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Friday thought #30 What to do when visiting Chamonix…?

March 27, 2015March 27, 2015 sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

Having visitors is a perfect opportunity to reflect on what you love about a place and why you choose to live there as it forces you to come up with a suitable itinerary that will entertain, occupy and create lasting memories for your guests. Or maybe it’s just me who thinks that visiting guests need their visit planned out step by step? Others may just choose to wing it but the thought of people flying over to visit, and me having nothing planned for them, fills me with horror! What if they have a rubbish time?! What if it’s your fault?! Maybe it depends on the type of visitor, or maybe it’s my love of organisation…! But whatever the reasons, recent visiting family forced me to consider all manner of things such as; where have they already been? What’s the weather going to be like? What can we do in the rain? How much will it cost? How much time have we got? What would they like to do? Do I need to book in advance? What will we eat? What is there to do?! …… And the list goes on and on.

The first few times people visit, it’s easy. You tick off all the main attractions, the cable cars, the famous walks, the viewpoints etc, but once they start arriving for their 4th, 5th, 6th visit, that’s when you start to scratch around for activities and destinations they haven’t already seen. It’s fine when you live there all the time, if it rains you just stay indoors and potter around, but visitors need a holiday, it needs to be a worthwhile visit.

So I’ve decided to compile a small list of activities and excursions I would recommend for non-skiing, non-climbing visitors to do when in Chamonix, all based on my own experience and the reactions of real-life visitors.

* Take the cable car up to the Aiguille de Midi – the 2nd highest cable car in the World! Look up to the highest mountain in the Alps and look across to tumbling glaciers in both France and Italy.

* Take the historic rack and pinion railway up to Montenvers to see the famous Mer de Glace and visit the ice caves.

* Hike up to the magnificent Lac Blanc, either starting from ground level or by taking the Flegere cable car to give a significant head start!

* Take the cable car up to the Plan de l’Aiguille and hike across the high mountain pass to the Montenvers railway station before taking the train down.

* Either snowshoe or walk up to the Vielles Luges restaurant in Les Houches for lunch or just a vin chaud and a bit of people/mountain watching.

* Book a table at the Cremerie in the woods of Argentiere and hike up with head torches for a memorable alpine meal in wonderful, cosy surroundings.

* Drive up to Plaine Joux, facing Mont Blanc, for a perfect view of the whole mountain range, then take a gentle stroll through the forest to the lake before heading back to watch the parapenters literally running off the side of the mountain…

* Spend the day in nearby Annecy, have lunch in the sun or take a swim/hire a pedalo in the beautiful lake.

* Drive through the Mont Blanc tunnel and pop out in Italy to spend the day in a different country eating delicious, cheap Italian food!

* Jump in the car and head off to explore beautiful central Switzerland – Interlaken and the surrounding area at 3 hours drive is well worth a visit.

These are only but a small handful of the things you can do whilst spending some time in the French Alps. If you enjoy the outdoors and appreciate stunning natural scenery then you will never be bored in a place like this, you just need to be willing to alter plans at the last minute as the weather has a knack of hindering even the best laid plans!

Enjoy!

Who needs an itinerary when the views look like this?!

Friday thought #29 Cats with character

March 20, 2015March 17, 2015 sharonwraywriting2 Comments

Maybe it’s a little strange to constantly keep a camera handy in order to take photos of your cat, but when your cat is as ridiculous, handsome and and fluffy as Gozo, it’s almost a necessity! Plus, it has become clear that cats are by far the most popular creature on the internet, so why not share the love?! As a first time visitor to our house recently remarked: “What a magnificent beard!”

I must admit that a few years ago I would have placed myself firmly in the ‘dog camp’, seeing cats as aloof, grumpy and rather miserable creatures; a long way behind the canines as suitable household pets. But how my thoughts have changed! This one is truly remarkable, and unfortunately has made us realise that our future cats from now on will have to be Ragdolls. Once you’ve had a Ragdoll there’s no going back!

A pose he actually CHOOSES of his own accord...! — A pose he actually CHOOSES of his own accord…!

New choice for the Book Club – ‘Of Mice and Men’ by John Steinbeck

March 17, 2015November 1, 2015 sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

Our first classic! Such a well-studied and famous book, it is still required reading in many schools and has been adapted countless times for screen, stage and radio. It’s only 120 pages long and harks back to 1937, some of us studied it for GCSEs many moons ago yet most of us know nothing about it. Chosen by an English teacher and highly recommended, will we love it or will it be too dated? Will we pick up on the imagery and the deep rooted themes without looking at it as an academic text? Let’s find out!

We are all Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler.

March 17, 2015November 1, 2015 sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

Please see the Book Club Pages for my review on our latest book, ‘We are all Completely Beside Ourselves’ by Karen Joy Fowler.

Friday thought #28 Apartment hunting – what matters and what doesn’t??

March 12, 2015November 1, 2015 sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

When looking to move to a new town, finding somewhere to live is an absolute minefield, especially when you don’t currently live in the place you’re planning to move to. Do you look to live in the city centre? Right in the hustle and bustle but easier to make friends and socialise. Or do you look out of town? Quiet, peaceful, more space and overall more appealing but with the knowledge that you may end up feeling cut off and out of touch. Should you live near work and avoid the commute, or live somewhere more desirable and travel to work? So many things to consider!!

It’s a big step upping sticks and moving somewhere completely new, and add to that a new country and a new language and your life suddenly becomes very complicated. However hunting around, comparing prices and studying maps of the area is a great way of finding your way round a new place. You very quickly get a feel for where you would like to be, what’s too big, what’s too small and far more importantly than what you do want, is to eliminate what you absolutely don’t want.

I’d say this can be the same for many aspects of life, if you can’t decide what you’re looking for or where you would like to be, consider what you’re not looking for and you will immediately reduce your options enormously. When looking at somewhere to live, for example, an estate agent’s website may display 300 potential properties in the city and surrounding area. No-one has time to trawl through all of these but by carefully considering your criteria you can vastly narrow your search, thus making the whole process much less irritating! But the big question is, what are your criteria? Being forced to think about it really makes you realise what is important and what is an unnecessary luxury. How many bedrooms do you really need? How often is the spare bedroom actually used? How desperately do you need a garden? What can you get rid of? How will your cat come and go? By adamantly insisting that you will only consider 3 bedroomed houses, are you missing out on some lovely 2 bedroomed places?

All useful questions, the answers to which are only considered when we’re forced to make a decision. But it’s a very useful exercise whereby you often learn something new about yourself. What do you really need, and what do you not? The answer is rarely what you first expected…

Friday thought #27 Will the mountain environment ever get boring?

March 6, 2015March 6, 2015 sharonwraywriting4 Comments

You may or may not have ever heard of the Vallée Blanche, some of you may have even skied it, but regardless of your previous knowledge, the pictures of this stunning ski run speak for themselves. Essentially it is a completely off piste ski trail, 18km long, ungroomed, unpatrolled, and follows an enormous glacier down the Chamonix Valley, marking the border between Italy and France. You enter the Vallée Blanche at your own risk, preferably with a guide, as there are no end of crevasses waiting to swallow you up if you head the wrong way. From start to finish the whole experience is simply breathtaking, in the sense that it literally will take your breath away. I’d say it’s worth learning how to ski if only so you get the chance to do this at least once in your life!

It has to be done on a sunny day as the views are just as important, if not more important than the skiing. To reach the start you have to fight your way on to arguably one of the busiest ski lifts in the World and trying to get a space on it between 8 and 10am is every man for himself, yet as we recently discovered, heading back round for lap number 2 in the afternoon is more than worth the effort. After the pandemonium of the morning, at 2.30pm we had the lift to ourselves, and saw just 2 other people in the distance during the entire run down, easily 2 hours of solitude in what has to be one of the most stunning places on earth. Add to this tranquility the beauty of skiing home at dusk watching the sun creep its way downwards behind the mountains and it all makes for a pretty magical day.

Thank you Chamonix.

Just taking a break next to the ice fall... — Just taking a break next to the ice fall…

Heading down the arête for lap number 2, wait till the afternoon and you have your own private mountain!

Stunning ice, different every time — Stunning ice formations, although not sure it it’s pointing at something worthy of note or giving me the finger!

Heading home in to the sunset. So clichéd but in this case very true!

Friday thought #26 Discovering new places – Kosovo and Macedonia

February 20, 2015 sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

Going somewhere new is always an amazing experience, especially when it’s in an entirely new part of the World, completely unknown and with no pre-conceptions. No matter what you encounter, it will be an adventure, and Eastern Europe definitely delivered. Our only basis for going was that we’d vaguely heard the skiing could be good, and the half term school holidays in France are as good a reason as any to get the hell out of the Alps. You can fly directly to Pristina, Kosovo from Geneva, so why not?

Some of the absolute highlights for me:

* One man chairlifts!

* Dinner for two for €3.50!

* A local Kosovar overhearing us speaking English in the street and proceeding to shake our hands, thank us profusely for our help in liberating his country, and paying homage to Tony Blair and Queen Elizabeth II!

* The wonderfully friendly and welcoming people

* The heavily armed ski patrollers on the pistes in Macedonia

* Hitching a ride with a cat ski operation in the back bowls of Popova Sapka in Macedonia

* Sledgers outnumbering skiers by at least 20:1!

* The severe looking guards at the Macedonia/Kosovo border seeing our skis, breaking out in to smiles and telling us through the hatch where to go next for the best skiing.

* The total and utter chaos on the roads to Brezovica ‘resort’, Kosovo, with cars, coaches and pedestrians all sharing a one track, rutted, snowy road.

* Getting a ride up to our hotel on the back of a skidoo.

* The touts flogging soft drinks, chocolate bars and cigarettes at the base of the chair lifts from rickety wooden tables.

What an endlessly fascinating and intriguing area, I don’t think I have ever come across a more welcoming, friendly and hilarious people. In both Kosovo and Macedonia there seems to be no logic, very few rules, and a definite lack of urgency. The lifts in the tiny ski areas may or may not open and if they do it might only be for half an hour.

What a wonderful place, we’ll most certainly be back!

The atmospheric one man chair in Brezovica, Kosovo

The tiny resort of Brezovica, Kosovo, where sledging is clearly the national sport!

Friday thought #25 Nature at its best

February 13, 2015February 12, 2015 sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

Following a recent ski trip to Kosovo and Macedonia (more info to follow, such a fun trip!!) I feel the need to share some of the most beautiful examples I saw of snow in all its glory. Living in the Alps you’re surrounded by snow for several months of the year, but going somewhere new can sometimes bring a whole new perspective to the weather you feel you know so well. When fresh snow is combined with wind and storms, the resulting effect can be absolutely incredible. Enjoy x

A long forgotten chair lift in Kosovo (have you ever seen a one person chair lift before??!)

Ice patterns on the window, -11 Celsius outside!

An amazing build up of snow following several days of storms in Macedonia

Friday thought #24 Cheesy winter food!

February 6, 2015November 1, 2015 sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

The winter is well and truly upon us here in the Alps, finally! It’s hovering around -5 celsius during the day, and at long last there’s tons of snow! As much as this means great skiing, for the foodies amongst us it also means an excellent excuse to get stuck in to some proper winter food, by renaming it ‘Winter Warmers’…! Living in the French Alps the obvious choices are tartiflette, fondue and raclette; basically if you don’t like cheese, there’s not much for you!

So recently I’ve indulged in all these cheesy delights, and I’m loving it! The recent raclette was the clear highlight, featuring 3 types of meat, peppers, mushrooms, courgettes and of course the staple raclette cheese! There’s something so special about a meal where you have to cook your own food at the table; in sole charge of what you eat and how it’s cooked. It’s so sociable, so satisfying and so delicious!

Such a simple concept, yet such a winner with friends. Every household should have a raclette set!

Friday thought #23 Never stop learning

January 30, 2015November 1, 2015 sharonwraywritingLeave a comment

The saying goes “Every day is a school day”, and I really think that’s true, or certainly should be true. Maybe my teaching background means that this rings much truer for me than for others, but I feel so strongly that no matter how old you get, you should never stop learning. It keeps your mind active, it helps you discover new things, and most importantly it keeps you interested in what goes on in the world around you. I’ve written before about doing something which fulfils you, and how many people I come across who would go so far as to say that they hate their job and they hate going to work.

I’m a primary school teacher, that’s my qualification and where the bulk of my working experience lies, so maybe I’m more keen to learn than others because I watch others learning every day, but I have come across more teachers than I can count who are 100% set in their ways, unable to learn new skills or techniques and worse than that, completely unwilling. And these aren’t just the ones that have been slogging away for 40 years in the same job, these are teachers from young to old, thinking they know best and without even the slightest inclination to change. This is despite the fact that everything is constantly evolving and improving, from teaching resources to methodology to technology. I really feel like the best teachers (and this could possibly be generalised to any profession…?) are the ones who are hungry to learn more, discover new techniques, find new ways of teaching the same old boring concept, and most importantly, want to try new things. If you stand still, teaching the same thing year in year out, with no variety and no excitement, you will drive yourself insane and more importantly, you will get bored. Boredom leads to grumpiness, a lack of enthusiasm and inevitably towards a permanent ‘can’t be bothered’ attitude and a lacklustre approach to life.

But I digress. My point here was that you should always be learning. Staying stagnant is boring and if you find going to work boring, pointless and mind-numbing, you’re in the wrong job. Like most primary school teachers, the thought of teaching secondary school children fills me with a slight dread, purely because I’m so used to the younger kids. But I think it’s good, even essential, sometimes to have a go at things that you might not find easy, so I recently enrolled in an advanced TEFL course, which when completed will more than likely mean I’ll be teaching English to all ages, from children to teenagers, to adults. Quite the leap from primary kids! Why? Not necessarily because I want to become an English teacher, I don’t need another teaching qualification. But perhaps to learn something new, take on a new challenge, add another string to my bow? I wasn’t sure how I’d get one with it, but I have to say I am absolutely loving it. I’ve taken on my first private student and although currently quite time consuming, I am thoroughly loving the challenge of having to plan lessons, search for resources and teach something new. It’s so far removed from what I’m used to, and bizarrely, that’s why I love it, because it’s new, and it’s tough.

Staying still is the easy option. It requires no thought, no change, no effort and no difficulty. People like to stay within their comfort zone, which I completely understand, but sometimes, just sometimes, it’s a good idea to step outside of that and do something which may have previously seemed terrifying. It’s amazing just how fulfilled and happy it can make you feel.

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