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life in our chalet

March 14, 2012 at 10:22 am

During our trip to France, just as wonderful as speeding down the slopes and just as sweet as the boulangerie was the time spent with family. The little ski chalet was cozy yet accommodating and we spent many happy hours there cuddling Lena, making and eating meals, and playing games together in the evenings.

My mom and I traded “shifts” with Lena. I often skied in the morning while my mom was with her and then we switched in the afternoon. My sister Emily also enjoyed half days of skiing which meant Lena, Em, and I often had hours of quiet playing, reading, and napping time while the others blazed new trails on the slopes. I loved those quiet hours with two of my favorite girls!

Of course, being in France, there was a lot of emphasis on eating. We ate very well! We dined on local specialties, like this goat cheese that Elliott bought for me. (He knows goat cheese is my favorite food.)

We also cooked most evening meals in the chalet and ate together in the living room with our plates balanced on our knees. This was a spicy spaghetti with marinara sauce, compliments of my mom and Emily:

And another night we went out for cheese fondue, a specialty of that region of France. Lena enjoyed goofing off with her Poppy before the three-cheese fondue came bubbling and steaming to our table!

And then there were the quiet moments when it was just Lena and me, spending time together as we do every day. I never knew how much time a mother spends with her first-born child! There is a bond there that I can hardly imagine will be the same with the second, third, or sixth (?) child. I love these hours with my baby, whether we read books or explore pine cones, whether we cuddle each other or read/play side by side in our own separate worlds, whether we talk or not talk, for hours.

And lastly, here’s a photo showing that Lena can stand up all by herself! The week at the chalet you kind of had to trick her, like asking her to clap and she forgets to hold onto something, or helping her hold two toys in two separate hands and letting go of the chair or shelf. This week at home, though, I can set Lena down and she’ll stand there on her own for up to 10 seconds! Still hasn’t figured out the “taking steps” part, but we’re working on it.

4 :: in family, friends, holiday, Lena, motherhood, travel

life in our chalet

March 14, 2012 at 9:22 am

And another night we went out for cheese fondue, a specialty of that region of France. Lena enjoyed goofing off with her Poppy before the three-cheese fondue came bubbling and steaming to our table!

4 :: in family, friends, holiday, Lena, motherhood, travel

Boulangerie Tiffanie

March 13, 2012 at 3:08 pm

One of my favorite things to do while in France was visit a lovely little bakery (in French a boulangerie) for bread and baked goods. Daniel recommended it to us as soon as we arrived, and Elliott and I took the early shift the next morning to Boulangerie Tiffanie to get baguettes for lunch and pain au chocolat (chocolate croissants) for breakfast. That bakery was one of the most heavenly places I have ever seen in my life! Elliott could hardly drag me outside after we made our requisite purchases. I soaked in the incredible view surrounding the bakery while savoring the aromas in my mind.

The next day we dragged our whole family back for breakfast at Boulangerie Tiffanie, eager that they all experience the wonders of a French country bakery. They were dressed for skiing and read to take the Grand Massif Express gondola up to the top of the mountain as soon as breakfast was over. So, struggling through the slushy falling snow and under the weight of their skis, my family walked from the bus to the bakery.

And oh! What wonders awaited them within!

Those gigantic white mounds behind the huge cookies in the photo are the biggest meringues I’d ever seen!

We bought a bag full of goodies and sat out on the warm porch to eat our breakfast. Lena got to taste some too!

Elliott got a coffee and shared this blueberry cake with Emily and me.

The following morning everyone else was skiing while I was watching Lena. We decided to head back to Boulangerie Tiffanie, where I stocked up on pain au chocolat and a baguette (which I would eat right before hitting the slopes myself that afternoon). Lena discovered my baguette while we were waiting for the bus, though, and decided to try it herself!

I bought one other thing besides chocolate croissants and baguettes that day, though. I bought a chocolate eclair, the real French thing. It came in a little white bakery box and it was magnificent. While Lena napped I sat in a cozy chair in the chalet, reading my book, sipping my coffee, and eating my chocolate eclair. Perfect.

6 :: in eat this, family, friends, travel

Boulangerie Tiffanie

March 13, 2012 at 2:08 pm

And oh! What wonders awaited them within!

Those gigantic white mounds behind the huge cookies in the photo are the biggest meringues I’d ever seen!

We bought a bag full of goodies and sat out on the warm porch to eat our breakfast. Lena got to taste some too!

Elliott got a coffee and shared this blueberry cake with Emily and me.

4 :: in eat this, family, friends, travel

Skiing in France!

March 12, 2012 at 1:43 pm

While this blog was so quiet last week, we were very busy. My family met Elliott, Lena, and me in France for a week-long ski trip! All the credit goes to the guy in red fleece in the photo below, our dear friend Daniel Roe.

Daniel went to school in England and took up skiing in the French Alps each winter with groups of friends. Daniel’s been telling us for years that we need to take advantage of his sweet connections and please come skiing with him. Finally he convinced us… and now the only thing we can’t figure out is what took us so long to get there.

Daniel’s friend let us use his ski chalet, a cozy little cabin located just a stone’s throw from a ski lift in the Grand Massif ski area. We were about an hour from Geneva and completely surrounded by the magnificent French Alps.

Every morning we found our ski boots warming by the radiator in the kitchen. (Thank you, Daniel.)

We ate breakfast and sipped mugs of coffee and then all bundled up for a day of skiing. Lena also bundled up for various adventures such as playing in the snow, visiting a local boulagerie for pain au chocolat, or going on walks around town. More photos of those activities later this week.

After that we headed for the gondola near our house which took us to the top of one of the ski mountains. My mom and her favorite son-in-law enjoy the ride:

Once on top, we snapped into our skis and prepared to hit the slopes. L to R: Elliott, Julia, me.

Look how beautiful it is! Elliott and I love to ski; we’ve skiied together since we first met in Boston and have covered many slopes in New England; Colorado; and Tahoe, California (on our honeymoon). Nothing we’ve seen compared to the quality and natural beauty of these slopes. One day my family covered a nine-mile-long piste that started in Switzerland and ran all the way into France!

We all agreed about that! Pictured below L to R: Emily, my dad, me, Elliott, Daniel, Eric.

It snowed twice while we were there, leaving behind a thick layer of fresh snow. All of us loved skiing “off piste,” or off the trails onto the fresh snow, like Elliott is doing below. We found a great green-level run that wound slowly down through the woods; the gentle slope and abundance of trees and snow meant we were blazing trails in the woods almost as much as we were on the piste!

We spent plenty of time on the ski lifts and standing in line for ski lifts. And, in general, not holding up the ski lifts with our antics. In general.

L to R: Emily and then Emily, Elliott, Daniel, my dad

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We also always looked forward to a long lunch break. Even our homemade sandwiches were fancier in France: fresh baguettes from the boulangerie, cured meats, and Camembert cheese. And chocolate. Lots of chocolate. For energy.

We pretty much always skiied together, accommodating everyone’s various ski levels. Along the way there was plenty of laughter, lots of skiing tips thrown back and forth, and exciting discoveries being made every minute as our skills improved with our knowledge of the mountains.

L to R below: Eric, my dad, me