After our 'little' holiday hiccup (forgetting the keys to the apartment we were staying in and only realising once we were irreversibly headed toward France on the Eurotunnel... NOT an error we plan to repeat!) the rest of the holiday went swimmingly. Thought I'd share some photos of what we've been up to.
First an all too brief stop off in beautiful Brugge...
Mr U-t-B and I would very much like to go back sometime!
Then, a journey down through Belgium and into France. The Champagne region, as we passed through on the autoroute, was an amazing sight. The extreme weather had resulted in the branches of all the trees and bushes, along with the wire fences, being encased in a thick layer of crystal-clear ice! Combined with the hoar-frost spiked grass, it was a scene of ethereal beauty - as if you'd stepped into Narnia, or the kingdom of the Snow-Queen.
Sadly, it was impossible to capture this amazing scene as we whizzed by in the car - but maybe these branches from a service station car park can give a hint.
Arriving late at night, we slept soundly. This was the view from the window the next morning, as the sun crept up from behind the mountain.
We took it easy that first day, doing nothing more arduous than a bit of window shopping in nearby Morzine.
Christmas decorations...
And a murky look inside my favourite - the needlework shop...
Next day we took to the slopes.
Mr U-t-B was there too - but you can't catch him on camera once he has his skis on!
In the evening, there was a lantern release in the village. Magical!
New Year's Eve was another day of clear blue skies.
In the evening, there was a Yeti carving 150kg blocks of ice with a chainsaw...
A torchlit descent from the top of the mountain by the ski school instructors...
And fireworks...
Then we whiled away the hours till midnight, playing 'Silly Scrabble' (invented words with feasible English spelling allowed, as long as a believable definition can be given) and Charades, and drinking Kir Royale. Or sleeping, if your name is Mr U-t-B and you have been sent flying by the cord from a sledge in the firework-watching crowd and have a bad back AGAIN...
Sadly, it was impossible to capture this amazing scene as we whizzed by in the car - but maybe these branches from a service station car park can give a hint.
Arriving late at night, we slept soundly. This was the view from the window the next morning, as the sun crept up from behind the mountain.
We took it easy that first day, doing nothing more arduous than a bit of window shopping in nearby Morzine.
Christmas decorations...
Pottery...
Russian dolls....
Chocolates galore...
And a murky look inside my favourite - the needlework shop...
Next day we took to the slopes.
Mr U-t-B was there too - but you can't catch him on camera once he has his skis on!
In the evening, there was a lantern release in the village. Magical!
New Year's Eve was another day of clear blue skies.
In the evening, there was a Yeti carving 150kg blocks of ice with a chainsaw...
A torchlit descent from the top of the mountain by the ski school instructors...
And fireworks...
Then we whiled away the hours till midnight, playing 'Silly Scrabble' (invented words with feasible English spelling allowed, as long as a believable definition can be given) and Charades, and drinking Kir Royale. Or sleeping, if your name is Mr U-t-B and you have been sent flying by the cord from a sledge in the firework-watching crowd and have a bad back AGAIN...
Sounds like quite a trip away - the branches on the trees look amazing, and all those lanterns look magical.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you and your family. C x