Photo post; Paris and the Swiss Alps

Switzerland

Thursday; Swiss Alps

We left Paris for Switzerland early in the morning. On the bus we introduced ourselves to the group and watched a movie. Our group leader Lindsay also gave us some info about Switzerland. After driving for about 9 hours we arrived at our hostel in time for dinner which was a cheese fondue (and sausages). Our snow covered cabins nestled among the Alps were very picturesque, particularly as everything was decorated for Christmas still.

Friday; New Year’s Eve
For our only day in the Alps we decided to explored the village we were staying in (insert town name here). It was a beautiful day which must be rare because when we asked the lady at the campsite for change for the washing machine she rolled her eyes and said “you’re doing washing today!?” After doing our washing like good little travellers we walked through the snow looking at all the little shops, bought Swiss army knives (a must apparently) and laughed at Ian when, after grabbing a street pole, could not get his glove back off because of the ice. We caught cable car up into the Alps where we sat outside on deck chairs enjoying the scenery in the sun. The boys had beers and after we headed back down to prepare for our New Year celebrations.  

We started with some Champagne which we carted across from France and then Michelle and I, who were drinking Midori and pineapple juice, decided to make snow slushies. They were amazing (although I was particularly careful to use fresh, untouched snow)! We then joined the rest of our group in the bar for local apple cider and beers. Needless to say it was a BIG night which was highlighted by the fireworks display at midnight… put on by the 10-14 year old daughters of the campsite owners. This might explain why so many Swiss children were missing fingers?

We awoke New Year’s day to the news that it had been a big night for all… particularly for two unnamed members of the group who were caught having “good times” on the washing machine and for cabin 28… although the reason why is probably too improper for blogging purposes (just ask me what awaited the occupants of cabin 28 when you see me!)

Adventures in Paris

Sunday
After another big buffet breakfast (this is to be a theme throughout the trip) it was straight to the Eiffel tower for our bike tour of Paris. Despite it not snowing the air was bitterly cold and I was not looking forward to being on a bike for 3 hours. We met our guide, picked our bikes and off we went. It turned out to be a really good way to introduce us to the city. We got around to many of the main attractions and were able to mentally plan where we wanted to go back to> We were told some history and got a few opportunities to take some photos. My hands and feet by the end of the tour were frozen but it was a good experience and I would definitely recommend it (in spring!)

After the bike tour we lined up at the Eiffel tower but, sick of people already, Alex suggested we come back where there are less people (ha). So instead we went down to the river where there were some Christmas markets still open so we bought vin chaude and marrons chaude and watched the river rise.

The rising river was the unfortunate catalyst for the cancellation of our river cruise so instead we headed to dinner at a little restaurant where we made the embarrassing mistake of ordering  cocktails in France! They came out garnished with lollies and a smug look from the waiter (we did not ordered cocktails again in France).

After dinner we headed back into Paris to see the Eiffel tower at night and to meet up with one of my Cavilam friends, Danielle who took lovely photos of us with his DSLR camera. We then journeyed over to the Champs Elysees to see the lights and Christmas stalls. The street was packed but we still managed to make our way to the Arc de Triumph and take some more photos.

We slowly made our way back to the hotel to get some rest for the next day. I endeavoured to pack as much into our time in Paris as possible but, as Melanie said, there is no way you can see it all in a week!

Monday
Our second day began with (after breakfast) the line at the Louvre. The line was very lovely… but after we got into the museum and saw the obvious musts; the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo but we also saw some amazing things in the Egyptian exhibition and the ancient Greek and Roman collections. We spend the next three hours trying to take in the amazing the collections and the beauty of the actual building itself. Although I could have stayed there all day we left and walked to the Military museum to see Napoleon’s Tomb and learnt about France’s turbulent (yet impressive) military past. We also saw Napoleon’s horse, which they stuffed and stood in the corner of the museum… nice.

We stayed in the museum until security herded us out. We then decided to head to Notre Dame where we took some photos and explored the Latin quarter of Paris. We found a little restaurant on the outskirts which read “authentic French cuisine” on the menu so we decided to head in for some dinner. Turned out it was owned by a Chinese family where the mum cooked in the basement, sending the meals up to the son who, during his ‘service’ interludes watched videos on his laptop at the table across from us (perhaps this is authentically French service?)Our food, thanks to “mum” was amazing and cheap! All in all an exhaustingly productive day!      

Tuesday
For our last day in Paris we decided we would visit Versailles to see the Chateau. . We got off the train to face the biggest line I have ever seen. Inside the Chateau was no different; I have not been in such a small space with so many pushy people! The Chateau itself was amazing though, particularly the room of mirrors.

We returned to Paris and trekked to the hotel where we were meeting the tour group. After a treacherous and dirty walk through the suburbs of outer Paris we found the hotel and met our lovely Scottish tour leader, Lindsay. Ian and Michelle (the couple who were planned to do the tour with) we staying in the room next to us so we had a good catch up with them before our group dinner. Dinner for 40-something people on the cheap would be a challenge for any restaurant so I wasn’t expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised with French onion soup and an omelette and salad. The others also got to try escargot. (I tried to but just couldn’t do it; those snails had families too!)

After we went all got on the bus to do a city lights tour. It was nice to sit back and see all the areas or Paris we had been in. We also drove past the Moulin Rouge, down the Champs Elysse and around the Arc de Triumph round about (twice)! After stop at a church and the Eiffel tower we headed home.

Wednesday
Our final day in Paris!! We headed to the Eiffel tower first to make sure we got at the front of the line. We climbed the stairs to the second level (a good 800 or so) and had a look at the view. After the Tower we were to the Catacombs where we were faced with a two hour long line. Thankfully we had Ian and Michelle to talk to and before we knew it we were descending some more stairs into the mass graves. The bones were all arranged into patterns and we walked through the tunnels surrounded by more than 8000 skeletons of ancient Parisians who had fallen victim to the plague. It was a humbling and hallowing experience and we all left in a subdued silence.

Our spirits quickly escalated as we stepped onto the Champs Elyesse. We walk the length of the street and the boys say and watched the traffic at the roundabout. Despite him being sick it was the happiest I had seen him all day! (boys..) We window shopped and bought souvenirs from the  stalls then rushed  to Notre Dame to meet our group for dinner. Despite the overwhelmingly packed metro we got there early so we went into the church. It was magnificent. I cannot describe how beautiful the building is and the rich history behind it made it even more incredible. 

We met our tour group and walked to the Latin Quarter to have dinner which was, for me, a goat’s cheese salad, vegetables drowned in cream and cheese, and sorbet. One of the boys in the tour got a bug in his dinner and so, in an effort to make us all forget the experience, the waiter gave us copious amounts of free wine. It was a good night!

After dinner we went to a cabaret show. It started off a little tacky with motorcycles however they did the traditional cancan at the end. There was also an amazing male  gymnast, juggler and tap dancer who were incorporated to entertain the female component of the audience. There is something in the fact that the men actually have to have some type of skills while the women just have to look pretty... my thought for this post...       

Alex a Vichy et notre Noël blanc

Christmas Eve and my last day in Vichy

Friday
I got up Friday morning early enough to run down to the bakery and buy a croissant for Alex and a baguette for my class. I asked Alex to bring some vegemite and for my last day I wanted to treat them to an Australian delicacy. Our morning class was a mix of Christmas sayings and words and some traditional carols. We had vegemite during our break (which everybody surprisingly liked) and I said my goodbyes to the class.

I met Alex outside the school and we walked to a tea house to have some lunch. I ordered in French and Alex and I enjoyed hot chocolates and baguettes for lunch. After lunch we walked to the Grande Marche to buy some cheese, bread and a bûche noel for Christmas Eve. We shopped and bought some expensive lollies on our way back to the room where we got ready for drinks at Niveks place to say yet another farewell. After cheese, wine and bread Alex and I went to the local church Christmas service for a while. It was lovely to see the old church packed full of people but it was so crowded! We tried to find somewhere open for dinner but, after no luck, we went back to the hotel room to eat more cheese and bread and watched the Christmas programs on French television. It turned out to be a very quiet, cosy Christmas Eve.        

White Christmas!

Saturday
We woke Christmas day to beaucoup beaucoup de neige!!! It was awesome to have a white Christmas in France and Alex and I took many pretty photos from our hotel window. We went downstairs for petit-dejeuner and, unfortunately for the hotel restaurant, it wasn’t at all petit!  As we ate our big breakfast we watched the snow build up in the street and started to wonder just how we were going to get our bags to the train station. In the end we decided to catch a taxi. In now time at all we jumped off the train and landed in Paris. After negotiating our way through the metro system we clambered up onto the street. By the time I had opened the map an old French woman had Alex by the hand and was asking him where he wanted to go. (If only every metro station had a resident old women out the front!) She directed us, in French, to our hotel and we checked into our first Parisian hotel.  

Alex had organised with his cousin Tori to go and have some Christmas drinks with them because they lived in Paris. So after quick showers we were back on the metro heading towards Alex’s cousins in-laws place, a bottle of French Champagne in hand. We arrived and were warmly welcomed by Tori, Vincent (her French husband) and his French parents (who spoke a little English). Their house was beautiful and we ate cheese, pate, salad, vegies and little sausages (well I didn’t…) We also drank, which is where the adventures began. After two bottles of champagne and three bottles of red we were all relatively toasty and Vincent’s parents joined us so I got to practice my French with some real Parisians. They either understood me or cleverly and politely pretended to, either way we had the most amazing Christmas day thanks to them. After a very warm and thankful farewell on my part (I think the wine played a large part in this final exchange) we made our way back to our hotel, and crashed straight away; our first full day in Paris was to begin with a bike ride, oh my! 

Mes adieux à Vichy

My final week in Cavilam continued just as it had begun, with a lot of food!  

Monday night was sushi night in Danielle’s room where we made salmon, cucumber and avocado sushi and drank more red wine. Tuesday night was my last official night with the family and we had salad, grilled and baked vegetables followed by cheese and then baked apples.

Wednesday was Lynn’s farewell lunch followed by my farewell dinner at Josephine’s, the best crepe place in Vichy. I had a salade followed by a smoked salmon crepe and then sorbet. After we went out for cheap cocktail at one of the bar’s and good times were had by all. I went home very happy inn the early morning excited about Alex arriving on Thursday…

Thursday arrived and I was woken by a call from Alex informing me that his flight from Heathrow was postponed and, as a result, he was going to miss his train to Vichy. After spending all week listening to how hard it is to get train tickets at this time of year I started to think he would have to stay in Paris for Christmas! I went straight to the train station and tried to book him a ticket but there were none left. After trying to book one online with no luck during my lunch break I began to wonder whether I should try to get to Paris.

After a day of worry my clever little Alex rings me from a train which would arrive in Vichy at 10pm. (Sometimes I forget how clever he actually is!) The story of how he managed negotiating his way around Paris however relies heavily on his ability to look lost and forlorn which apparently  attracts a large number of elderly French women eager to help the young Australian.

So dinner was at a local Moroccan restaurant with my Vichy friends. The food was incredibly cheap and amazingly tasty! I had vegetarian couscous while most others had tagines, which smelt wonderful.  After dinner I walked, accompanied by my gorgeous entourage of Reiner and Nivek, to the train station to meet Alex. Yes the reunions was like some sappy romantic movie involving trains and reunited loved ones, it the scene was shot it sepia tone it could have been mistaken for a vintage Hollywood film…

So despite the weather everything turned out perfectly; bring on Christmas!

Faux Noël

Sunday and Faux Noël

I had been a little worried about how I was going to spend Christmas away from home this year but lucky for me I have found some wonderful friends in Vichy, all of whom love Christmas. We decided to have an early Christmas party which I titled “Faux Noël” where we would each bring a dish of something and celebrate a time which is near to, but not quite, Christmas.

The day began at the Grande Marché where the lady who owns one of the local bakeries, who we see almost everyday, gave us samples of all the different Bûche de Noël (chocolate, strawberry and caramel) she was selling for Christmas. We all bought our ingredients for our one Christmas dish each and then headed back to Nivek’s place to cook up a storm.

Nivek had spent the week downloading Christmas carols which we played in the background of our feast. Ater four courses of; two salads, pasta, an amazing Trifle made by Nivek and a bottle of Côtes du Rhône I felt like it was finally Christmas time. Just like at Christmas time however, we all ate way too much and had to retreat to the bed for the next two hours to watch a DVD. When I could move again I waddled home, in love with Vichy, Christmas in France and my beautiful friends.

Fromage, petits villages et de Noël

Saturday began with an early (8am) start for an excursion around the local region, Auvergne. Our group was about 10 people (including Nivek) so we all spread out on the bus and enjoyed the snow covered scenery from the windows. 

Our first stop was a small village called Orcival. The bus dropped us at the top of the village and as we made our way down the steep, snow covered steps I pondered as to how much money I could actually make as a personal injury lawyer in France. (Considering I would need to speak flawless French I am guessing not that much.) The entire town was covered in a thin blanket of snow and decorated with Christmas paraphernalia.It was my first excersion to such a little town so I was a little excited and the phrase “it’s so cute”, I am ashamed to say, was utilised a little too often.

We went into the local cathedral (called Notre Dame) where the priest and I had an interesting exchange in French which ended with him asking me whether I was from Cavilam (the language school) to which I replied; “oui” and he told me that it was pretty much painted on our foreheads (although perhaps he could have been blessing me… I think I will go with that story instead.)

After a quick coffee we were off to the next town for lunch. We arrived at Les Arnats and entered a “donkey” themed restaurant called ‘Auberge de l’âne’ which Nivek informed me literally translates to; “The inn of the ass”! We negotiated our way through the endless donkey posters, statues and stuffed toys to our table where I tried to inform the waitress that I was a vegetarian. Although my French was fine, the concept was not. After a brief conversation with the tour guide however she fetched the chef who told me he could make me something “sans viande.”

The table consisted of two Chinese men, a Japanese couple, a Texan, a Canadian, Nivek, the tour guide and me so the language of the lunch was French. As far as conversation goes I did alright, particularly when I got talking about my favourite Japanese films and bands with the Japanese couple but got horribly stuck when the Texan asked me why I was a vegetarian. The lunch for me was a salade vert followed by Truffade (a local specialty of potatoes fried with three types of cheese) and, after another course of cheese,we had crème anglais and meringue for dessert. It was a fantastic lunch.

Our final stop for the day was les Mysteres de Farges, a series of caves in which the cheese I have been eating is ripened. The bus dropped us at the top of the snow covered cliff and we began our tour of the “grottes”. The St Nectaire cheeses lay on stones inside the caves and we got to try some while the tour guide told us the history of the cheese. Now, through a combination of the fact that it was intensely cold and that the guide was speaking French, I may have missed out on some of the finer details of the talk, Lucky for me there was a diorama waiting for us in the next room equipped with dramatic music and a light show. This was followed by a “3D experience” where a pair of magic glasses let us view projected images in real 3D, which led me to conclude that the tour had not changed since the 70s, although perhaps it added to the authenticity of the 'little town' feel.

Freezing and ready for home we got back onto the bus only to find that everyone jumped off it just as quick, Nivek and I soon realized why. The bus, parked on the snow next to a cliff, lost traction as it tried to reverse and, every time it attempted to turn around we slid a little closer to the cliffs edge. Needless to say we were off the bus in a flash and back up to the caves to find some warmth.

I can safely say I have never been that cold in my life and locked myself in the bathroom with the hand dryer. Thankfully the bus had blocked a somewhat important route out of the town so within the hour we were stranded half the town turned up to help. (I might point out here it was a small town so there was about 20 people) but soon the bus was towed to safety and we returned home.