Gant and Henry have been doing some great bike rides in the Alps. A few have been a bit too strenuous for Henry so we have gone to pick up Gant once he finishes his rides. He has enjoyed it so much. These hills are no joke! I am impressed!!!
A French expat in Greenville and Gant became friends when he was living there and he has come to Megeve for years with his family. He told Gant the kids tennis was really great here so we signed Henry up for the week. He took a clinic every morning for an hour and a half. He was so brave- he didn't know anyone and hardly understood what the teachers or other kids were saying, but he just smiled and went for it.
How about that view behind the courts?
Since we had done the luge in Chamonix we had to try the version in Megeve- it was on concrete chutes instead of a wire on a track. It went a lot faster so has been deemed the best of the two by Hen!
Riding up the ski lift to do the luge!
You can choose the slow or fast lane...
Here the boys are in the fast lane!
For our last day, Gant rode his bike up to a nearby town and Henry and I drove up to meet him. They had a little flea market in the town ( called brocantes here) that was pretty cute. We saw lots of cows on the way down and the sound of their huge cowbells has become a fun reminder of our week here. We ate at a little bistro with a beautiful view where we cooked our own lunch! A little touristy of us but it was fun!
The brocante
Is it me or is there almost always an animal head at every flea market? I thought it was just a southern thing!
The cows on the hillsides everywhere- I hope you can see the cowbells in the second picture. This blog doesn't allow for zooming for some reason!
"We paid to cook our lunch?" Yes. Ha- it was fun.
Ok- so a few more French observations.
1) bathrooms- Guys, thank your lucky stars right now. The public bathrooms here are pretty gross. But what is so hard to get used to is sharing them with the opposite gender!!!!! Today I went in a bathroom with two stalls followed by a nice man who went in the one next to me. We were standing in line to wash our hands at the same sink together. WHAT????
At the gas stations traveling here and to Spain if the women's line was long some of the women would just go in the men's bathroom with dozens of men in there. Don't think I'll be getting used to this tradition!
2) Lines- so apparently these are kind of optional here- we have seen a lot of "cutting in line", not staying in a flow of traffic line or just hop on up to the front of the line and just go on ahead when you are ready to make your purchase! So hysterical! Guess we'll be at the end of the line!
3) I promise I won't be going on and on about this phone thing but I really am dumbfounded. I am finding myself taking a page out of their book and am using my phone to take pictures but otherwise trying to keep it put away while I am with anyone else! The only time I see anyone using their phones is when they are ALONE! Each person in this restaurant is sitting by themselves. I have seen people on them on trains or on a bus when they are sitting but never when they are in the company of others! They are onto something!
We head back to Clermont tomorrow. Gant goes to work Monday since he has TWO weeks vacation in August instead of THREE most of the employees have (he has only been working there a few weeks and we are so blessed that he got TWO weeks!!!) Apparently he will be one of the only people in the entire Michelin compound!
French vacation is UNREAL and we sure are thankful to be its benefactors!
Love and miss everyone!!
