all the A-level work I'm getting!
jenx
Posted by: Jenny Brook | September 07, 2005 at 09:38 AM