For about 11 euros you can have a thrilling ride on the St. Hilaire Funicular a few minutes drive outside of Grenoble. The history of the Funicular is almost as interesting as the ride itself. In the 1920′s the Funicular construction was started with the goal of using it to take building materials up to the top of the mountain for the construction of a tuberculosis sanitarium in Saint-Hilaire du Touvet. The views from the top, as well as the opportunity to watch the hang gliders jump off the cliffs, are worth the ride, but if you want to get your heart beating faster, this is also a good way to do it. The funicular grade is at 83% which means when you’re descending, it almost feels like you are hanging onto the mountain like a rock climber. The bangs and regular bumps add to the sound effects. It is the steepest funicular grade in France and almost in all of Europe. It is a thrill!
Construction of the Funicular in 1922.
For a short, fun video about the steepest Funicular in Europe, see this video about the Gelmerbahn in Switzerland.
August 3rd, 2010 at 11:09 pm
good site!
January 30th, 2011 at 7:40 am
I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was wondering what all is needed to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet smart so I’m not 100% sure. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
February 10th, 2011 at 7:22 pm
Hi, Susie, sorry for the delay in responding. I never got notification of your comment for some reason. The cost depends on what you want to do. I pay under $120/yr for hosting and the name but I have spent a fortune on design, consultants, etc to make adjustments, create/design, and learn the technology. And if you count your time, esp the first year or so, you will be making less than minimum wage. I have a few advertisers now that cover my costs plus a little but it took 18 months to get my first advertiser and it was based on my Google PR ranking. If you want to do a hobby blog then I would recommend Blogger or Typepad or Webs.com which offer free hosting and space. You can register your name with any number of domain name services. Good luck.