The Woods: 01/2008

After leaving Samoëns on Saturday, 12th Jan, we took the route through France, Switzerland, and Germany with an overnight stop at Karlsruhe, roughly halfway to home. The next day we saw a Concord followed by a Tupolev on display, which rapidly caught Pierre's attention, followed even more closely by the "Auto & Technik Museum" sign. We were doomed. There was no way we were going to just drive-by this one.

It was an excellent unscheduled stop: "Situated on an area of over 30.000m² indoors, and in open-air grounds comprising in excess of 50.000m², the Auto & Technik MUSEUM SINSHEIM offers you more than 3.000 exhibits. Among them the original Concorde of the AirFrance plus a russian supersonic-jet Tupolev TU-144 and 300 vintage cars, 200 motorbikes, 40 race- and sports cars, 27 locomotives, 50 airplanes, 150 tractors, steam engines and trucks."

Mishi's favourite was the sea-blue Amphicar:

After looking at all the exhibits, we loudly declared that it was lunchtime, followed closely by treats.

(Mandy got Michael's ice cream in her hair)

(which was of course, very funny)

(deserving of the incredulous "look-what-you-did" look)

On arriving in Plzeň, we stopped off at the local uMansfelda Restaurace on the square for din-dins.

Monday, Michelle and Pierre were planning to do Prague and Michael and Mandy joined our girls at school. Michael came home reporting that it was "the best school ever" and when Mandy suggested it took a long time (a full day at school compared to their customary half day back home), Michael explained that they were very lucky because they were given extra time to play.
On Tuesday to Thursday, Michelle, Pierre and Mandy took a train trip to Vienna, giving us an extended family for those 3 days with Michael taking up residence with us, much to the delight of Ams & Saz.

Unfortunately, Friday was pack-up day as the Marais Clan boarded flights back to SA at the crack of dawn.

WE MISS YOU GUYS!!!!! Here's to the next vacation!

Will there be snow????

Since the beginning of our trip, there was much dread and anticipation at the availability of snow during our allotted ski week. While in Germany, we were well appeased, there was masses of the stuff. Strangely though, as we entered Austria and then Switzerland, the snow became a scarcity. Leaving Sion on Saturday morning, we were watching the passing scenes with great trepidation. Across the border and into France the landscape was rather more brown than white, including our little village Samoëns.

Saturday was pretty much an admin day after arriving at Samoëns, completing the various transactions, including the week's grocery shop, preparing some make-shift supper and psyching ourselves up for our first day of skiing, which we were still very unsure would be done on snow as yet.

First day at the slopes:

Sunday morning and the house kicked into full gear - breakfast being made and gobbled; snow gear being donned; hair being plaited; and preparing the children for their first day with the au-pair, who would take them up to the ski area for their first day in ski school at lunch time.

Pierre and the "frauline" - on our way to the lift:

The day was very misty, and it was more wet than white.

But fortunately, as we took the gondola from the village to the base camp, things definitely started to improve and our fears were allayed - there was snow at the top :)...

Our first order of business was to sus out where the various schools were so we knew where to meet Pauling (the au-pair) and the kids at 2pm. Second order of business: study the piste map furiously and plot the plan for the day. 3rd order of business: SKI!

The views from the pistes were incredible, especially with the clouds rolling in. We tried our hand at the various blue runs during the morning, trying to find our ski-legs, which seemed to vanish at the sight of the steep drops from the edge of the run. Colin was unanimously the pro-wipe-outer of the next couple of days, doing some of the most spectacularly styling wipe-outs that kept Mishcat silently doubled over for a good 10 minutes before the guffaws even began (not to mention the pair of broken ribs and the sprained thumb which also caused for qualifiers). But in all fairness, it must be mentioned that the skis were completely to blame and once new skis were hired there was not a single tumble thereafter.

First day at ski school:

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of Michael setting of for his class, but Michael, being now 6, was in a separate group. The 5 and unders are in a kindergarten. Unfortunately for our 2 who have already skid on some reasonable slopes, this was painfully boring. But, with Amber having a broken arm, I didn't feel too compelled to try to persuade her migration to the bigger class. The kindergarten was at least fun, with obstacles and games that all the kids could participate in, but as far as skiing, it was very basic.

The girls:

The boys

(before attempting one of their death defying ramps down an even more death defying, although very average, actually quite pedestrian, hump). (Sorry boys, I am sure it was terrifying at the time ;)...)

The daily undressing and packing up routine:

Looking good Mishcat :)

Skiing in the rain:
Day 2, Monday, held our afternoon lesson in store. Desperate not to waste a moment, we braced ourselves against the rain at the village level, quite convinced that it would definitely be snowing at the top. Well, we arrived at base camp and it was still raining. We then headed up on the chair lifts to the next level as it must be snowing higher up. Needless to say, within the hour we were soaked and there was no snow to be found. Actually, I lie. Colin & I, while waiting for the Marais, took the highest lift out of Samoëns (le Croix). Here, we were pelted with sleet while riding head first into the icy gale wind, so that our completely soaked snow suits were solid ice in all our crooks and elbows. Once arriving at the top we reached the first snow! It was bitterly cold though, and while we braced ourselves against the wind, turning our backs and looking back the way we came, waiting for the Marais, only to have the lift standstill for 15 minutes before we find out that the Marais are nowhere close and so decide to descend anyway since they can't join us coz there is an electric fault on the lift and it won't be carrying no-one up the hill. We were now solid ice on the front and coated with snow on the back with rain water collecting at our elbows inside our suits and running down our cleavage (speaking only for the girls here). After getting back to the bottom, we met the Marais, collected the kids (who were inside drinking hot chocolate at the school) and trudged off the slope. Since we only had one set of ski gear each, we were desperate to get everything drying ready for the next day. It was probably not much after 2pm, when the blue skies appeared and it was the most glorious day :( and we were watching movies at home :( and we had to postpone our ski lesson to the next day :(.

Moral of the story:

1. always read the weather forecast
2. snow gear is not rain proof

Dinner in Samoëns:

After the disastrous morning, we decided to cheer ourselves up with a dinner date. Pauline recommended a good restaurant in town and we enjoyed an evening off.

Blue Skies and Brilliant Skiing:
After the rain and mist of our first few days, Tuesday produced ice on the windows and clear blue skies.
The cable car ride out of the village to the base camp:

Today was our big day for our ski lesson, which we were oh-so-ready-for! And it would be the first day that we would be able to venture out of the Samoëns area and head for the higher ground of Flaine.

We spent the morning exploring some new piste's and had to race back in time for our 12:00 lesson.

(Some more chairlift shots)...

(and the most gorgeous views with blue skies)...

Our ski lesson was just brilliant! Our instructor Henry took one look at us and plunged us over the edge of our belief system taking us immediately off-piste and down "dark" blues and reds and then to top it all a black. And so we came to realise that we can actually ski! We don't need to be afraid and cling to the easy blues :) Or maybe I should only speak for myself here....

This is us at the top of Flaine:

with a view of Mont Blanc behind us (the pimple above Michelle's head...):

This lesson was the beginning of the rest of the holiday - tomorrow, the top of Grand Massive!

Snow-Bike Babies:

Ok, so what happens when you go down a run with children that has a button lift at the bottom that is not suitable for children and where you are not allowed to take the child up with you? Walk back up or ask to be rescued! Michelle opted for the latter...

So, here we have Amber & Mandy being "rescued" on the snow mobile and taken back to the top of the run.

Another lesson learned:
When your wife says: "I think we should check out the run first before coming down with kids"... don't answer and say, "Ok, I am following right behind you...." and come down with child in tow. :)

The next few days we had the most brilliant weather and the most brilliant skiing. We pretty much covered the entire Grand Massives, going right to the top on a couple of occasions and even venturing down "Lucifer" and "Beelzebub" against our better judgement (and Mishcat's warnings to "never mess with the Devil").

Here Colin & I are still smiling at the top of Beelzebub... I can assure you my grin was more of a grimace by the time I got to the bottom! Mish, I should have followed your example and opted for the off-piste route to meet the blue slope half way down (pretty much where on the sign board it changes from blue to red!).

This is the view at the top of the Grand Massives:

with the view of Mont Blanc and even bigger pimple above Colin's head:

the view just a bit to the right of Mont Blanc with the clouds rolling over the peaks:

General Breathtaking Scenery:

(yes, I was referring to the 2 babes in the foreground)

(yes, the boys are also very scenic ;)..)

Kids took to skiing like ducks to water:

Yeah, yeah, forgive my very cliche cliche.. But they really did. They were total pros! Even Mandy was hardpressed to go home after skiing in between Dad's legs are alongside him holding onto the poles.

Amber & Saz enjoyed the kindergarten classes, but were very chuffed when they were upgraded to Michael's class.
Michelle taking Michael & Amber for a ski:

Sarah was the daredevil of the threesome and whenever there was a downhill to be had, she wouldn't just be skiing, she was skating. She would attempt to make new land speed records, giving everyone heartfailure in the process as we envisioned non-ability to stop at the bottom but to have her careening off the bottom of the piste. To all of our astonishment she manoevred a perfect parallel ski stop at the bottom every time.

Some videos of the kids:

The 3 snow girls:
The snow angel:

All the kids were very proud of their "pass cards" that they were presented with at the end of the week.

The Wood Family loving this holiday...

And the final farewell to Pauline:

Farewell to Samoëns and fresh snowfall:

Our last morning on the day of our departure, we all woke up to a white landscape and the first snowfall in a few weeks. It was a very fitting farewell to the week in the mountains. With the snow falling hard at the critical packing stage of the morning, the combi was getting completely snowed in, hampering the very jig-saw puzzle like packing that was required for us to all fit into the combi.

As we drove out, we took our only photo of the apparently very famous church that was 5 metres from our chalet and which we never went to see.