A hike up Le Parmelan

Back on May 18, yes that was nearly 3 months ago, R and I spent a spectacular day hiking up Le Parmelan, near Annecy in the Haute-Savoie. From a distance it's easy to pick out Le Parmelan from the other mountains in the area—it is massive and cliff-like. You can see its gray rock face for miles and miles away.

The summit, or la tete, of the Parmelan is 1,832m, which is over 6,000 ft. We parked at the lot near Le Petite Montoir path which we decided to take up—it's longer but not as steep as Le Grand Montoir. In total we ascended 660m which is about 2,165 ft! On a clear day the panorama from the top is impressive. Lucky for us, R and I picked a clear day with steel blue skies.

On the way down, we decided to take Le Grand Montoir—faster and much much steeper. For someone who's afraid of heights, I did pretty well, thank you very much. I also thank Le Parmelan's caretakers who put up some chains and handrails so hikers have something to hold onto to as you make your way down the steep steps and narrow ledges. Oh, we also had to climb over a few huge fallen trees that blocked the path down. In the end it was 100% worth it for the 360 degree views of the Alps, Lac Annecy, and even Mont Blanc!

The Parmelan is classified as difficile but I found it much harder to descend than to ascend. Both R and I were happy to reach the parking lot and even happier when we got home and took a nice long shower. Despite being completely sore for two days afterwards, our randonnée up Le Parmelan was easily one of my favorite days in France. Have you seen anything more ridiculously beautiful?

A walk in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

Before heading back to the States, R and I did a few hikes near our house and some day trips in France and Switzerland.

In late May, we made a trip to the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland. On the way back we took the Jaun Pass home. It was a gorgeous day and knowing that R and I would be back in the US before we knew it, I fully appreciated all the beauty before us. I wanted to capture everything with my lens, but in the end I opted to take it all in. But you know me, I did manage to snap a few to help us remember our trip!

Au revoir la France

Just as France is feeling like home, and I've made some good friends, we are moving again to start a new adventure abroad. R has accepted a great job opportunity in NYC, and for the past few weeks we have been spring cleaning inside and outside the house, as well as finishing up some bricolage. It all feels a bit surreal really.

Au revoir la France—I arrived as a stranger and part as an admirer and friend. Re-bonjour à Boston and New York City where R and I will make our new home come June. So much to do and pack and see and eat before we skip back to the other side of the pond.

Last weekend it was sunshine and rain. Amazing meal in Annecy-le-Vieux under tree-covered terrace. Cleaning and purging stuff. Red Cross Bric & Brac. Antique cars meetup. 1922 Bugatti. Special goodbye BBQ. Champagne. Sausages. Japanese crepe-like thing that was so yummy. Seasoned sushi rice triangles. Homemade blueberry mousse Charlotte.

On Tuesday R and I spent a day hiking up the Parmelan, a steep mountain to climb. It took us 6 hours round trip—we took the Petit Montoir up, and then the Grand Montoir down. The latter was extremely steep in many places, so much so that I had to hold onto rails and chains that were attached to the large rocky surfaces along the route down. While descending our path was blocked at one point by several huge fallen trees. For someone who is a bit afraid of heights, I was grateful for the extra security. One of my favorite days with R and a great memory of France. I was so very sore at the end of the day and a little bit the next day, but the climb was worth it, if only for the stunning views of the Alps, Juras, and Lac Annecy.

French holidays

J’espère que vous avez passé un joyeuse Saint Valentin mes chéris!

R and I had a quiet Valentine's Day morning chez nous, each studying our own subject (him Cisco, and me my new Canon). Surprisingly, I was not as sore as I expected to be, a day following the 3.5 hour randonnée in Le Vuache. On Vday, gray clouds and lack of sun didn't deter us from going out for our daily walk. I felt a need to stretch out my leg muscles a little, not to mention my DSLR trigger finger too. For our walk, we chose nearby Grésin, where we had taken a fateful motorcycle ride last fall and gotten stuck in some muck and stones. This time, it was just our two feet that carried us across the Rhône onto le chemin des Espagnols (crossing the river via le pont de Grésin).

Let it snow!

We arrived home to snow, lots of it! And temps in the minuses, Celsius that is! But still it was très cold. Mais très jolie, non?

Pictures taken on Dec 3 and 4th..starting with this one taken from the kitchen of the landscaping in front of the house and in front of the driveway. Today, the rain has washed away some of it, so I'm glad I took the pictures when the snow was still pristine and soft.


Photo of Le Sorgia, part of the Jura mountain chain in front of our house.


Views from Le Plateau de la Retord, with nordic skiers and snowshoers in the distance. R and I took a while, enjoying the beauty, the crisp blues of the skies overhead, and the powder white snow all around.


A view of the Mont Blanc on a clear day from Le Retord. I live at the foothill of Le Sorgia which is the mountain on the left side. Le Sorgia is 1600m, or 5200 feet high. On the other hand, Le Retord is still high but only 1200m, or close to 4000 ft. I was hoping to see animal tracks in the snow, but alas, I saw nothing but then again, we didn't go too deep in because the snow was so deep. But on the way home from Maastricht, we saw a fox in the median alongside the autoroute. He looked at us, then went back to doing whatever he was doing there. R says that sangliers or wild boars who live in the forests will start coming down to our village soon seeking warmer pastures and food!

A walk in the forest near Bellydoux

Heavy rains lifted early this afternoon, so R and I decided to take a drive and find a beautiful place to walk. I chose Bellydoux because it would be a nice drive and possibly a nicer walk. We found a trail on the lower part of Bellydoux (pronounced Belly-doo) near Le Semine. Up in the mountains surrounding us, the trees had a pretty dusting of snow. I could feel winter coming..boo :( But the waterfalls were a nice surprise!


Despite what the sign says below, we saw no hobbits!

Walking in the woods

I should be reading about Service Operation for my ITIL certification exam - but I'm taking a break. Take a break with me...photos from Friday's outing with the local mycologie club.

Non-edible and toxic mushrooms! Please, please do not collect and eat any wild mushrooms before very, very careful identification. I don't eat any mushrooms unless they have been identified by the local mushroom expert and 3 other members of the club.

Two kinds of edible mushrooms (cep de Bordeaux, chanterelles-en-tube); marasmus oreades, quinces and sage from the garden.

The wild mushrooms I found with the club on Friday are a total taste explosion! For the chanterelles-en-tube, a quick saute in beurre, sea salt, then folded into an airy omelet. The porcinis (known locally as cep de Bordeaux)? Sauteed with fresh thyme, bay leaf, sea salt, pepper and spooned onto slices of whole wheat French bread. MON DIEU.

Photos from Land Art - an art exhibit using things found in nature:

Photo from monastery/church in Bourg-en-Bresse. We were on our way to Beaujolais but the rain came on strong so we decided to take refuge by walking through the grand church in Bourg built by Marguerite de Autriche.

Above the clouds on Crêt de la Goutte

Yesterday R and I worked on the driveway again in the morning. As the forecast predicted a beautiful day...we decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather with a hike up the mountains nearby. A quick drive led us to a little parking area at 1400m. R normally parks the car at 1100m and does a longer walk, but yesterday, my thighs/hamstrings were already sore after squatting for hours weeding the driveway. Thus we parked at 1400m and took a small forest trail that led us to a large clearing which opened into a field of pretty cows grazing on the mountainside. There must have been 50 cows up there. Minutes after our arrival, R and I spot an old fox high up who tears down the mountain, dashing into the field of cows and quickly disappearing into them. By the time we make it to the cows, the fox is long gone.

We planned to hike up to the highest point, Grand Crêt d'Eau, a summit which promised a spectacular 360 degree panoramic view of L'Ain and Haute Savoie. We started up 2 peaks, and did not find our peak. In the end, we ascended the highest point we found, Le Crêt de la Goutte. Huffing and puffing up the steep part of the hike, I stopped to take pictures and make the following observations. 

Comice Agricole and wild daffodils

We still haven't shaken the cold spell quite yet, but there are signs of spring outside and the days are getting longer. It's crazy but the days seem longer here, perhaps because we're in the mountains but these days, it only gets dark around 21:00h. Another sign of spring: R thinks we may have baby birds this spring as he's spotted a small bird circling in and out of the birdhouse in our yard. 

In France, Sunday is the day devoted to spending time with your family. The entire family convenes at the grandparents' house—and the cooking starts early. Neighbor P's children and grandchildren live nearby, so he and his wife were busy preparing for their extended family.

Graduation and modern amenities in the country

Congratulations to my cousin T who’s graduating and speaking at the Babson commencement ceremony today. Good luck on your speech and I can’t wait to see pictures and hear about your day later.

Day 4: I’m still feeling a bit wasted this afternoon from major jetlag. R just woke me up to watch the last few minutes of the French Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on TF1 a French public TV channel. For my friends who've inquired about my access to Internet and TV (in jest I hope), it's a "oui". In addition to French TV, we also have Dutch satellite TV where many of the shows are in their original languages. Most days shows and movies during prime-time are in either American or British English with Dutch subtitles. As for French TV, most shows are dubbed to French with no subtitles. I'm happy about this actually because it's going to force me to learn French toute de suite. Right now, we’re watching Obama talk about the BP oil leak on Aljazeera TV in English. The oil spill is apparently 5 to 15 times larger than they originally anticipated. I learned today that they are collecting human hair cuttings to absorb the oil—did you know human hair can absorb up to six times its weight?