First Day in France!

OK. I'm in an internet cafe in Carpentras in France using a computer with a French keyboard to catch up on the most recent few days of the trip. Many of the keys aren't in the places that you might expect - so instead of being a touch typist, I'm watching every keystroke. The A, W and M keys are the main culprits... Please bear with me. If I miss a letter and put a Q insteqd of qn A somewhere, please just do a quick trqnslation...

We drove from Gryon in the mountains of Switzerland to Allevard on the plains of France on Tuesday (September 2nd). The driving was surprisingly easy - the roads are narrow and the drivers speedy, but I only saw my life flash in front of my eyes a couple times when going around tight corners on narrow mountain roads and meeting a bus or big truck coming the other direction...

We stopped in Chamonix - a famous French mountaineering town and here's a photo of moi with Mt. Blanc (the highest peak in Europe) in the background:

We crossed over a couple high passes amid beautiful mountain scenery. The border crossing into France couldn't have been easier - there was no one at the border! We drove right through.

Eventually we arrived at our destination - Hotel Le Panoramic in Allevard. The hotel was OK and the town very French. We stopped for a salad and crepe on the main square.