[volkman10]

Opportunity of visiting France ( as part of the business trip) during week 26,and this time it was the village part which I gladly accepted. Bangalore has now a French embassy and getting Visa, etc was just a formality.
For part of ticketing,etc this time decided on Air France as part of the 'flying blue' milage and more so connecting flight timings were better comparative to LH.
This being the first trip to France,after being a Bhpian, have decided to cover the travelouge as seen by a BHPian.
The first lap of the trip was AF 191 B'lore - Paris (CDG)

BIAL AF counter

[volkman10]

Arrival at Charles de Gaulle Airport terminal 2C and proceeding to terminal 2F was not cool as there was ample time for the next lap (Paris -Lyon)

Arrival@ CDG - Transfer to 2F - Time to Relax before next lap

[volkman10]

Next lap from CDG to St. Exupery- Lyon.

The flight was a bit more than a hour. Collection of baggage at Lyon was no problem. The next best was the drive in Lyon- passing through cultivation of sunflower fields and the winding roads through the 'French Alps' was very scenic.
CDG -Lyon flight, and the drive through Alps.

[volkman10]

Next day was to venture out all by myself. In France as I have experienced before have difficulty or never attempt to understand nor speak English. So have mastered as few common sentences to seek directions.
Location Rhone -Alpes - Ain -Belley

Accommodation: pretty neat -Euro 58 / day ( No a/c - only fan)

Break fast here is mostly pastries and different types of bread. Seems a relaxed one since average time taken is about an hour!

On going out noticed temperatures were abnormally high for this part of the year (36deg C).

pic1 -outside hotel

[volkman10]

1. Typical french breakfast: Relaxed as usually it is an hour's affair!

2. Ventured out ( a Bhpian's view! ) - Gasoline unleaded 95, 98 and diesel prices (should not complain at home seen these!)

3,4,5 French Store Carrefour and the section for auto

6. Time for lunch - MacDonalds is the best bet ( to save time & okay for once in a while!)

7,8 Predominantly cars seen are
Renault - Clio / Megane
Peugeot
Citroen
Punto ( many) and i10 ( rare) seen

9.Other than french cars - VW Golf is very popular

10. back to room with - fan ( and 36 deg C!!)

[volkman10]

Day 2 was all business during the day, and was scheduled to go to the "Le Caveau Bugiste" village of Vongnes where the wine of their own produce could be tasted and bought and shipped so if desired.
As usual the drive through the 'French Alps' all winding and scenic.
The wine taste differs as per the region grown and the year. Apart from the Red and White there was Rose ( new to me !).
The White seemed the best of the lot of wine tasted that day. The prices were cheap as compared to seen in other cities but for tourists like us it is impossible to have it checked in during travel!

Pics as below depict the atmosphere of the Wine store!

[volkman10]

Day 3 was a drive through the Alps where there was a trail and kinda picinic spot. The french counterpart had gathered akll he could manage and had a great time to the close hours of the day!

Pics of wine and Champagne are considered as 'liquor' and hence no further pics on the picnic spot!

[volkman10]

Day 4 was the last day and the one I was waiting since was to drive the i30 that was with one of my colleagues. Am not sure if this is planned for a launch in India, but even if, it would replace the i20 as the car is not very much different in size to the i20.

Hyundai i20 1.4 Petrol - Blue motion
Manuf. Jan 2011
Kms : 11858

Broad specs:
Power 107 hp @6200 rpm
Torque 137 Nm @ 5000 rpm
Gears 5 - Manual

Taken a drive through the Alps and following are my observations.

Positives:
Blue motion technology. Gentle power steering. Ride quality in highway. Planted well at speeds of 140km/hr.
Overall a quiet engine. Has enough power for normal driving in highways.The quality of the i30’s ride, if anything, is even more impressive than the handling. Softly sprung, and with a fully independent rear suspension, the i30 is supple but well controlled, even on the most undulating and broken surfaces. Very impressive.

Negatives:

Lacks power predominantly noticed while overtaking and climbing gradients. Rattles heard could be the Hyundai issue! Rear seat is cramped to accommodate 3 especially with the rear tunnel. Claustrophobic feeling when sitting at the rear.

Not much time to notice further, so have captured the rest in pics.

[volkman10]

Well next day was the to depart catching the early morning flight to Paris. The drive to Lyon ST Exupery was early with less traffic on highway. Average speed was 140km/hr and check in procedure was just a formality. An hours flight from Lyon to Paris.

Airport toll, Lyon airport

[volkman10]

The arrival at Paris was at terminal 2F and the departure of the AF192 Bangalore flight was from terminal 2C @ 10:40 am
Quite a distance to cover between the terminals and takes a little more than 30 min.On seeing the 2C it was shocking! Literally a mess, no queue for entering the security check in area. It was literally an unruly crowd with the 'survival of the fittest' going first. i guess not seen this in India! Wondered if this terminal is earmarked for Asian flights since it stands out in being chaotic compare to the rest of them.
The seat preference for me is always the Aisle and a added bonus of having a vacant seat beside. The dinner menu was 'Italian cuisine' from Alitalia , a change from the french cuisine though the wine had the french memories.

With a nap in between the 9 1/2 hour flight looked shorter and the arrived Bangalore at 12:00 am. Well it was a pleasure seeing the roads and the drive was okay at this part of the night and guess have to live with chaotic traffic with the hope that the Metro once established will change all this!

Cheers!

[.anshuman]

Note from Moderator: Thread moved here from Assembly line section. Thanks for sharing the travelogue.

[rjstyles69]

volkman you did bring back quite a few old memories from Lyon, was staying at Isle D'abeau. The train station at Villefontaine was a heritage site by itself LOL. Dint you cover Lyon ? BTW the best thing to do is take the TGV from Lyon to Paris, the view of the countryside is mesmerizing.

[volkman10]

No, Lyon was not part of the plan, may be the next time . Have the TGV on the next trip agenda!

Cheers!

[selfdrive]

Great pics and a very crisp account of your stay volkman10!

Your pics make me feel homesick. I stayed for some time in France and only returned recently. I actually miss 'not speaking English' though this was a key irritant when I lived there.
Were you able to visit any other places? It is quite warm there during summer.

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Were you able to visit any other places? It is quite warm there during summer.

Thanks, selfdrive. It was a week's stay and more specific to this part of France as part of a business meet.
Earlier visits had covered Paris but this vist covering the Alps was more enjoyable!

Cheers!