Tuesday 27th May 2014
L'Alpage was lovely with a comfy bed and nice decor involving a lot of wood. There were a few other people but as the Restaurant was closed except for us residents we only saw three other guests.
A superb Savoyard Fondue with salad and nuts was served as our meal. The owner was chatty and we learnt that you keep the heat on but constantly stir and fold it. The bread served should be two days old in preference so as to soak the juice without falling apart before coating in the cheese from deeper. The house white wine was excellent and we followed with a shared Raspberry sorbet with stunning flavour.
We loved the meal and the atmosphere but definitely OD'd on cheese which may have been the reason that I developed a very dodgy stomach during the night causing us to lose a lot of sleep and leaving me to be feeling delicate for much of the following day. (note: there was nothing wrong with the food or service, it was just my reaction to so much melted cheese and wine.)
We were jumped awake by the sound of bells outside and looked out of the window to see a herd of sheep with bells around their necks being shepherded along the street outside. Breakfast was good, though a little tentative for me as above.
The weather was very disappointing. When we first opened or curtains we couldn't see anything through thick mist and for the entire morning we drove in rain and mist with only rare and very limited views from the roads and none of mountain tops.
Today we already knew that we could not follow the Rte. des Granges Alpes as the Col de l'Iseran (Val d'Isere) is still closed and will remain so to around 6th June. The alternative plan was to follow the Route over Col d'Arivis and Col du Saizes then cross the Cormet de Roseland as far as Bourg St Maurice where we left the Route to start a 67 mile diversion via Moutiers then back North West before a big circle to the Maurenne valley to Modane.
Approaching Modane we joined the Route going the wrong way passing the sign confirming that Col du Galibier was FERME meaning another departure from the Route tomorrow.
We have noticed as we go through the towns that this is dead season with hardly anywhere open. We had contacted our hosts for tonight and they had confirmed that no where was open in Bessans and we should drive down to Lanselburg where restaurants would be open. Wrong! Several would have been open later in the week but Wednesday or Thursday to Sunday seemed to be the order of the day. Only one establishment was open and we didn't fancy a formal meal. We had bread, ham, cheese etc with us so decided on a picnic evening meal.
We found our B&B Chez Mamie Anna easily and Fabrice showed us to our lovely spacious room. There was a delightful lounge and kitchen area available with a fire and free tea and coffee as well as fridge, freezer and a good selection of cookware.
The cloud had finally broken and some snowy tops were now visible over the wide green valleys. We decided to go straight out again and drove up the road passing the Route Barree a 13km for around 10km. It was beautiful and we spotted several marmots scurrying around on the hillside.
We returned to our lodgings and settled in out comfortable room for our meal and then, French TV gabbling in the background to hit the Internet.
STATS
Depart: Le Chinaillon, Grand St. Bornand 09:45
Arrive: Bessans 18:50 (After passing and heading 10km up Southern closed Col d'Iserran and returning)
Distance driven: 207 miles (Note: Diversion from Rte des Gnd Alpes due to Col d'Iseran Closure)
No comments:
Post a Comment