One of my very best friends was living in the Holland for a few months. We had huge plans to go snowboarding in the Alps of France while he was there. Unfortunately the timing and the money budget was an issue. It was impossible for me to leave for Europe at that time.
So he went to heaven without me.

The news is that there is a big snowstorm heading for the Western Alps this weekend with France and Switzerland likely to receive the most snow.  The snow is predicted to be heaviest on Sunday and Monday according to Snow Menu.  The snowfall will be followed by a sharp drop in temperature so that snow should be falling at 1500 m in most areas.  By Tuesday it is expected that the freezing level will be down to around 600m so it will be very chilly in the mountains!  Source Snow Menu

We are now taking bookings for our last apartment (sleeps 2) for Christmas and New Year 2009 in the heart of the French Alps 

For Christmas, bookings will commence Sun 20^th Dec and for New Year, Sun 27^th Dec, but with this accommodation we can be flexible so let us know if you have different requirements. 

Enjoy the festive season the way YOU want in the cosy centrally located apartments and enjoy a hassle free white Christmas or the New Year celebrations. 

Christmas week and new Year week are £400GBP per week including bed linen. For more information on the property click here

Authentic 18 century Hamlet ideal for gite business or family retreat. The Hamlet is totally renovated to high standards in traditional style keeping the original character and details

View Larger Map

If you’re in Ponchy, this issue hit newsstands last Thursday. But if you’re not in the Strawberry Capitol or just didn’t manage to grab a copy, check out the online version of the paper and my new bi-monthly travel column! This first article is about “Packing for a long-stay abroad.”

1. Go to http://ponchatoula.com/ptimes/
2. Click the “New Online Edition Click Here” sample newspaper icon (You can’t miss it).
3. The paper will open in a new window and the article’s on the front page!

Feedback is appreciated, so let me know what you think!

When we left Les Arcs on Tuesday 3rd November snow had fallen in the village of Moulin at 1400 metres. 

It has continued to snow all week with the glaciers receiving the most new snow.  In Tignes on the Grande Motte Glacier up to 30 cm of snow has fallen so glacier skiing is superb right now.

Elsewhere the fall in temperature has meant that snow cannons have been in operation preparing the pistes for the coming season.

With Chalet Le Passeu now full for Christmas and other peak weeks check out our availability and get your booking in place (if you need flights use our skyscanner planner to help find the cheapest flights when you want to travel.  Just choose your destination airport from our menu e.g. Geneva, Lyon, Grenoble and it’s a simple as that.

We hear that Ryan Air are offering ski carriage for free if you book before midnight on Wednesday 11th November (return ski carriage is normally £80)  Ryan Air fly to Grenoble from Stanstead and Birmingham.

[Note: This last month has been a challenging one for our family, and while we are not quite ready to share what has passed, we ensure that everyone is doing great and we are just about ready to get back to posting more things on this blog.  I'm particularly looking forward to getting things rolling with the series of post on Fighting for the Home.]

La Croix du Nivolet from downtown Chambery

by J.D.

As many of you know from previous posts, Traci and Eli had a short visit back to the States for the funeral of a close friend and to visit family.  That was a month ago, and the trip overlapped mine and Traci’s anniversary.  Our good friends and fellow missionaries, the Fay’s, held to their offer to watch the kids for a full day so Traci and I could hike a mountain together, and this past Saturday we finally got to go.  Many thanks to the Fay family!  You can see pictures of our kids hanging out with Sam Fay on their website.

La Croix du Nivolet is probably Chambéry’s most noticeable landmark, sitting at 1547 meters up.  There’s a very nice lookout around the cross (which is approximately 70 ft tall), and the view’s are incredible.  There are several ways to get to the top.  You can drive to within an hour’s easy walk and park in a nice parking lot.  You can also drive to a nearby ski resort, which would put you within an hour and a half.  Or, if you’re feeling up for a challenge, you can take a bus to a tiny town halfway up the mountain called Lovettaz, hike two hours and climb a nail-biting set of cliffs and ladders. 

Or…if you’re feeling absolutely out of your mind (and apparently we were), you can start at an altitude of about 200 meters at the very bottom of the mountain in a town called St. Alban-Leysse.  This made for what turned out to be the most enjoyably unenjoyable 8 1/2 hours of our lives!  Fortunately, our good friends were up for keeping our kids into the evening.  It was a great time of mutual reflection, meditation, and pondering the future.  I even made up a little tune on the way up, and after nearly turning back at the cliffs and ladders (I have a terrible fear of heights), my song had some real substance to it on the way back down.

Une marche dans les montagnes

Vers la Croix du Nivolet

N’arrêtez pas sur le chemin

Finissez au Nivolet!

 

Non-literal translation:

[A walk in the mountains

Towards the Cross of Nivolet

Don't stop on the path

Go all the way to Nivolet!]

I’ve been “on vacation” for almost a week now (since last Saturday), and even though I haven’t been outside of a 30 minute radius of Annecy, I feel like I’ve traveled all over. It is truly special to live in a cit that serves as a comfortable home base AND an a fascinating tourist destination – for this I consider myself truly blessed!

Since I’m currently packing for a 6-day trip to Italy (Milan, Bergamo, Verona, Padua, Venice, Como) and don’t have time to write a proper post, I thought I’d give you a sample of what I’ve been up to this week using several of my most recent Facebook statuses (or stati?):

Ashley Herrick:

• just spent a perfectly warm and sunny day enjoying traditional Savoyard cuisine in an 18th century maison in the commune of Talloires (on Lac d’Annecy), received a special tour the village and admired tout le lac et les feuilles en couleur, en haut de les montagnes (the whole lake and the colored leaves high from the top of the mountains)!
• loves les Francais agee (French old people). She joined a choir tonight and stuck out like a sore thumb (being under the age of 50), but had a great time and they practically fought over who would bring her to practice next week.
• had a mini adventure and plenty of exercise while visiting her first French castle, le 13th-15th century Chateau de Montrottier in Lovangy. Took one bus, waited for another that never came, decided to walk the rest of the way from Poisy to Lovangy, made it just in time to have a practically private tour of the chateau (only one other couple showed up), then thankfully caught two trustworthy buses on the way home. Whew – long day!
• ’s washing machine is honking her clothes clean, her trip to the pharmacy (stupid head cold) resembled caveman speak with few words and a lot of pointing and demonstrations, but her voicemail in French to the landlady was right on! Ah, the little things in life…

Chateau de Montrottier - Lovangy, France

Incredible fall colors in the bay of Talloires

View of Lac d'Annecy from Col de la Forclaz

]]> http://lifeinthefrenchalps.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/getting-things-done/ Thu, 08 Oct 2009 10:09:05 +0000 rayne68 http://lifeinthefrenchalps.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/getting-things-done/

Right, well, now that I am thinking (in English) with a British accent and am strangely exhausted but hyped up on caffeine while listening to my stomach grumble, I think this is the perfect time to write another post!

Today has been quite successful I must say. This morning, Lynsey and I wandered back over to LCL (Credit Lyonaise – a bank near our apartment) to finish opening our accounts and get renter’s insurance. We were a bit worried about everything going smoothly because it doesn’t often seem to here in France. Thankfully we were pleasantly surprised and received a mountain of paperwork each (to keep), as well as our “RIBS” (which the bank man today explained is the same as the IBAN – ahah, now it all makes sense!) within about 15 minutes. When I think about all the trouble I went through the past week to make a “rendez-vous” with one bank only to have them tell me at the rendez-vous (several days later) that they don’t do short-term accounts, then my trip to the Post Office where I went to inquire about opening an account (yes, apparently they have bank accounts too) and ran into several other disgruntled assistants who pretty much assured me to go somewhere else because of all the trouble they were having. Then Lynsey and I just decide to go to LCL because it’s on the way from our apartment to the city center and it turns out to be the most friendly and welcoming place (where we didn’t even need to set up an appointment!) to set up our bank accounts AND get renter’s insurance for the entire year at only 1 Euro!

Scheduling Issues

As soon as we finished with bank stuff, I realized I had a voicemail – it was a teacher from Lycée Berthollet ringing to check up on me since I was supposed to be teaching that day (though no one had told me this…). I promptly rang her back and left another message saying I would happily come in if someone would just tell me when beforehand! Thankfully, Patricia, another teacher at the school, finally called later this afternoon and told me my schedule. So for the first 8 weeks I’ll be working pretty much all days on Monday (9-4:30pm) at Collège Blanchard, then will hop over to Berthollet Tuesday mornings from 8-11am and have another hour at the collège from 1:30-2:30pm. Wednesdays and Thursdays I’ll be free (yay – more time for writing/exploring) and will work again on Fridays from 8-12pm at the lycée. At the collège I’ll apparently have to prepare lessons and will be given half the class to teach for 30 minutes each, but with the lycée I’ll have only 2-3 students at a time. I am quite looking forward to their questions (apparently they will have plenty) and learning what they know/think about the US and Louisiana.

The Magic Box

Immediately after getting our “RIBs” this morning, Lynsey and I headed off to complete mission #2:  get the internet/phone service process started. We ordered a SFR Neufbox which means that for 29,90 Euro per month we will receive:

• Internet
• lots of TV + music channels
• free international calling to landlines in more than 90 countries

In case you are reading this and happen to be a friend in another country, yes I will be able to Skype you but I can also call the US, England, Canada, Japan, and loads of other places! So just let me know if you have a webcam or a landline telephone and I’d be happy to set up a time to talk! All we have left to do now is patiently wait for the magical box to arrive in the mail (which could take 15 days to 3 weeks). As soon as it’s all set up, I’ll let you all know!

Afternoon Field-Trip

Today, a teacher at Ben’s school told him about a nice mountain view from which we could see Mt. Blanc. Eager for a mini-road trip, we all piled into his car and set out for an adventure just after lunchtime. About thirty minutes (and quite a few hairpin turns along mountain roads) later, we arrived safe and sound on top of the mountain and quickly scrambled out of the car to take photos of the beautiful view. Shame on me for not bringing my mini tripod, but we still got several good “mountain-gear catalogue-esque” photos of all of us with the amazing scenery in the backdrop using the resources around us (thank you rock, sign post, clump of grass, etc…). It really was a perfect day for this trek – clear blue skies and warmer temperatures with just a slight breeze. Amazingly, it has only drizzled once since I’ve moved to Annecy, but, according to the French TV weather lady, a rainy spell should be starting tomorrow. I hope the dreary weather doesn’t last long though because I don’t want the picture-perfect image of my new city to shrivel into a cold, wet puddle just yet.

After our exploration/brief modeling shoot in mountains, Ben was gracious enough to let everyone apartment crash for a few hours so that us Internet-deprived women could check our email. We were all strangely exhausted from the day’s car ride and this World Wide Web session eventually turned into a sort of delirious You Tube “trip down memory lane” involving videos of several boy-bands from the 90s, a lot of random goofy dancing by us girls, and Ben probably wishing he had never let us in the door!

A Different Way of Life

I’m gradually getting used to the different aspects of French life, like washing clothes in our crazy, grunting, leaky, washing machine and then hanging them out to dry on the white metal clothes-hanger thingy outside on the porch. This type of activity is a bit foreign to me because back home, pretty much everyone has a washer (non-squeaky, non-leaky) and dryer in their house. I remember visiting a friend’s family cottage last summer in Nova Scotia and actually asking her mom if I could hang my clothes on the clothes line because I had never done that before (she laughed but was happy to oblige my request).

As for TV, we do have some basic channels at the moment. So far I’ve caught up on several old-school shows that I haven’t seen in a while (or ever): The Young and the Restless, Little House on the Prairie, Desperate Housewives, 7^th Heaven (or “Sept dans la Maison” as it is known here), Bones, and Malcolm in the Middle. All of these shows are dubbed in French of course, but I am proud to say I can generally understand what’s going on, even though I’m not up to date with the storylines. I also watched this weird French dating game show with two girls and three guys separated by a wall. The host goes back and forth on both sides of the wall, provoking the girls and cracking jokes with the guys while each side asks and answers dating questions to eliminate each other until only one guy and girl are left. At this point, the two awkwardly meet and are immediately ushered into a separate room behind the studio audience that bares an eerie similarity to Big Brother (the couple is now “alone” in a private apartment setting – alone except for the millions of TV viewers watching the two get to know each other through various cameras that have been placed around the apartment. After about five minutes, the couple comes back out into the studio audience area and each of them is given the chance to accept their match or reject  it (in this particular episode, neither the girl nor guy fancied continuing their 5-minute relationship and then awkwardly walk off stage, still loveless but slightly more famous – if that helps any?).

A Place to Call Home

I’m finally getting around to decorating my room with photos and the few personal possessions I brought from home that are not various layers of clothing. Allowing my creativity to do its thing, I created several geometric shapes out of photographs on two walls. These shapes act as a sort of artistic head and footboard for my bed. I’m also hoping to find another duvet cover or some pretty fabric to place on my bed – the current covering is nice but the pattern’s just not my style. And since my bed is definitely the focal point of the room (and queen-sized to boot), dressing it up will definitely change the feeling of the entire space. I am happiest in places that inspire me so my success in France depends on sprucing up my room! We’ll see what I can find.

Tignes in France opened for Skiing on the Grande Motte Glacier on Saturday 29th September 2009.  The conditions are reported as being great with firm snow under foot and bright sunny skies up above.  Similar conditions can be expected at all of the open European “summer” skiing resorts thanks to temperatures remaining relatively low on the glaciers.  Source  Weekly Global Snow Report Snow Menu

by J.D.

Last Saturday, I had yet another wonderful opportunity to conquer one of the many incredible “hills” here in the French Alps (read about the trek to La Dent du Chat).  This time it was La Pointe de la Galoppaz, which can be seen from our balcony on the east side of town.  At 1681 meters high, it is just over a mile up.

I enjoyed the company of two more fine men for this marche dans la montagne.  Adam Huntley and Paul Beadle joined me and my previous hiking partner, Kory Fay, for what turned out to be 8 hours of fairly intense inclines and some interesting discoveries.  Though things didn’t look too good from the get-go (it was completely overcast with low clouds all day, and our fifth hiking mate had to miss the trip), I think we all thoroughly enjoyed the challenging trails and the unique scenes that we encountered above the clouds.

Click on any picture for a full view…

Hopping on a jet plane and galavanting across the world is one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. Moving thousands of miles away always has its drawbacks, however, especially when it means leaving a place you’ve called home for several years or maybe your whole life. The growth and success of the Internet has led to instantaneous and cheaper (if not free) ways to keep in contact with loved ones far away via voip programs like Skype, instant messaging forums such as MSN Messenger, or social networking sites (ex. Facebook). A wave of blogging sites like this one allow just about anyone to share their experiences with the world. But none of these virtual contact mediums can replace true physical prescence.

My decision to move to France means I will miss quite a few people, things and events. My friends and family, of course, are at the top of this list. I won’t get to watch my little sister do cheerleading, or my brother’s graduation. I’ll also miss cantoring at my church, a task I truly cherish every Sunday. And I just had to turn down singing at the wedding of two good friends because they will be getting married a week before I return home. This is the price I pay for following my dream. Maybe one day I’ll be able to afford frequent trans-atlantic trips and won’t have to give up quite so much for my passion. Until then I’ll just enjoy letters from home and care packages. This is going to be an amazing journey, but not one I’d want to face without support!

I found this article in today’s The Advocate, but, since I can’t seem to find a link to it on their website, I’ve just re-typed it here. Looks like my reception into French culture may be a bit different than normal if swine flu keeps up…

Also, here’s the link to a new CNN video on the matter.

Paris – It’s a ubiquitous French tradition, as familiar as a baguette or an espresso at the neighborhood cafe.

Now, “la bise,” the cheek-to-cheek peck the French use to say hello or goodbye, has come under pressure from a globalized threat: swine flu.

Some French schools, companies and a Health Ministry hot line are telling students and employees to avoid the social ritual out of fear the pandemic could make it the kiss of death, or at least illness, as winter approaches.

For students in two schools in the town of Guilvinec, in France’s wester Brittany region, the first lesson of the year came from local officials: no more cheek kisses to teachers or other students.

“I asked the children not to kiss anymore,” Mayor Helene Tanguy said. “I felt that the protections sought – to wash hands regularly, not throw used handkerchiefs around, and not cough any old way – had no meaning if we let the kids keep kissing.”

There’s no punishment for those who do kiss, she added.

France has had three swine flu deaths.