Saint Marcel is a small village in the Italian alpine region of the Aosta Valley.

I was impressed by the idea that this small village should organize an International Conference about tourism in the Alps. When we arrived on Saturday 12th June there was a big party tent in the middle of a green grass field and a little crowd wandering around to understand what we were doing there. There were brochures on a few tables, flowers in wooden cribs, and posters about the village’s ancient mines and art crafts. And there were a big podium and translators in 4 different languages. Good Italian food at lunch and dinner, slow food on the program, and culture and tradition as attractions on the menu.

I will never look at a rock the same way I used to.

A break from the Alps to go rock climbing.
Natures’ great diversity amazes me. Seasonal changes or regional variations are really fascinating. But usually you have time to adapt while winter becomes summer. That’s one reason why my last road trip was incredible. Monday morning I left the Alps to be at the sea at noon. I went from snow covered pines to citrus trees with heavy fruit-filled branches. I took a break from the fresh but cold mountain air to enjoy a little hot sea breeze. I changed snowboarding for rock climbing