Last Day

We are leaving Les Brevieres this morning.

We will spend one night in Lyon then fly out of Geneva tomorrow. Then one night in Dublin, then home!

We had an excellent raclette dinner with our landlords last night... Yum.

No more phone or internet until we get home on Saturday.

See you all soon!

-SK

ute Ro

Since we did about half of an Haute Route trip when Bob was here, we're calling it the ute Ro. (Get it? Haute Route ha ha)

I like Bob's description of the trip:

Four days and three nights consisting of icy climbs, steep ski paths, a 100’ ladder on a cliff, a rappel into Italy, route finding through ice falls… The last day we skied under the Matterhorn, then ran out of snow a few miles from Zermatt.

I promised I'd post some more pictures here, so here they are!

Ladders


Inside the Dix Hut


Rappeling into Italy


Glacier skiing


Last day: Walking to Zermatt


Don't forget, there are more pictures and the full story on our web site!

-SK

Birthday "cake"

Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes!

For my birthday, I made myself a banana bourbon bread pudding, but with waffles instead of bread. It turned out really yummy, especially considering I had no recipe! I sort of remember what I did though:

Toast about six waffles so they are crunchy, then cut them up into chunks (about 1-2inches).
Mix an egg, about 3/4 cup milk, a couple of tablespoons sugar (more if your waffles are no so sweet) and a couple ounces of bourbon.
Add the waffle chunks and stir it all up.
Slice a banana into the whole mess.
Pour (spoon, coax) it all into a 9x9in pyrex.
Let it sit about 20 minutes.
Cook at about 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

YUM!

Also, for my birthday it snowed! Here I am enjoying it!


Speaking of birthdays, it was my dad's 60th while he was visiting us. And to celebrate, we had all sorts of adventures! I will write a synopsis soon, or, if you are in a hurry to hear about it, check out the description and photos on the web site.

-SK

Ghost Town

Well, the snow in our village is gone, the gondola is not running anymore and most of the businesses are closed. (Including, sadly, the little grocery store, which closed on Sunday.) There is NOBODY here anymore. We can still ski at the higher base areas, but that means driving.

On Friday, we did a ceremonial "last ski" down to the village. The run was closed, but we had scoped it from the gondola and thought it looked passable.

It got a little dirty at this point.


...And then, we had to walk!


Oh well, the lack of snow is making it a little easier to leave. We are now figuring out how to get everything home. Customs is a pain. And so are luggage restrictions on cheap airlines (like Aerlingus).

See you soon,

-S

Hair Compare

This is in response to Prasti's comment... she said she almost didn't recognize me with long hair!

I almost don't recognize myself anymore! I haven't had a haircut on this entire trip, with the idea that in the wintertime I would wear braids, which are very convenient for skiing (don't get in your face or get too wet). This plan worked out well! But, since I've been almost always wearing my hair in braids now, I don't really have a sense of how long it really is! So when I saw this photo of me and my dad at the top of the Aiguille du Midi in Chamonix, I was a bit startled! (Plus, I'm really tan.)


Compare to this photo taken at the beginning of our trip (Feb 1, 2006). It's a bit fuzzy, but you get the idea.


Craig, on the other hand, just got a haircut.

Here he is at maximum length (about a month ago).


And here he is last week at the top of Pigne d'Arolla. (Notice how much shorter my hair looks in braids!)


I just hope that Jeff is still working at the New London Salon when I come back.

-SK

#1! and Best Cities

And finally! Steph and Craig's #1 European Tourist Site is ...

Stromboli! When all is said and done, nature prevails over man-made attractions on our list! On the island of Stromboli, you get the whole package... A boat ride from Sicily, a cute waterfront town, a hike up a volcano with excellent views, and the knockout punch: real volcanic explosions with lava! Enough to be actually a bit scary. Even with the plastic hard-hat they give you for the tour.

List o' the day: Best Cities in Europe

This was the hardest list for us to make! There were debates and compromises between the reviewers, and several cities that barely missed the list (Barcelona, Brussels, Porto, Palermo, Sevilla and Stockholm). And, of course, there are some major cities in Europe that we did not visit, so they're not included here... But with that disclaimer, here are our picks...

1. Paris, France
   Paris really does have it all! Knock-out sights, great food and art, beautiful architecture and public spaces, great public transit, and a population that confidently goes about its business. Somehow, Parisians just know they live in fabulous place, and they don't try to make it into anything else.


2. Rome, Italy
   Probably Europe's most romantic city, Rome does not disappoint. Full of magnificent piazzas, fountains, and ancient roman buildings, Rome is a wanderer's delight, even if you're not a history buff! Visiting the Ancient Forum still instills a sense of awe at the magnificence of the empire.


3. Vienna, Austria
   Vienna may be a bit stuck in the past, but with a such a glorious past, who can blame it?! In the city center, where it seems like every building was created to be fit for the Habsburg royalty, coffeehouses can be found next to chic boutiques, and Mozart look-alikes hawk concert tickets.


4. Berlin, Germany
   What we loved about Berlin was that (unlike Rome, in particular!) they city is not afraid to do something new! The Berlin Wall is virtually gone now, and urban redevelopment has gobbled up the former no-man's land. A giant civic project now spans the river. Still, funky neighborhoods can be found with active music, art and cafe scenes and a serious grunge culture. (Makes Seattle look mild.)


5. Budapest, Hungary
   ... and while Vienna ignores the Danube river, Budapest rejoices in it, making it a focal point for the city's most impressive buildings. What we liked best about Budapest though, was the slightly chaotic sense of optimism that seemed to drive its inhabitants and businesses.


6. Amsterdam, the Netherlands
   Amsterdam is, in a way, a town of extremes. Its highly organized system of concentric canals and bike lanes (where all bikes travel the same speed, because they all have just one gear!) gives way to hoards of chaotic partyers after dark. But, by daylight, they're all gone, and one can freely move among the canals and alleys, admiring the row houses and trying not to get lost!


7. Venice, Italy
   Venice grew on us a lot. At first, it seemed like a filthy, crowded tourist town. But that was because we were at a filthy, crowded, tourist destination (St. Mark's square). After the ugly initial impression, we wandered. And as we wandered, we found the real Venice, where people do their shopping and kids play in the squares. And perhaps the most amazing thing about Venice... it is truly and entirely a pedestrian city. Even bicycles are impractical for maneuvering on staircases over canals!


8. Prague, Czech Republic
   Prague is another city that grew on us. On the downside, Prague is too crowded with tourists. Of course, there's a reason it's crowded with tourists, and that's because it is a remarkable place, especially for its architecture, which is dominated by spiky towers. Off of the tourist track, Prague is both gritty and polished, trendy and worn.


9. Athens, Greece
   We went to Athens expecting the worst (smog, crowds, garbage) and were pleasantly surprised. There is a slick new subway system which immensely helps smog and congestion. Garbage can still be found (it's Greece, after all!), and entire neighborhoods are covered in (some quite artistic!) graffiti, but it feels like a city on the up-and-up, and has the best cafe culture we've found in Europe. Entire streets were taken over by tables around dusk.


10. Copenhagen, Denmark
    Copenhagen bucks the "neat, tidy and boring" trend of most Scandinavian cities. Its central square is lit with neon advertisements at night, and people flock downtown for the clubbing scene on the weekends; some even take naps on the street before their big night out. The downsides: smoking is allowed on the subway, and the entire city is dead until about 3:00pm on Saturday!

Want to see the photos? They're here.

The Haute Route (almost)!

Bob, Craig and I arrived in Zermatt yesterday evening after four days on the trail. Ski trail, that is. We altered our plans for the Haute Route, starting in Arolla, Switzerland instead of Chamonix, France after starting out in Chamonix and turning around there due to crummy snow and team sickness. This whole endeavor deserves a blog mini-series with photos, which I promise to get to when we get back to Les Brevieres (day after tomorrow), AND, of course I tell you what the number one tourist site in Europe is!

-SK
a Arolla, Switzerland