I wake up on my 49th birthday after a very deep sleep. It is raining outside and so I lay in bed until 8:30. T makes a brew whilst I walk to the shop for bread and milk.
It looks like our Campinggaz cylinder is on the way out, so that is ten days of family cmaping off one charge - not bad. I think the Crai minimarket stocks them so I will add that to the to do list.
The plan for today is to drive up to Pila, avoiding the telecabina to save time as the best runs seem to be up around the Chamole chair lift, home-made sandwiches for lunch and then tonight a stroll round to the pizzeria for a slap up birthday meal.
I went to sleep last night lsitneing to the new Ben Cantelon album, and revising for the Soul Survivor trip by listening to 'Not Ashamed' this morning. The sun is also starting to break throug hte clouds so hopefully everything will dry out (including my Rohan shorts which I hand washed yesterday but are still too damp to wear this morning). My mind still goes over conversartions and situations that I wish could have been different but as I have been praying over them I do feel affirmation that, whilst I may have made mistakes which contributed, there is little in the big picture that would have been much different in the long run.
Allelulia! After two high altitude exploding ink cartridge. We have driven up to Pila itself, altitude 1806 mtrs (or population 1806 if I have misread the sign) and my Fisher Space Pen actually works - not as good as a Lamy at seal level, but up here fab.
The boys get ready and go up on the chairlift, and I take my turn going up on the Landy roof.
I spot a cash desk at the base of the lifts which I had missed yesterday, so I can go up with the boys this afternoon. To be fair the time it takes to get ready is quite incredible. T is conscientious about checking tyres and lubing his chain, E tends to ride his bike round the car park to check it over and then head off to find a loo.
I sit in at the terrace cafe next to the base station and have a cafe americano. The view in front of me, looking across to the mountains, is terrific with misty cloud blowing across from the east. Behind me the big mountains across the valley above Aosta are hidden in clouds as well, but the sun is also out and there is a heat returning after the rain.
This would be heaven were it not for Elton John on the loudspeakers over the terrace. Mind you, it is Sarah Brightman up next. I might have to finish this coffee quickly.
After our chat with the nice Scot at Chatel T seems really fired up by a project for September building his own full-sus bike if we can find a second hand frame and forks. T is such a good man.
Having complained a little about the choice of music at the Cafe - a decent Americano with a view to die for all for €1 (80p).
I am not sure how the sat nav worked out our route coming up here. It put us on a tiny lane which proved to be one-way the other way. A nice builder-looking bloke in a pickup patiently explained in Italian and then English the mistake.
The boys returned for lunch, but poor T has jarred his knee on a drop-off and is feeling a bit sore. He decides to sit out this afternoon while E heads back up. After the runs we headed back into Aosta to look for a knee support in the Gros Cidac - no luck. We pass a big Farmacie in town but there is no parlking nearby, so we head back towards the camp site, knowing there is a Farmacie in Villeneuve opposite the Punto shop we stopped at the other day, but when we get there we find it has closed early because it is Saturday. We go back into Aosta and find a parking space on a side road and walk back to the big chemists we spotted before, where a very helpful man finds what we need. We also try to fill up with diesel, but having queued we discover that they only accept Italian Bancomat credit cards.
Back at camp there has been a big changeover. No sign yet of the Danes back from collecting their son and his girlfriend from Milan. The sun is out but more thunder is forecast.
On the drive back we had been simulatenously overtaken and undertaken by a pair of bikers, one of whom was the proud owner of an enormous builder's bottom. As we had walked up a side street in Aosta another biker had pulled a wheelie down the street. What is it with bikers round here?
A variation on the theme of bells this evening, presumably for Saturday Mass.
Mad bellringers at Arvier from Howard Jameson on Vimeo.
We strolled into town to check out the food options. The nicest looking place was fully booked, so we ambled round to the Arvier Grill. T and I opt for starters, we all have pizza and then I have a tartuffo for pud.
Sadly, they don't take credit card but luckily there is an ATM next door. €55 is pretty good value, though. Walking back up through the cobbled streets there is a gazebo up and the locals appear ot be having a bring and share supper al fresco. If we had been Michael Palin of Celebrity Chefs then no doubt we would have been invited in to savour the local dishes, but we aren't so they don't.
Back at the tent we listen to the podcast version of last week's The Now Show and I will try to get the new one when the wifi area becomes teenage free. My 1000th photo of the trip turns out to be the one I took of my birthday pizzas.
The cheery teenagers outside the table tennis room where the wifi signal is strongest turns out to be quite a large Dutch contingent, including the couple from opposite. T thinks this is a ruse to cover the sound of a tunnel being dug out of the back of the washrooms.
Miles today - 49.
Happy Birthday to me.
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