Rhône-Alpes Region, France

Alyson and Eugene stay in the small village of Saint-Égrève, on the edge of Grenoble, the apartment block part of the park grounds. Overshadowed by the white chalk mountains, its a world of green. Tree leaves – ever restless – rustling in the wind. The gardens, riots of colour, with beds of white, blue and purple planting, giving way to the hot yellow and reds. Magnificent.

Mostly, everything in Grenoble is closed for the Fermeture Annuelle . The city is empty, with only a few cafe’s open, and the morning market reduced to the essentials. Wine, cheese and tomatoes full of sunshine. We stopped at the Business School, where Aly lectures, before finding a cafe table for cappuccino, which turned into beer somehow.

We collected Kirsten from Lyon, being surprised at the actual size, of what we thought was a small rural airport. Eventually, we made our way to the arrivals of the correct terminal.

A morning walk through the park to the patisserie for fresh croissants, car packed with bubbles and wine for the drive down to Viviers.