Sunday, February 14, 2016

This time was different

Argelès-Geneva...we've done the 6-8 hour route so many times, the car might be able to do it on its own. We decided to leave Saturday complete with worries about the predicted rain and snow in Grenoble. That route has mountains that dress in beautiful colors no matter the season, but would not be fun with ice on the road. And we thought we probably would overnight in Valance, almost half way.

We decided to leave one day early. And instead of being on the road no later than 9 it was close to 2 before we pulled out of the village. The sky was blue-blue-blue and Rick was able to get a great view of his "girlfriend" Canigou.


And long before Pepignan, I was able to see a mimosa tree. Each spring they make me so happy but we hadn't gotten out in the country side on this trip.


"Do you think," I asked Rick, "We could stop and get a photo of Khadfi's plane?" It has been marooned there since Mach 2014. He, Rick, not Khadfi, pulled off at the airport exit and found a side road that let him take the photo out of his window.


There was no easy route back to the highway and we found ourselves in Rivesaltes, where much of the wonderful muscat is produced.

We did rejoin the autoroute and spent some of the ride planning an Elizabeth Gray presidential campaign (see http://lovinglifeineurope.blogspot.fr/2016/02/in-search-of-elizabeth-gray-candidate.html) and giggling.

Once in Valance I became the hotel spotter, but the roads were clear and Rick wasn't tired. We decided to take the Lyon route rather than Grenoble, less mountains.

"We can find a hotel in Lyon," Rick said. Except in Lyon it became after Lyon at which point we were close enough to Geneva to finish the trip.

And the rain or snow?

In a tunnel 50K from Geneva one of the overhead signs flashed "pluie" and it was raining and did all the rest of the way to Geneva.

In Geneva we became thoroughly lost but decided that it just gave us a chance to discover a new part of the city.

So different from our other straight autoroute trips...such a pleasure.






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