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O’ LA LA - LE SKIING WAS TRES- TRES BIEN!!
Alan Norton
Click here for all photos
February 2007 |
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The outlook was bleak for our trip before we left: no snow for months in the Alps. However, Mother Nature was
smiling down on us and, after a bit of wet stuff, down came the snow...in buckets!! We had an awesome day of
powder followed by days of good sunny, blue-sky weather; the whole experience was fantastic! The mountains
looked so huge as they just rose up around the quaint little town of Chamonix in France like giant sentinels. The
Sunsets, and Sunrises were magnificent! Some of our group got up to watch the former to get a good jump at first
tracks on the slopes. The hotel tried their best to make it nice for us too, with our own luxury coach awaiting the
throng twice a day in the morning.
The ski areas were spread out all over the valley offering every type of terrain for every type of skier, and boarder to ride their hearts out on! There were bowls so full of snow that you couldn't have found a rock even with a shovel! And the views were overwhelmingly to-die-for! Every ski area had a different view of the most incredible mountains in the Alps. All the runs had beauty breaks built into them, if you looked up that is... After expending so much energy on the slopes, one needed to take a little break for sustenance to be able to keep on truckin’. What better place than at the various little restaurants and taverns built right into the hills on the runs. The food was great as well as the wine and beer. When we were in Italy on one of the days we found the most interesting of lunch places called "Petite Mont Blanc"-right next to the lift! The waiters were part of the show and the food was excellent, if you love Italian food that is, and who doesn't? Then it was back to the hotel for another excellent dinner with things like puff pastry appetizers and other delicious dishes just rolling out of the kitchen, (the deserts were usually outstanding as well!) It was wonderful that they put out such good food, but you could also do it yourself if you wanted too. You could take your "coupon" and go to other restaurants in town, or just go to the other side of the gigantic dining area on the seventh floor of our hotel where another section offered a buffet with Fondue on the Menu (and was it an interesting assortment of meats to choose from!) Aside from the usual beef and chicken and venison, were things like ostrich and buffalo and kangaroo meat, as well as shrimp and scallops and other delicious seafood. The desert buffet was a daunting temptation for those who just inhaled more than they thought they could. (As usual the eyes have it.) We had a nice little party on the last day in the hotel, and Cheryl handed out some "Awards" for the funniest, happiest, longest winded, etc. of all the club party-animals that joined us for this trip. She also gave Sandi a lovely gift in appreciation of all the work that she did for everyone. Then all cheered Sandi and Cheryl and thanked them for such a great vacation!! We went on to The City of Lights and the Eiffel Tower, and Sandi took another group to Prague for an extension of our European Excursion. Click here for the Prague report. |