Le Tour 2005 - A Virtual Cultural Trip

The above texte and pics copied and pasted from:

Schlumpf - Passion or Obsession ? - Bob Jones visits the Schlumpf collection at the Mulhouse National Motor Car Museum.

Mulhouse across the Border from Germany, situated in a triangel of the countries Switzerland, France and Germany, all closest to the River Rhine.


... and don't forget to send some postcards!




See you, au revoir et bonne nuit!

With a German, Jens Voght, leading by now overall, tomorrow, Monday, July 11, is a rest day (the cyclists are transferred to Grenoble).

So, I think, we may have a rest, too, and just watch a couple of photos from both sites of the upper Rhine river.


Alsacian folklore dance group



Black Forest children in their first communion clothes

Let's stay in the Black Forest:




Gernsbach and the surrounding countrysite ('Murg Valley')

Changing the border to Alsace

Today, we start at Grenoble.


The cablecar takes vistors to the Fort de la Bastille and over the Isere river

And from this Fort, you have a phantastic view

Three castles invite us close to Grenoble.

While we just have a short look at 17th century Château de Sassenage



and the defensive-featured Château de Servien (dating back from 13th century)



we'll stop a bit longer at a much newer castle:

Château de Vizille

Place de la Libération
38220 Vizille
Rhône-Alpes
Interieur open daily except Tuesday and bank holidays





Mainly fitted out by Lesdiguières between 1600 and 1620 on the vestiges of a 14C medieval fortress, the château de Vizille housed Dauphiné's States-General (1788), a prelude to 1789 events. This Mecca of republican memory, devastated twice by fire (1825 and 1865), was partially pulled down and re-fitted up. It became a presidential residence in 1924. Since 1983, it harbours the French Revolution museum which gathers works ranging from the end of the Ancien Regime to the Third Republic.

We don't follow de Gaulle but have a look at the park





Someone hungry by now already, btw?

Well, actually we should hurry up a bit, we can get some food later.

A view back to the castle



and than a snack in the place of the 1992 (winter) Olympics, Albertville



Don't drink to much ...

but have some more of the local cheese



before we climb up furtheron

At the end of the day, we arrive at Courchevel



(Nice 360°-panorama on this site !)

I just can reiterate my last post on this thread, Walter...

On Wednesday, it's the "best of Alpine" the Tour crosses -



- from the Massif de la Vanoise towards Massif des Écrins.
(Starting town is Courchevel, the etappe ends in Briançon.)



Col de la Madeleine


Col du Télégraphe

We stop at
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne


(the pic is a still photo from the webcam, might be you can't see after some time)

As the historic capital city of Maurienne, St-Jean-de-Maurienne has many sites to be discovered such as :
- the church Notre-Dame and its portal dating from the XIth century
- the cathedral and its cloister dating from the XVth century and its crypt of pre-Romanesque style
- the ancient episcopal palace which includes the museum of traditions and dresses of Maurienne
- Knife museum Opinel

Col du Lautaret - le Galibier: The Sacred Monster

(That's a tough ride on the cycles, especially the last kilometres through the hairpins but you (= we) are rewarded with great views of the valley.

The Fort du château de Briançon ...



... is a powerful watch intended to protect the city of Briançon.
The present castle is the fruit of ten centuries of history and has always been the pivot of the whole defensive system since the Middle Ages. When he was passing through the town, the Dauphin stayed in this castle where justice was dispensed and where the population of Briançon came to take refuge.

The highest town in Europe, just 13 km from the Italian border, Briançon enjoys a beautiful setting, especially for winter sports.



It's getting late ...



... and dark




See you at the next etappe!

We live this pretty place on Thurday



and get soon some nice views of the Vallée de la Durance (valley of the Durace river)