Mountains and roads

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A long time since our last blog but a lot has happened and we have travelled quite some way. The tour of the battlefields in Ypres was excellent and moving at the same time. There were just three of with guide and we visited a number of sites including Tynecot cemetry and Polygon Wood which is where my grandfather fought and was wounded. At Sanctuary Wood some of the trenches have been left in tact which was fascinating and sobering.

Since then we have travelled through France and in particular visited historic towns of Laon and Bar Le Duc: These were both fortified towns with stone walls and large cathedrals on top of ridges. We have stayed at a couple of incredible chateaux, including one where had a eight course meal over three and a half hours.

We spent three days in Aix Les Bains on the edge of Lac du Bourget, surrounded by mountains and amazingness. We had a cruise on the lake to the beautiful little town of Chanaz, along a canal and visited a gorge and the mountain peaks including a wonderful view of Mt Blanc.

Since then we have travelled into Italy to Susa. The crossing of the border between France and Italy was through a 13 km long tunnel. Susa was a beautiful little city in the valley with ruins dating back to 13 to 8 BC. We are now back in France on an incredible road. We crossed Col d'Iseran at a height of 2770 metres, 200 metres higher than twice the height of Mt Wellington. Heading north back into Italy and to Aosta tonight.

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