We awoke to a glorious Alpes' Autumn day and perfect for a day of exploring altitudes higher than our hotel's 1620 meters. Today we were climbing to the summit of Col du Galibier. Not that we planned to use ropes and pitons - the little Citroen DS3 would do just fine.
The Col du Galibier is a 2645 meter mountain accessed by a winding, narrow road and it promises to offer magnificent views of the region including to the famous Mont Blanc some 80 kms away on such a clear day as we had.
The road to the summit was sealed and reasonable but narrow in places which didn't seem to trouble those who are familiar with it. The familiar ones also have "around the corner vision" which allows them to see whether one of their countrymen is coming in the opposite direction This skill allows them to overtake on bends and use all of the narrow road at speeds we only contemplate on straight highways in their quest to get there first.
These narrow roads do have "pull over areas" which allowed us to not only let the impatient ones to pass safely but to also let us capture the scenery. Every corner presents another scene and we could very well take all day to get to the top if we stop at each opportunity. Ann is now quite proficient at taking photos on the move.
The final hurdle to overcome to reach the summit required a short but steep walk along a narrow rocky pathway with no handrails. We managed only halfway but were not denied incredible views, from where we did reach, including an uninterrupted view to Mont Blanc, 80 kms away.
BTW Col du Galibier is in the running, and we believe a strong contender, to be included as a stage in next year's Tour de France. The successful stages are due to be announced early November. Bon chance Col du Galibier!!
After leaving the summit our descent was rather uneventful and we made our way along the Routes des Grande Alpes to Briançon, some 30 kms away to take in more scenery and to seek out lunch. As it's the off season and these resort towns are devoid of tourists, the restaurants are closed. We could not find an open one until we got back to La Grave. This was fortuitous actually as the terrasse panoramique (outside verandah), on which lunch was served provided the second best view of the two glaciers, towering above the town, you could imagine. This was a second best after being denied access to the glaciers via the cable car due to the maintenance shutdown two days before.
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| Typical scenery on the way to the top |
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| At the top |
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| Mont Blanc in the distance |
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| View from the top |
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| Typical scene on way to Briançon |
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| Another "around the next corner" scene |
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| On the veandah at lunch with glaciers as background |
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| Original washing tubs in Villar d'Arene and used until the 1950's when the houses received running water |
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| "Bernie" The Ski patrol rescue chief |
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