Back into the car. It is Mike's turn to drive today and negotiate being on the wrong side of the road. It didn't take us too long to get out of Dijon and onto the tollway.

We made a stop at Annecy for lunch. It took us a while to find parking and squeeze our way through parked cars. The sun was shining and it was quite warm as we walked around the water's edge to the old town.

Annecy is so beautiful. With the mountains in the background, beautiful clear blue water and gorgeous buildings, it is very picturesque. There were a lot of people out on the water on paddle boards and paddle boats, adding to the colour.

After a little wander we found a restaurant for lunch. I had a delicious mozzarella and tomato salad. We all finished our dishes and then watched as Ken waded through a massive bowl of mussels. They were really good too. We continued on along the canal taking in more beauty before heading back to the car. Annecy is another place we need to spend more time in.

Back on the highway, more tolls, more money. We made great time and then came to the Oisans region where we drove through little villages and watched as the mountains grew larger around us. Dark clouds were coming in and rain was threatening.

Finally we made it to the bottom of the famous Alpe d'Huez. The rain had started. The boys were so excited to be driving up the 21 bends. We could see a lot of cyclists riding up, some struggling, some looking very strong. There were also vans and tents set up in preparation for the Tour on Saturday. Dutch Corner was already in party mood. Driving was slow, but we didn't really want to rush through anyway.

Into the village we found our hotel and checked in. Mike was exhausted after a very big day of driving. We have free parking out the front. The rooms are well appointed. Mike and Jude have the best views, but we have the bigger room.

The views - Oh My God!! We look out over the mountains, it is really magnificent. When we arrived the storm had started. There was rain, thunder and lightning over the mountains. Awesome!

We went down to the bar and sat outside with the mountains and had drinks. As we sat the storm was passing and the clouds were lifting, revealing the mountains one by one. We were so excited and happy to finally be here. The boys have been training for their rides for a year and they can't wait to get on the bikes.

We had dinner at Le Genepi down in the village on the recommendation of the helpful girl at our hotel. It was a funky, moody little restaurant. There were mainly groups of men, likely to be groups of cyclists. As we walked in we were met by a strong aroma of the local cheese. Jude thought is smelt like wet dogs, but we soon adjusted. There was a lot of cheese consumed by the other diners. We had a great night. The food was good, particularly the massive piece of steak the boys shared. As we paid our bill, the owner presented us with little glasses of genepi, a herb type liqueur. It packed a punch, but was quite nice.

Back up the hill, which Jude seemed to want to conquer in record time. And off to bed in this beautiful place.

steps10,115

6.7 kms walked

Tolls

Dijon -Annecy 2 tollways - 24 Euros and 6.90 Euros

Annecy - Alpe d'Huez, 2 tollways - 7 Euros and 5.80 Euros

Fuel €70