Saturday, May 1, 2021

France: Bourg D'Oisans Plan D'Eau and Col D'Ornon

Bourg D’Oisans was bathed in sunshine this morning. It took awhile to get the sleepy family up and about. Once we did, it was time to explore this beautiful mountain range. The view out of my bedroom window was calling. After a brief chat with Melanie, our illustrious land lady, we opted to go up the Col D'Ornon. Everywhere we went, there were Tour de France signs and as we twisted and turned our way up the Col, it was with a lot of sympathy for those cyclists. And yet, there were masses of cyclists on the road that were cycling this immense mountain… for fun?!

The car drove on looking for a family friendly destination. The villages were gorgeous but we didn’t stop the car until we reached Plan D’Eau. This lovely wee lake had monstrously large fish but was very swimmable. The water was warm and surrounded by a grassy shoreline. The clarity of being in the mountains with wonderful views was priceless. There was a restaurant and paddle boards, but we opted to swim and then wander around the lake for exercise. After the rain tried twice, we drove back.

On the way, we stopped at the top of the Col D’Ornon. Here there is a bar and restaurant that was perfect for ice creams and café au lait. From here, we walked the road to the waterfall and then headed up what turned out to be a ski slope. The alpine meadow was full of flowers and some moth/butterfly creatures that we had never seen before. The scent in the air from the wildflowers was heavenly and the bees we saw made us wonder where the honey patch was.

Around supper time, we went back into Bourg D’Oisans for a wee wander. I had forgotten my jacket back at home, so I needed some sort of fleecy. While shopping, we had an education in sudden mountain storms as a torrential downpour complete with thunder and lightening tore through the village. Shopfronts were soaked and lots of rapid French was heard, sounding rather miffed. We finished with the tourism office and made plans for tomorrow. Stay tuned. 


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