September 18 – 26, 2013
Summer was winding in Grenoble but we had time to squeeze in one more family visit. My Dad and Cheryl made their way over from Ontario to enjoy the French hospitality.
My Dad and Cheryl arrived just in time to witness the famous Coupe de Icare which is the biggest paragliding festival in France. Thousands of people come out and there are tons of costumed and themed jumpers. It's at the Funiculaire de Saint-Hilaire du Touvet just outside of Grenoble.
There seemed to be a chaotic and dangerously large group of paragliders continuously coming off of the high cliff. Unfortuntately the massive crowds and line for the funiculaire kept us from going to the top. We enjoyed the view from the comfort and safety of the base of the mountain instead.
Here’s an official video promoting the festival to give you an idea of what’s goes on. If you’ve never seen a giant zebra fish fly off a mountain, then definitely check out the video!
The area around Grenoble is full of beautiful places to visit - we decided to take a walk and enjoy some of the nearby lakes
We stumbled across a waterski camp and watched some of the locals put on a show as we skipped rocks form the shoreline
Taking walks through the countryside became a common theme. On this hike we managed to wander through a farmer's field but the friendly cows didn't seem to mind. Here is my Dad and Cheryl taking it all in.
After a hike we enjoyed a round of much deserved café crème allongé!
I was returning home to Canada early for work, so it was an excuse to get some fine new European clothing. Among other work clothes we ended up with fresh new pajamas for everyone (compliments of My Dad and Cheryl). Perfect clothing for one more relaxed morning of sipping coffees and enjoying the view!
It’s always great to have family come and visit and to be able to share some of the experience of being The Alps! We said our goodbyes after a great visit filled with plenty of cheese, hiking and conversations around fresh cups of coffee . Their journey continued to other parts of Europe while enjoying the last days of summer. For Lauren and I our trip was starting to get close to an end as well.
Check out the rest of the photos here!