Day 1 - Back-country ski trip from the village of Nevache to the Col du Vallon

Back country skiing Biancon Feb 17 to 22
Thursday Feb 17 Click here for Photo Album
I went to Gare Austerlitz to buy my return ticket to Biancon. I was imediately told that the Eurail Pass seat quota was full and I could not get a seat. As this was a new SNCF system I complained and was sent to the Information Department where I spoke to the Information Manager (the only English speaker). He was very sympathetic and agreed with me when I pointed out that the Eurail "Rule Book" (I was waving infront of him) made no mention of SNCF pass quotas. After 2.5 hours of negotiation with the ticket selling Department he organized a 'gift' of the seat to me as I was an important international customer!!! This would have seriously threatened our trip as Fritz had already booked his seat and the alternative trains times were very inconvenient and this was an excellent outcome.

After Dinner Fritz and I set off for the 10pm train from Gade Austerlitz to Biancon. The compartment was for six and we were supplied with a light weight sleeping bag and water. I found it very difficult to sleep and did not get much sleep at all.

The train was 2.5 hours late arriving at Biancon and this severely compromised out planned tour from Nevache village across the Vol du Vallon to "i Re Mesa" refuse. This tour was to take at least a 5 hour trip. We hurriedly started out at 1150am at Nevache (1620 meters) and skied west up a snow covered road for about 1 kilometer where we took a very steep walking track and climbed up to 1982 meters.

we took about 1 hour. We were feeling the fast pace and the lack of sleep. My pack was heavy with extra clothing and emergency gear. We also had essential avalanche equipment of snow shovel, beacons and probes.

The valley now flattened a little and the track was snow covered so we put on our skies. The scenery was very beautiful now as high limestone peaks

of the Crete de la Charmette began to tower steeply above us. The geological folded patterns in their high yellow cliffs added to their craggy awesome presence.

Ahead the ski trail was making it way to a little stone chapel perched high above us. We could see it had a bell tower and bell. It was called Chapel St Michel. We had a short chat with a French couple who were sheltering in the doorway and we moved on. It was 2pm. The wind was now very strong and cold. The terrain was steep so we put on our full length climbing skins. We chose to follow the top a ridge which led to the Col de Vallon. We were climbing steeply and slowly now but moving continuously. The peaks of Crete des Garioles and Re de la Paria surrounding the Col were like giant sentinels with their sharp pointed crags.

Feeling very tried we arrived at a high point where we could see the route to the Col du Vallon. We estimated that it would take more than an hour to reach this Col. It was now 3:15pm. We had come a little over half the distance and had no idea as to the problems we were to encounter once we crossed the Col du Vallon. The terrain was steep and the navigation had to be precise. At best we may reach the refuge i Re Magi at 7pm - 1 hour in darkness. This was a life and death decision as there was no shelter before the refuge. It was clear we had to turn back. I was concerned that this would also result in a late night but Fitz felt sure we could get back in daylight. We knew all the risks on the return trip and there would be no surprises.

We removes our climbing skins and turned back, this time skiing directly back to the chapel, (checking out an accessable attic in an abandoned refuge as possible emergency shelter on the way) then slide-slipped down the steep slope below the Chapel and on along the Torrent du Vallon river to the walking track. We arrived back at the small town of Nevache at 1730 with 1/2 an hour of daylight remaining.

Asking at a local shop we were directed to the Gire "Le Creux des Souches" where we found dormitory beds for $38 - dinner bed & breakfast. We settled in to a Vin Chaud (hot wine) both of us relieved to be down safely. Dinner was a cheese omellette and garlic potatoes. This was a most enjoyable meal and a little better that we would have had in the attic of the abandoned refuge.

Our revised plan was to start the trip again early tomorrow morning and cross over the Col du Vallon at lunch time. We should then have plenty of time to work through the problems skiing down from the Col du Vallon to the refuge I Re Magi.

Back-country ski trip in Briancon area in South France

Fritz has come in and explained the details of the Ski trip they are planning now - looks great. We are leaving on the 2300 night train to Briancon (near Genolble in the south). We now have to do some planning and preparation.

From Briancon we will bus to the village of Nevache and immediately start the 16km (1034 meter climb) tour up the Torrent du Vallon and cross the Col du Vallon to the refuge "i Re Magi" (1780 meters) in the Vallee Etroite.

On Friday we are to ski to the Refuge Mont Thabon and return which is about 16kms return and a 700 meter climb.

On Saturday is another 1000 meter climb and we need to retrace our steps back towards the Col du Vallon but head north to the lac du Lavor and cross the Col des Munndes (2828 meters). Descending the Torrent de Brune to the Refugedes Drayeres (2152 meters). Monday we would return to Nevache.

The Marmottan-Claude Monet Museum

Wednesday Feb 16, 2011
To continue my quest to follow the impressionist trail I set out at 10:30am (a little late) and headed to the St-Michel Notre-dame metro/RER station. After a bit of delay when the only ticketing machine was being "re-booted" I finally got my tickets and was on my way. I got off at the Boulainvilliers-La Muette station. Thinking this double name station was all one station I headed off to walk to the museum. Very soon I relaise that navigation was not going well. A quick adjustment though some narrow street I was back on track, Probably lost 15 minutes or so but I saw some additional Parisian community life which wasn't on the plan - that's OK. I arrive at Muette Place and then proceeded along the rue Ranelagh to the Marmottan-Claude Monet Museum. I pause to have lunch in a large park just before the Museum and, being winter, all trees were bare and the garden were all being prepared for the cold and plants were being dug up.

My description of the Marmottan Monet gallery will have to wait as Fritz has come in and explained the details of the Ski trip they are planning now - looks great. We are leaving on the 2300 night train to Bradonecchia (near Genolble in the south). We now have to do some planning and prepartion. I'll have to go to the Orangenie Museum on Thursday because I have a ticket - a lot to fit in but I should have time to up-date this post on Thursday.


The Marmottan Monet gallery
This is a very large collection of the rest of Monet's work by family and private collectors. While it does not contain many of Monet's best painting there are some that are very interesting.
eg
Gare St Lazare 1877
Impressie Soleil Levant 1872
Paintings of his children, Portrait of Bertha Morrison. (I'll add more from my notes later)
There was a nice portrait of Claude Monet and Madam Claude Monet both by Renoir

In general I found this museum an educational exercise and allowed me to see the development of Monet's thinking as he got older and diverged from his impressionist compatriots. The large number of Water Lily painting where almost overwhelming as were the many Avenue of Roses, the Basin of Nymphs and the Japanese Bridge. He spend a huge amount of his time constructing his garden in Girverny. You could see the development of his ideas on light and reflections. This collection are, in the main, a collection of his experimentations. Monet's successful works are found in the major museums as the Mussee d'Orsay.

After studying Monet for some days now I have come to a personal stand that I have a preference and respect for the technical mastery of Manet and the brilliance and colour of Renoir. I believed they achieved real results while Monet was experimenting with abstraction in landscape.

It Museum was an important for it educational value.

Walk on the left bank and the Musee d'Orsay

Tuesday Feb 15, 2011
Fritz came down for a morning coffee and he spread out a couple of topo maps and we discussed possible skiing areas for our first ski trip. We decided we would do a trip on a large limestone plateux in the area between the town of Die and the City of Grenoble. We went over the maps and planned some possible routes. We many have to camp out one night in a simple shelter.

Today I planned to walk the streets of Paris and not get the metro. I wanted to get a feel for where things are in the city and to observe what people do each day. I set out about 9:30 am to go to the Musse d'Orsay where most of the Impressionist painting are now hung. I chose a route which passed the birth place of Edouard Manet and also to find the studio of Frederic Bazille, which both Claude Monet and Auguste Renoir were invited to share with him while they all attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. So I retraced my steps back to Notre Dame, took some photos of the butresses, then crossed to the left bank of the Seine and walked along the "quai's" to the Pont Neuf. I crossed this bridge briefly to see from where both Monet and Renoir did their paintings of it in 1872. I continue back on the left bank and visited Manet's birthplace a 5 rue Bonapart. It was being renovated and the old man in the shop at number 3 knew nothing of Manet's birth place. Originally there was a plague on the door post but there was no sign of it. I continued a little further to 20 rue Visconti, the studio of Bazille and on to have lunch in the Cafe la Palette, a favourite haunt of Artist in the area.

At 1pm I headed for the Musee d'Orsay and spent 1/2 hour in a queque to get throught the security to get inside. This was an amazing experience to see so many of the famous paintings which I had studied, and sometimes spent long days copying, right there in font of my eyes. The painting were so much brighter than the prints I had seen. Monet life long work on relected light was so clearly successful, as were the paintings of the hay stacks and the mpany view of the Cathederal at Rhoan. Renoir's great painting of 'Dancing at the Moulin de la Galette" was so colourful and bright. Manet's great skill was ever so evident in many paintings. I will have to document all the painting that impressed me.

I return to the Ile Saint Louis at 6pm and shopped for food at the local shop. My French got a workout but I found everyone was tolerant and other customers were quietly help. Asking for 'cooking oil' was a challenge but buying my vegetables and bread worked our well.

Getting there and arrival in Paris

The flight got away exactly on time and took an interesting tour up the Australian coastline. It flew directly north and inland crossing the coast just south of Cairns. I could see a small sized town which could have been in the Tully area but I could not see any cyclone damage. It then flew out to sea and directly over the reef,\ and we could see clearly many small coral quays. There were many boats moored around each and in some cases I was sure I could see small buildings on some of the quays. After we flew over New Guinea and the might Septic River which was muddy and there were a number of mining settling ponds on the valuable riverside farmland.

They served some very good Korean food "Bibimbap", the hostess was overjoyed that I had this meal.

We down to land in Seoul and saw a neatly laid out city with many low rise apartment buildings.  The river flats were still kept as farmland all the way though the city. The Hyatt hotel had a good buffet and I slept well.

Monday 13th 2011

It was a long 11 hour flight from Seoul to Paris. Some nice Korean food again. Flew over parts of China and Mongolia. Siberia was a long and bleak sight with a thin icy cover all over and not very deep snow. The Ural mountains were interesting. Finally the neat villages of the French countryside turned up and I was in France.

Made it through the baggage and customs ok and got the RER B line train to Paris and the Garde St Michel- Notre Dame. After I struggled up the stairs with my gear and skis I was confronted with the sight of the Notre Dame Cathedral - I had to stop and take in the sight. It really brought it home to me that I was in Paris. I crossed the Seine at the Rue de la Cite and walked to face the facade of Notre Dame. Its powerful presence brought me to a stop again. I sudied the elaborate entrances, the wooden doorways atopped by the Gallery of Kings and the Central Rose Window. I then proceeded down the street to the left and along the side of the great Cathedral walking beneath the gargols and famous flying buttresses. I crossed the Pont St Louis to the Ile St Louis.

I proceeded along the quay to the Rue Regrattier and met up with Fritz. We had a long talk and then Fritz took me on an evening tour of the Ile St Louis. The classical building all biult around 1690. Most of the buildings had a plaque detailing its history. I was particularly taken when I found a building where Emile Bonnard lived for 30 years.(check).
We return to Fritz's home and met Beverly and Fitz cooked a very nice meat tart and salad. We are delaying our first ski trip as it is snowing all this week and it will be best to ski after the snow settles.

Nearly ready to leave for Paris on Sunday

I have got all my Skiing and other "essential" stuff into my check-in and cabin bags. 20kg in the hole and 12kg in the cabin. Just enough to squeeze it all in. Lots of guide books to read on the flight and my new android Phone to play with and listen to my French lessons. My Ski gear takes most of the space as does my electronic toys and all their spare batteries and memory chips, chargers, cables etc. I feel organised and ready, I even have the ticket for train from CDG airport to my friend Fritz's home. (Fritz sent me the ticket). I'll try and relax for the next 2 day. I hate that last minute rush. I have this feeling that there is something very important that I have forgotten.

Trip to France Feb 13 to Apr 13 2011

The Plan:
The decision to take this trip was made quickly but it had been "planned" for many years. When I saw the very cheap air fares and the good euro exchange rate I though that it was an opportunity not to be missed.

I managed to get a very cheap flight on Korean Airlines direct to Paris (thankfully avoiding Heathrow). I also bought a 2 month 15 day Eurail pass.

Basically I will head off on Sunday, February 13th, arriving in Paris on Feb 14 where I will stay at a friends place in the city centre. After a few days settling in we will head off south (by train) to do 4 days or so back-country skiing from hut to hut in the mountains near Grenoble. We will then return to Paris.

I will spend the next 10 days or so doing walking trips around the city centre following the path of the Impressionist painters. Visiting the site and haunts where they painted their famous paintings. I'll follow Monet and visit Giverny.

Following this another back-country ski trip is planned. We will again head south to Nice and on to the mountains on the Italian border. We will base at a remote hotel out from the town of Tende and ski for four days.

At this point I may take advantage of the geography and head off on my to Barcelona for 4 days. Here I will follow the early surrealist and their haunts. Picaso, Miro, Dali + Gaudi of course.

From Barcelona I will train to Chamonix were I will meet my friends from Paris and head off back-country skiing (yet to be planned).

Returning to Paris I will continue to slowly and methodically work through the Art Galleries and Museums till late March.

I will then embark on a major railway excursion to go specifically to cities to which I unable to visit in previous trips to Europe (Iron curtain problems etc). I will head first to Amsterdam for a few days. Then I will take a long over night train trip direct to Prague where I will spend 5 days working through the city. I've long desires to visit Prague. On the way to Berlin I will spend only one day in Dresden. In Berlin I am planning to stay 4 days exploring the city and soaking up its history.

From Berlin I will take a direct over night trip back to Paris where I will have about 5 day before I return to Sydney on April 13, 2011.

This sounds all very definite but I'll probably change my mind and decide to include other place as well.