Ok, where were we? Last check in we posted about snow and that was in January, now it's March and guess what - still snowing. Had a solid 6 inches a few days ago and fun as that is, winter is really starting to get old. I'd post pictures of the snow, but you can pretty much go back to the previous post and get the idea. It's now March 16 and bring on "printemps"! I want some sun!
That said, while winter has gone on we have continued to get out and see more places in France and of course enjoyed the company of more visitors. Beginning on le jour de la Saint Valentin my long time buddy from way back, none other than one Mr. Ronald G. Tycer and his wife Lindsay were next to pay us a visit here in Paris. (I guess I should say that technically Louis and making her first guest appearance Keelin "Squeak" Marcoux were here a week earlier on their way to South Africa and did make the all night Super Bowl party with us, but I just don't want to relive that experience. No offense Lewis!)
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| Our B&B |
Arriving on St. Valentine's day meant just enough energy for a nice dinner before getting some much needed sleep, after all we had a big weekend planned starting on Friday morning. The plan this time was to hit up another of the wine regions in France and go to Côtes du Rhône. Taking the TGV train first thing in the morning got us to Vaison-la-Romaine by about lunch time. This was a very quaint traditional French village with an old castle up on a hill and some ancient ruins in the middle of town. Also being a French village there was a town square, a few boulangeries and a fabulous cheese shop. Oh, some wine too of course. Enjoyed a relaxing Friday evening before getting up to a nice breakfast at our B&B then getting picked up by the wine tour guide we had arranged.
We started out at 10:00 on our tour for the day visiting 3 different AOC's of the region on a slightly chilly and windy, but very sunny day. This was probably the first time we had seen sun since……. Anyway. During the day our guide took us to both vineyards and wineries to learn about both the "terroir" and wine making techniques that are utilized in the area. One big surprise to me was that in Côtes du Rhône they use very little oak to age their wine, mostly stainless steel and concrete vats are used. Also that the soil is incredibly rocky and in many places doesn't look like anything but weeds would grow which is much different than many other areas. Olivier was very good at providing not only a good tasting experience, but also a good education which made for an excellent outing. And we saw the sun.
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| In Vacqueyras next to the rocky soil |
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| Enjoying our cheese and wine happy hour! |
After the weekend we made our way back to Paris where the Tycer's spent a few more nights with us enjoying cheese, baguettes, more wine and a few added sites in Paris. So glad that they were able to make the trip and experience a bit of Parisian life with us!
A few weeks after that came our next French adventure, this time to celebrate my birthday, would be a ski weekend in the French Alps town of Les Arcs, this time joined again by our friends Alex and Stacey. Having been incredibly spoiled living in Zurich last year where the proximity to skiing was a short train ride away, in Paris the trip is much longer and does require a weekend, so this would be the one and only ski trip this year. Needless to say we made the most of it. Taking Friday off work and getting the morning train, we arrived in Les Arcs by mid afternoon and quickly found a great outdoor patio with a beer and great view of Mont Blanc. Enjoying again some much needed sunshine we had a few beers, then found this great little wine bar in the middle of the village. Finishing off our first night with dinner, we got a good night of rest before a full day of skiing on Saturday.
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| Mont Blanc just behind us |
Saturday weather was amazing! Bright blue ski, sun all day, cold but not too cold and good snow conditions. If we are only getting two days, this was about as good as you could ask for. European ski resorts are massive in size if we haven't mentioned before. Over the two days of skiing we hit about 1/3 of the available area but never got bored. European ski areas also cater to all levels of skill off of every lift so you can ski together all day without having to split up which is nice. After a great day of skiing, we all took in a nice French dinner and a few drinks to celebrate my birthday then off to bed. Sunday we got a few hours of skiing in then had to make our way back to Paris in the evening.
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| The girls take a litte rest on the slopes |
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| Birthday boy is ready to go! |
Two great weekend trips with great friends and some more great pictures. Wish we could have had a whole week to ski like most French people do, but lesson learned for next time I guess! Bon temps!
