Sunday 3rd August 1834

Up at 6 – breakfasted & off at 9 – No trouble about Bill, all quite fair according to agreement & right, did not charge cold poulet – country beautiful, particularly all the valley down to Bourg Maurice, examination of Boot of carriage by Doame [Douane], on entering France, at [gap] . [gap] – rain came on about 2 oclock – at Grenoble, & at Les Ambassadeurs Hotel, by 3.30 comfortable apartments, rain continued so could not go out – dinner at 6 – capital, & abundance. wrote part of journal. went to bed 10 to 9 – did not sleep well, bowel complaint at 5 morning –

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale WYC:1525/7/1/5/1/22

[up at] 6 1/4

[to bed at] 11 25/

..long very good kiss to her last night   breakfast at 7 55/.. – Fahrenheit 69° at 8 a.m. – off from La parfaite Union, Chambéri, at 9 – fine valley and very good road – at 9 57/.. turn right and leave the poplar-avenued road to Montmélian (fine avenue of Italian poplars which began at the last village and seemed to extend a long way towards Montmélian) – At 10 8/.. a village and 1st view of the Isère (left) and fine peep up the Montmélian valley – fine rich wooded valley (league? broad) vines and no corn – at 10 10/.. stop 4 minutes to vérifier passport by the carabiniers on the confines of Sardinia – At 10 22/.. shew passport at the Douanes Royales de France and off again in one minute! at 10 32/.. drive under large shed opposite the Corps de Garde des douanes at Chapareilan – very civil – merely looked at the things in the front boot – changed horses (Chapareilan a mere village?) and off again at 10 59/.. – Is it here we enter the fine valley of Graisivaudan /Grésivaudan/ – At 12 29/.. shew passport to Gendarme at the village of Touvet – change horses at 1 1/4 at the village-town of Lumbin – wooded, rich, beautiful valley – green hill above hill charmingly grouped – vines on trees (chiefly maples) or on frames, or cut low as in France in general – abundance of mulberry and walnut trees – a vineyard garden or orchard all along our road which runs along the talus of the mountain range of the western side the valley while the beautifully winding runs near the foot of the mountain range of the eastern side – is the breadth between 1 or 2 leagues? – this is perhaps the most beautiful valley I ever saw – low clouds rolling low along the mountain sides as we left Chambéri, rain came on at 2 20/.. and continued all the rest of the way – the valley well peopled – at 2 25/.. pass the broad dry bed of mountain torrent and at 2 35/.. pass the dry bed of another where they are laying strong handsome masonry bed or channel for it to run on under the road – At 3 shew passport au village de Montbonnet /Montbonnot/ consisting of 1 longish poorish street – at 3 5/.. another but small bed of mountain torrent – have only observed these 3 beds of mountain torrents in this valley since entering France – very pretty about the town – the hill, or talus, just above us (right) a perfect vineyard dotted over with neat white houses – at 3 40/.. the Isère close on our left, and about as large as the Ouse at York – at 3 43/.. enter the little gate into the town and shew passport – returned to us in 2 or 3 minutes – pass thro’ shabbyish old-looking streets and alight at the hotel des Ambassadeurs at 3 50/..  – not a handsome looking hotel – but have 2 double bedded rooms have just had (from 5 50/.. to 7) a good dinner and are very comfortable – have just written so far of today at 7 35/.. p.m. – wrote out the last 20 lines of Sunday 6th and the whole of Monday 7th instant /should be ultimo/ till 10 3/4 – Fine day (tho’ threatening rain) till after 2 p.m. then rainy afternoon and evening Fahrenheit 72° –  now at 10 55/..

Courtesy of West Yorkshire Archive Service, Calderdale SH:7/ML/E/17/0068