I bought my new video camera while I was in Florida in October and took my first videos with it. There’s definitely an improvement but it’s still not up to its potential. I think I need to look into new video editing software that can handle high definition. Anyway, here’s my first video with the new camera. I took it on a walk in the vineyards not far from our house. The countryside and colors are so gorgeous now and the mountains are truly lovely with the new snow.

Chanaz, a small canal village 15 minutes from Aix les Bains and 45 minutes from Chambery, has an interesting Mill worth a visit. It grinds walnuts (and hazel nuts) for their oils. They also make jams, mustards, and other products, all of which you can buy at the mill. I bought some and they are yummy.

The owner was an executive in Paris 40 years ago and decided he wanted a different life, bought the old broken down mill, totally renovated it and has been making his living this way for all these years. Now the mill is a tourist attraction as well. He still uses the old water wheel for energy when there’s enough water, and has electricity as a back up power source. The mill, Le Moulin de Chanaz,  is open all year but the hours change seasonally. Visit the website for more information and the seasonal hours:

www.moulindechanaz.com

The video below was taken by some American friends (thanks Grey and Dora!) during their visit and was not compatible with my video editing software so it is unedited and a little raw but still very interesting. It shows the Mill and its owner at work, and his daughter explaining some of the process.

We will be visiting the Mill on my French Alps Tours (www.french-alps-tours.com).

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Most people think of Italy when they think of Roman ruins and temples, but France has its share too. The most famous ruins in France are in Provence but the French Alps region has some as well. The best preserved Roman ruins are in Vienne, a town 30 minutes south of Lyon. The town is mostly known for its world-class Jazz Festival every summer. We went last year and it was exceptional. The concert is actually held in an ancient Roman arena. Vienne also has a well-preserved Roman temple and an excavated site that you can see by going into the Museum which provides access to the site. The museum has many exceptional examples of Roman mosaic floors and other artifacts. Vienne also has some excellent examples of Medieval churches. The city can be navigated on foot if your in fairly good shape and wearing good walking shoes.

We’ll be visiting Vienne and the Roman temple, museum and excavation site on my tour this summer: www.french-alps-tours.com

There is a breed of horses in France that everyone calls cart horses. Basically, they are huge horses that historically were used for ploughing fields, hauling heavy loads, and transportation with the carts. They are used more recreationally now although I have seen one or two still being used to plough fields at country farms. They are a gentle breed and quite friendly. We’ve seen them in Savoie and in Brittany and everywhere in between. We even took a ride on a cart at Point Raz in Brittany. See the beauty and grace of these gentle giants.

Every festival including the Le Retour des Alpages, has arts, crafts, food and drink. This festival featured the old fashioned way of making apple juice from beginning to end. Yummy.

The Le Retour des Alpages is an annual October festival which celebrates the bringing down of the pasture animals to the valleys for the winter.  The festival features a parade of the animals through the streets of Annecy, a gorgeous town in the French Alps. The festival is held in towns all over the French Alps region but Annecy’s is one of the best and was a blast to watch.

Please excuse my comments – I got a bit carried away since I’m such an animal lover. I wanted you to hear the sounds of the parade so I didn’t edit out my comments or you’d miss so much of the fun.

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