We were packed and ready to go by 9 AM. Ron checked his blazer pockets, and the passports weren't in their usual place. He thought they were probably in his roll-on bag, but it was the very bottom one packed in the trunk, and he didn't want to unload the whole car. He asked me to look around the apartment just to be sure. Luckily, I looked in his bedside drawer! The owner of the apartment had requested them when we arrived, and they didn't get placed back in their usual spot! That could have been a huge drama if we had assumed they were in the bag! Val quickly checked their nightstands just to be safe.
A side note - the owner inherited the home. His wife explained to me that it was too big and too expensive to maintain, so they renovated to create two or three rental apartments in addition to their own large apartment. We all commented amongst ourselves that they should have "renovated" the impossible driveway while they were at it.
I had wanted to drive out through Lugano, but the GPS took us down the lake - all of those horrible roads once again. This time bicycles were out in mass, so it was even more harrowing. Also, lots more traffic, but at least it was moving a bit slower. Val couldn't believe the motorcycles and even cars coming toward us, passing and coming right into our lane. We can't understand how people deal with these traffic conditions on a daily basis. We drove through Laglio, where George Clooney has his villa. I am sure he has limos and helicopters to make life easier for him.
Dropped Tom and Val at the Sheraton Malpensa (Milan's main airport) around 10:45 AM. The hotel looked gorgeous, and so convenient for them to go into Milan on the train, and walk to their airplane the next morning.
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| At Sheraton Milan Malpensa (We're not the only ones we a lot of luggage!) |
The time with Tom and Val went so quickly. We saw a lot of beautiful sights, but even more important, shared a lot of laughter. Definitely a great time to remember!
After passing the Frejus Tunnel (8 miles long - connecting Italy and France under the Cottian Alps) and about $47 toll, Ron wanted to find a place to eat, as it was approaching the "witching hour" of 2 PM when most French restaurants close for lunch. We headed into St. Michele de Maurienne, asking our GPS for restaurants. It sent us up a hill, and there was no restaurant in sight. We ended up at Espace Alu, the only aluminum museum in the world. The entire area is still an important aluminum producing region.
The lady at the museum desk attempted to direct us to a restaurant, but her English was limited, and our French is hopeless.
We continued on a short distance to St. Jean de Maurienne with a restaurant (Le Gavrouche) programmed into the GPS. It was already closed for lunch. The only other one we saw did not look that nice. Ron said that the hotel it was located in catered to mountain bikers, and the guys sitting around in singlets looked a bit unsavory. This town has an aluminum factory that has been operating for well over 100-years.
Ron had wanted a short day driving, and we originally thought about staying in St. Jean, but he said he did not like the feel of the town and wanted to push on. We ended up in Grenoble in the Rhone-Alps, which is a major center of research and technology. It hosted the winter Olympics in 1968. The metropolitan area has a population over 600,000 people. We had reserved at Le Grand Hotel - another driving challenge for Ron through the narrow one-way streets and pedestrian zones. Had to park on a street nearby, leave me to "guard" the car, go to the hotel and obtain a code to lower the barriers blocking entrance to approach the hotel.
The bellman took the car to park, and provided us with a LARGE bucket of ice - a nice change from the small cups or pitchers we had experienced. The hotel was pleasant with a glass elevator, and we had a large room (described as a junior suite) with a comfy king-size bed and a small balcony. Very modern and clean. Once again, it was the last room on the hallway - quite a trek!
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| Balconies along our hotel looking out at street |
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| Walking to restaurant |
The hotel had made us a dinner reservation for a fine-dining restaurant. I wasn't really in the mood for a fancy meal, and had been wanting a Savoyard meal (meaning basically cheese fondue or raclette), so we ended up walking several blocks to La Ferme a Dede. We sat outside on rather uncomfortable benches. We were on a small square, and the restaurant next door was packed with people having a good time. Ron says my restaurant choices are usually spot-on, but he was very unhappy with this place. I asked what he didn't like, and he said "Everything!" The potatoes that came with the raclette were large instead of small "new potatoes", and there were no small onions and cornichons. The cheese wasn't melting, and no one came to instruct us as to how to adjust the grilling element.
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| At La Ferme a Dede |
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| Not the kind of raclette machine we are used to |
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| Salad and charcuterie accompanied the cheese (unusual) |
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| La Hazard, busy restaurant next door |
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| Busy pedestrian streets - a mixed demographic |
We walked back through the busy pedestrian streets. Our king-size bed was super comfy with lots of fluffy pillows. The shower was walk-in, rimless with both rain head and hand-held.
Sadly, Grenoble seems to have many homeless. Outside our window were two young women with their dogs "camped out" on the sidewalk. A black fellow was speaking to them very calmly, but one of the girls was acting up, shouting and throwing rubbish everywhere. We wished we could understand the conversation. Ron was of the opinion the guy might be a volunteer trying to help them go to a shelter, and I (being cynical) wondered if he was a pimp.
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| Homeless girls on the sidewalk for the night |
Grateful to have such a comfortable room and bed, we slept well after the long day on the road.
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