HEADING ACROSS THE POND

YOU'D LOOK FUZZY TOO AT 5AM

BUT WE'RE OFF

After a long boring plane ride from San Diego to Geneva via Washington DC We arrived in France the next day about 8 am. Because the Airport is on the border with France, we exited onto French territory. We gathered our luggage luggage which arrived in tact and the same plane and headed for the ATM For Some euros. The machine kept refusing to give me money, so we decided to get some later. We then met with the representative from Peugeot who had me sign a couple of documents for the registration and insurance for our new car. He made sure I understood the car ran on diesel and handed me the keys. In about 5 minutes the formalities were over and we were off.

The cheapest place in France to buy gas is at the supermarket. All are self serve and many have no attendants. You pay at the pump with a credit card. European card have a chip rather than a strip which the computer reads. Some card readers read both, some can not. Of course my card did not work. First no money, and now no diesel. We finally found a regular gas station with an employee and filled her up. It was then that I discovered I had been using my credit card instead of the debt card at the ATM card and the dept card at the gas pump, which just does not work here. So much for no sleep in 24 hours. We stopped at a nearby bank and filled up with euros and headed out again.

We drove around the end of Switzerland not wanting to pay 40 euros or about $53 for a pass which allows you to drive on their freeway system. It did not seem like a good deal for a 15 mile short cut. We remained in France and we drove to the area around Annecy before stopping for lunch. Since we could not arrived at our B & B until mid afternoon, we drove around Lake Annecy enjoying the sights. After a stop at a grocery store for supplies, wine, cheese and bread, We arrived at Les Columbines, in the little village of Cons-Sainte-Colombe our home for the next 4 nights.

We were greeted by our hostess, Coralie Marlier, who showed us to our simple but comfortable room. Having been up for 30 hours, we were hardly able to function. Cathie took a nap while I explored the village on foot. The village is situated on a hillside overlooking the valley with the snow capped Alps towering overhead. The village is just about all residential, with the exception of the church, town hall, a butcher and cheese maker. The latter two operate out of their homes.

After a picnic dinner on our terrace, with a view of the high peaks above, we headed off to bed about 8 pm, not being able to keep our eyes open any longer.

OUR B&B FOR THE NEXT 4 NIGHTS