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Reflecting the Alps
By Judi Janofsky
Every morning for 23 days each July I do nothing but watch television. It's the only time all year that I devote any time to watching a sport. What mesmerizes me is the Tour de France, the grueling 2,200-mile, 21-stage bicycle road race that rewards the winner with a "maillot jaune," or yellow jersey.
One of the best parts of watching the race is having a bird's eye view of the villages, valleys and mountains, the most breathtaking of which are located in the Rhone-Alpes region of France.
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The largest ski-slope in the world is at l'Alpe d'Huez |
Covering an area that includes the vineyards of Beaujolais, the scrubland of southern Ardeche and the waters of great lakes and beautiful ponds, this remarkably diverse setting is also home to the magnificent Alps.
Some of the Alp's and Europe's highest peaks can be found in the Mont Blanc mountain range: the peak of the legendary Mont Blanc itself at an altitude of 15,774 fee, the Dome du Gouter at 14,117 feet and the Aiguille du Gouter at 12,648.
With 180 ski resorts, 18 linked ski areas and 5,800 slopes, the Rhone-Alpes is the largest ski area in the world and draws millions of vacationers each winter. In the summer these mountains are a magnet for rock climbers and glacier hikers.
Several summers ago I took a cable car up Mt. Blanc. It was a thrilling and quite honestly frightening ride. The cable car literally goes up the side of the mountain and as it climbs, the winds begin to rock the car, moving it closer and closer to the wall of the mountain. The car goes half way up where riders have to switch to another car for the final ascent. It was scary enough for half of the people in the first car to decide not to continue on up.
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