The French Alps are among the most popular year-round resort areas in the world, with internationally renowned ski stations such as Chamonix, Megève and Courchevel, and historic cities like Chambery, capital of the Savoie before it joined France. Elegant spa towns line the shore of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva). Grenoble, a bustling university and high-tech centre, is flanked by two of the most spectacular nature reserves in France, the Chartreuse and the Vercors. To the South, orchards and fields of sunflowers give way to brilliant rows of lavender interspersed with vineyards and olive groves.