We spent a week in France visiting my son and his girlfriend.
I was worried going into it that I was not healthy enough for the trip. In some ways I was right and in others less so.
The travelling part was not my favourite. It was a long journey. Plane 2.5 hours. Plane 7.5 hours. Plane 2 hours. Train 5 hours. And all the joyous little in betweens. We managed each leg of our journey successfully but boy there were some fast runs through unfamiliar airports. Toronto we ran at breakneck speed and barely made it to the gate in time to board. Frankfurt was the same but add in a customs check and a security check. The train station was a big jump. Figuring out how to get there from the airport, how to buy the correct tickets and find the right track. Made a little tougher by the fact that they changed trains/tracks on us at the last minute. We barely made it to the correct train and got the last 3 seats on a jammed ride.
The train station
When we arrived at our destination we had been up and travelling for about 32 hours. It was a quick walk to my son's apartment and we visited for about an hour before I fell asleep for the night.
Once there, things were pretty good. Such amazing countryside. All those mountains are quite the site for a prairie girl. They do not have a vehicle there, so everywhere we went we walked and I swear it was all uphill. That along with a weak mama and the altitude had me huffing and puffing a lot. It did get a bit easier so that was a bonus.
This is the view out their living room window. Gorgeous sunsets.
It was fun to see all the little ways their everyday lives have changed. Different kind of kitchen, washing machine ( no dryer), the currency, shopping and carrying everything home etc.
We cooked at home for four of the nights and ate out the others. DS was glad for some mom made food, but equally excited to show us dining out in France.
raclette. a big chunk of cheese that melts under the warmers and goes with a charcuterie tray of meats,veggies and bread.
We stayed mostly local when we were there as his work schedule cut the day in half and didn't give a ton of time to go to too many communities around. This is a big ski area so the tourist areas were dedicated to that lifestyle and it was a 2 week break for students so there were a lot of people everywhere.
DS had an outdoor game up the mountain about 20 min from his home town. They originally thought it was a scrimmage but then realized once they were there that a pick up game was planned by the other town with former players from the region. We hadn't gone with him so unfortunately we missed that.
One of the team sponsors gave us free passes for the gondola to go up the mountain (20 euros each). We spent the good part of a day enjoying the scenery up there, watching all the skiers, hearing the different languages etc. The brothers took off for a little bit, climbing up a mountain (when we were already at what I thought was the top). The checked out a big memorial cross for a climber, saw quite a few ancient burial mounds and talked with a parachute skier as he was getting ready to go for a jump/ski.
We went halfway down the mountain to the restaurant that the sponsor owns. The weather was amazing …. 16 to 19C so we enjoyed some wine and food out on the patio sitting in the bright and warm sunlight.
We took a trip up to the old town one day. The hill was insane getting up to the top. I have no clue how invading armies would have managed, but they did as it was a big military fort in the 1700s and then again during WWI and WWII. I had to stop several times on the way up to try to breath and then started to hyperventilate. Ahh to be young and strong with good lungs. The area up there is now residential and a tourist area. Lots of tiny little shops tucked into the interior walls of the old fort. Jewelery, clothing, teas, gelatos, crystals etc. We had a great outdoor lunch up there and enjoyed the sunlight.
Our last night there DS played his game. The hockey is very different there, far less aggressive and DS is having a tough time adapting to it. The refs hate all the Canadians and penalize them every chance they get. Makes it very frustrating. After four years in college hockey where the family was such a big part of the team and so welcomed, it felt very odd not having anyone say hi or welcome to France etc.
On the trip home I got sick on the long flight to Calgary. 9.5 hours of sinus migraine. It didn't get better during the four hour layover or the last flight to SK. I was very glad to be home and done with the travelling part.
The trip made me realize how much I miss DS. I am proud of him and his gf for the life they are adapting to so well there. She definitely is ready for home. She's never been more than 3 weeks away from her family so this past 7 months has been a big challenge.
I can't wait until they are home again.
I am glad that we chose to not celebrate the gift part of Christmas this year and directed that money towards the trip. At the time I really struggled with it but now I sure appreciate it.
The biggest expenses were the flights, the train tickets and the suppers out.
2 comments:
So glad you had a good trip! It looks beautiful. Maybe some day you will gt to go in the summer! Hope all is well! I hear you about the cold ( and snow!). Its been a long winter with no end in sight...
I love the photo of the alps with the beam of sunlight shining down. Lovely location. When will they be coming home again? And will they be going back for another season? The young do adapt a lot better than we do. I hate the travelling part too - there just isn't enough leg room, even though I'm short!, and I get so uncomfortable. But, that being said, I love arriving to my destination - it seems worth it in the end.
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