Our hotel was fantastic -- the kids had their own bedroom, and we had a great view of the Alps (am I using too many exclamations here?). The children, mostly Jack, were fascinated with the bidet in the bathroom. Granted, it was the perfect height for them for handwashing, but they spent more time in there than I would have preferred...
We rented sleds and spent many a morning and afternoon sledding. The weather was perfect -- in the high 40s and brilliant sunshine, so we hardly needed coats. The kids loved sledding, and it was certainly the most athletic vacation T.J. and I have had in a while, with dragging the kids up the hills on the sleds (so not fair that we didn't get to ride down every time!). There was a 2 km sled run just up the mountain from the hotel. We took the train up to the next town, then we walked through the forest and took the sleds down. So much fun!
And on another day, we took a train down the mountain to a town called Friences. They had a kids sled run with a telebob (essentially a cable on pulleys running from the bottom of the hill to the top. When you got to the bottom, they hooked your sled to the pulley and it pulled you to the top of the hill.). So we got to have all the fun of sledding without the work of going back up the hill. We even got to have a nice mini outdoor picnic on our sleds, it was so nice out.
The food was very good. Lots of fondue -- one was the traditional gruyere fondue -- in a pot, with bread for dipping. but then we also got raclette fondue. they took a huge hunk of raclette and put it under a special broiler. They heated it up, then scraped the melty part off the top and onto a plate, where you eat it with little red potatoes. sounds weird, but very, very good. Lots of hot wine and hot chocolate.
There was a nursery at the top of one of the sled hills, and we took the kids there one morning while I took my first ski lesson. I took a 2-hour lesson and had a great time, even if I couldn't always understand my French instructor (he did speak English, but he used some creative words sometimes). My falls were minor, and I quickly bypassed the bunny slopes (which was good, since it was filled with 4-year-olds who were skiing far better than me). I even got to use the ski lift, even though my route down was very slow, going from far left to far right. The kids really enjoyed their time in the nursery, and they really enjoyed that we got to sled from "school" back to the hotel.
The airplane experience was a little different. We flew "EasyJet" (I know, I know, I wouldn't trust them either!) They have super-cheap flights, but you pay for convenience. For example, if you want to check bags, you have to pay for them. Any drinks on the airplane, you have to pay for. You can gate check your stroller, but good luck finding it after you land. They don't bring it back to the jetway -- they send it to the baggage claim with other oversized bags. (On the return flight to Brussels, the stroller didn't show up until 1/2 hour after all the other bags had arrived.)
It was a great vacation, and we can't wait for the next!
Now the Bad News
Right before we left, T.J.'s car was broken into (in front of the house, no less!). They broke a small window, rolled down the passenger rear window and ripped out his console, taking the GPS, radio, temperature controls -- everything! It was a true mess. T.J. had to drive to the police station to file a report, and the police weren't too hopeful that anything would come of it. Guess it's a more common occurrence than we had thought.
It's a little disquieting to know that someone smashed up and stole your things, and it was difficult to explain to Amelia in a child-friendly way. To kind of explain things to her without scaring her.
The worst part was that for a week, despite the fact that they stole the radio, music was still playing in T.J.'s car! Of course, he couldn't change the station or adjust the (slightly too loud) volume. But then today, the radio stopped working. Go figure.
Have a great upcoming weekend, all!
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