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Published: August 10th 2013
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Paris was having a heat wave, and my sons, their families and most of my friends were away for the summer holidays, so I got an urge to “get away” from the French capital for the first week of August. At first, and despite the inevitable crowds, I thought I wanted to go to the ocean –to the area around Royan or La Rochelle--—but I wasn’t able to find anything reasonably-priced at the last moment. So I went on to the site “lastminute.com” looking for ideas. It was there that I found a little studio to rent for a week in the Vercors mountains southwest of Grenoble. The price was right (160 euros, or about $200, for a week), and I knew and liked the Vercors from having gone cross-country skiing there many years back, Since, in addition to the ocean, I also love the mountains in the summertime, I decided it was the perfect place for me.
Getting there was a little more complicated than I expected (I thought there’d be a shuttle bus from the Grenoble train station, but apparently it only runs in the wintertime). Still, it turned out to be quite an enjoyable trip: TGV train
war memorial
to French resistants from Gresse from Paris’s Gare de Lyon to Grenoble, regional train from Grenoble to Monestier de Clermont, then a short taxi ride to Gresse-en-Vercors, where I was staying.
As you’ll see from the photos, the weather in Gresse –except for two half-days of light rain and one day of cloudy skies—was beautiful, the clear blue sky contrasting with the green of the hills and the whitish-grey of the limestone mountain tops. Gresse-en-Vercors is the highest village (1200 meters) in the Vercors range and is located in the Vercors Nature Regional Park. The Grand Veymont, which is the tallest mountain (2341 meters) in the area, towers over this village of 380 inhabitants. The village proper has a church, a town hall cum post office, a small elementary school, a tourist office, two hotels, three restaurants and three miniscule grocery shops. There’s no bank and no pharmacy. In the surrounding hills, there are several apartment complexes and rental cabins, as well as farms that rent out “chambres” or rooms or separate units called “gites ruraux".
Gresse is a middle-class, uni-culture, family-oriented, vacation spot. On the parking lots I noticed cars from all over France, but very few with license plate end-numbers from
the Paris area (75, 78,91,92,93,94 and 95) and only three or four from other countries (Germany, Belgium and Italy). I didn't hear any languages other than French being spoken. In the winter, Gresse is a popular ski resort, with both downhill and cross-country skiing.
I loved the landscapes around Gresse: the cliffs of the Vercors “Hauts Plateaux” up above from where I was staying, and, all around, the pastures, woodlands, forests, streams and the Gresse River.
Hiking is one of my favorite pastimes, and, as it turns out, Gresse has been called a “hiker’s paradise.” The trails in the area are varied and well-marked, and I had no qualms about setting off each morning on my own for a two or three-hour hike. The air was pure, the scenery magnificent, and the wild flowers multicolored and plentiful. My fellow hikers and the mountain bikers I encountered along the trails were very friendly, as were the farmers, the shopkeepers and the people with stands at the open market, which takes place on Monday morning. Being on my own, with no one else to talk to, it was heartwarming to hear
those “bonjours” and see those smiles!
One morning I took a class of "Nordic Walking". It's very much like cross-country skiing and I liked it, but I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to take it up as a sport. I have arthritis (or rather "osteo-arthritis") in my left thumb, which I also broke about 10 years ago, and the strap on the walking stick pulled too much on my thumb. Quel dommage!
In the afternoons, after my lunch in the studio, I’d take a short nap, read or work at my computer, then go swimming in the municipal pool (which was 5 minutes away) or for another hike. Not liking to dine in restaurants on my own in the evening, I cooked for myself and then went for a short “digestive” walk before settling down to read or watch TV in my studio. One night I went to the town cinema to watch three short documentaries on the Vercors region.
During my walks in the village, I saw several monuments commemorating the deaths of 12 local Resistants who were shot by the Germans on the public square of Gresse in June 1944. The monuments reminded
objective of my first walk
the municipal shack on the way up to the Grand Veymont me that during WWII, the Vercors mountain plateaux were a refuge for groups of French Resistants called “Maquisards”, who would meet clandestinely and hide from the Germans in the “maquis” (or scrublands) of the Vercors.
I left Gresse on Saturday afternoon, August 10
th, but not before making a short visit to the Vercors Nature Regional Park’s “Fête du Bleu.” Since 2001, this annual fair has taken place in a different village in the Vercors region. Luckily for me, this year it was in Gresse. It’s called the “Fête du Bleu” because of a special blue cheese made in the region—“Le Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage”. The mascot of this popular event is the blue cow called Bleuette , effigies of whom could be seen everywhere in town.
I spent two hours at the “fête”, which resembles in many ways an American “county fair.” There were animals, activities for the kids, musicians, stands for local associations, vendors of local produce, and an outdoor restaurant where I had an excellent meal: prosciutto, melon, “confit de canard” (duck), potatoes, the famous Vercors blue cheese, a delicious brownie, and a glass of red wine. The festivities took place at the foot of
the ski lifts on a parking lot on the edge of town, and after my meal I took one of the ski lifts up to the top of a ski slope, from where there was a lovely view. I then walked back down to where I was staying to wait for my taxi back to the train station in Monestier de Clermond
All in all, my last-minute, week-long, “get away” to Gresse-en-Vercors turned out to be a very healthy and relaxing holiday. Have a look at the 42 photos I've posted and you’ll see why! (Don't forget to scroll down.)
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Tessa
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Your week in the mountains
Hilary - a splendid week, and so well written up! Sounds lovely and I'm lad you had good weather. Here in Touraine we've had a cloudy week, but we've enjoyed ourselves going to the spa at La Roche Posay. Next week is still free - do come and stay!