All Good Things Must Come to an End... Vacation is Over :(

All good things must come to an end.  It’s hard to believe that in the course of 3 weeks we have been to France, Switzerland and Germany to visit the Christmas markets, then flown back to Barcelona for 5 days for Christmas and then drove back up to France for 11 days to go skiing.  The time has flown by for sure.  But now is the time to get back into our grooves, the kids must go back to school and Josh and I to work.  I for one, have been neglecting my work and it’s not a good way to start off the new y ear, so I’m eager to get back and get ramped up for 2012.  I’m also eager to sleep in my own bed!

We skied a half day yesterday and the kids had another lesson.  It’s amazing how far the two of them have come in just a week.  Aidan has also become quite the daredevil, following Josh thru the woods and over hills that sneak up along the sides of some of the runs.  He’s also mastered the blue square run at La Quillane, something I have yet to do as well as him (though yes, I have skied down it several times).  Even Liam did the big green circle run, leaving his beginner slope – I’m so proud of him!  For some final videos of the boys, including one where Aidan is weaving in and out of the trees, see below.  There’s also one of Liam weaving in and out of the flags, not too bad for a 4 year old who’s been skiing for a week!

http://youtu.be/rk-nhmXa4ms (Liam skiing)

http://youtu.be/wbnHRpl-PAY (Aidan skiing thru the flags)

http://youtu.be/f_-z3M3NFNM (Aidan skiing along the green circle and thru the trees – a bit blurry)

http://youtu.be/I0Q079O6pvc (Liam skiing around the flags)

http://youtu.be/cGUgKjnwYI8 (Last video of Liam skiing)

Last night we went into Font Romeu for dinner and while we were picking up some treats for Josh’s co-workers I heard Aidan’s name being called.  How funny since it’s not exactly a common name in France or in Spain.  And lo and behold it was Aidan’s really good friend, Isa, who also happened to be in Font Romeu where she and her parents had been staying for the last 3 weeks.  We ended up going to a bar with them and sharing their King cake to celebrate Three Kings Day (which is today).  Aidan was beyond elated to have a friend to hang out with and it was nice for Josh and I to have some other adults to interact with and Kiki and Alfredo are just the nicest people. 

By the time we parted ways at 8:30, we decided to get a pizza to go.  The entire main street was pretty much shut down and we only managed to find one pizza place that was even open.  Considering we were only 2 hours away from Barcelona, it was like another world since most restaurants, including pizza places don’t even OPEN until 8:30 much less are they already closing!  But we got a pizza to go and brought it back to the chalet.  The kids were exhausted and didn’t eat much but it was worth it for them to be able to have a buddy to hang with and to just do something different for a little bit. 

Speaking of having a buddy, Josh and I have been talking that it might be more fun for Aidan, now that he’s a bit older, to have a friend come along occasionally when we go away.  He gets very frustrated with just us and Liam and it might be nice for him to have a friend.  So it’s something we’ll consider going forward depending on the trip location, length of trip, etc. 

As I write this, we were supposed to be skiing for one last day before heading back to reality tomorrow, but last night there were winds that seemed to rival a hurricane.  I always thought you couldn’t take the New England out of the girl, but apparently you can because I didn’t sleep a wink due to all the noise outside from the high winds.  Anyways, it was still very windy this morning with temps at zero and obviously a significant wind chill.  So we decided to cancel the boys’ last ski lesson, return our ski rentals and just chill out at the chalet for one last day.  We have been very lucky with the weather thus far, Josh compared it with spring skiing.  Sun most days and temps around 40.  So to have to cancel our last day really isn’t all that bad.

So this afternoon we talked about heading over to Les Angles which is probably where we will ski the next time we come up to this area.  It’s supposed to be a very cute town as well.  Tomorrow we will head back to Barcelona and to reality, at least til the next trip!

Julie

And the Skiing Continues...With a Breakthrough for Liam!

New Years Eve day we skied in the morning and then that afternoon we decided to take a break and drive over to Font Romeu (where we originally had wanted to stay but couldn't find an entire chalet available), about a 15 minute drive from here.  Font Romeu is an adorable ski town that we'd heard about from friends which is why we are up skiing in this area in the first place.  It's also a huge difference from the town we are staying in, La Llagonne, which is incredible rural.  The closest grocery store is easily a 10 minute drive out of town for us.

Anyways, we just needed to get out of the house and so Font Romeu it was.  We walked up and down the main street checking out the restaurants and shops.  We picked up a sled for Liam so that when he didn't want to ski he would have something to do. And of course we noticed a candy store that we would go to at a later time needing something to hold over the boys' heads for good behavior!

The main street of Font Romeu

Beautiful views from town

We had lunch here on Monday - it had good reviews on TripAdvisor, my opinion, just ok

Liam with his new sled, so happy (he lasted about 3 minutes on it)

More beautiful views

We took Monday off of skiing since we had been going for the last several consecutive days and felt we needed a break. Aidan was pretty devastated by this which is a sign of how much he is really loving being on the slopes. Every morning he waits for us in the car, anxious to get going! Since we had the whole day to do nothing we went back to Font Romeu and had lunch at a restaurant recommended by Trip Advisor. It was decent but nothing to write home about. The chocolate fondue was a disappointment and given we are in fondue country I was all excited for nothing. We of course, stopped at the candy store on our way back.

Sunrise Monday morning 

On our way to Font Romeu we came across some horses who must have gotten out... they didn't seem to mind the cars driving by

After lunch we went for a walk and then the boys played out in our "snow" pile

This morning we hit the slopes bright and early.  Josh and I had thought about turning in my skis and Liam's but we figured we'd give it one last try with him.  And we are sooooo glad we did.  Today was the day it clicked for him.  He now LOVES to ski and he did such an awesome job!!  I'm so proud of him for sticking it out and giving it one last try. 

Aidan on the slopes this morning

Liam on his first run... and one of the last while holding on to daddy!

Bend at the knees!

Determined to use his poles today

I took a bunch of videos today of both of the boys, they just did amazing!!

http://youtu.be/j0O-13BQWCM

http://youtu.be/ayVorwT2EKk

http://youtu.be/_8v_mBoF5Dg

http://youtu.be/GSfPBncgvAU

http://youtu.be/yCkucQFI8AM

And before we headed back to the chalet, a little sledding time!

Wipeout! 

We managed to ski for about 3 hours before the boys were tired and hungry for lunch.  We got back to the chalet around 1:30 and will get ourselves together, hit the grocery store and then dinner in Font Romeu.  I'm taking the advice of my Facebook friends to heart and hoping that we can make some changes to our dining experiences with the boys.  As I mentioned on my FB, I'm in constant awe of how European kids behave in restaurants.  I can't even call this a generalization because I have yet to see a single misbehaved kid in 2 years here.  I'm determined to figure out the secret of these parents and in the meantime need to take some steps with our kids who have the table manners of a goat.  Wish us luck!

Julie

Ski Trip News... Aidan is Officially a Better Skier than his Mom!!!

The last few days have been spent on the slopes of La Quillane.  First off, I must correct a statement in my previous entry that Josh said was not right... the slopes of La Quillane has more than 2 ski runs.  I'm sorry, I was wrong, there just happened to be only 2 open the other day.  They have something like 5 runs.  It's HUGE!  Yes, that's sarcasm.  But again, it's totally perfect for myself and the kids so by no means am I complaining. 

I'm reminded of home this week where often times you hear this time of year about ski resorts suffering because they haven't had much snow.  I imagine it's the same here.  I know there had been concerns in Switzerland and this morning it was actually raining here.  The base at La Quillane is not that deep and so there were spots that seemed like there was some grass sticking out this morning.  So unless you are going up to significant elevations, you aren't getting a lot of powder right now.

But again, this is all fine.  Sure the conditions aren't perfect, but the types of runs available are exactly what we need.  And the kids are doing amazing!!  Especially Aidan.  I am in complete awe of how he has done in the last 3 days.  I can confidently say that after finishing his skiing today, he has surpassed my skills (not that that took a lot but I have been skiing a lot more than 3 times in my life). 

Liam on his own!

Josh giving Liam a hand...

Hey mom and dad!  Look at me!

Yesterday we came home for lunch and then Josh and Aidan went back to the slopes to do a full day of skiing.  Liam was pretty much tuckered out after his lesson.  It's fine by me if he wants to come back - I'm good with a mellow afternoon just him and I.  We took Jake for a nice long walk which was much needed for him and found a playground along the way that was a part of the neighborhood we are staying in.  They had some old style playground equipment including the merry-go-round like the kind we had at Frothingham Park when I was a kid.  He loved it!  And the view was absolutely stunning in every direction.

The neighborhood we are staying in has a mix of new chalets and homes that most definitely date back some significant years.  It's a nice mix of the old and new and more than likely they all have views of the mountains around us.  While our chalet is rustic, as a ski chalet should be, one of the things we've been enjoying at night is fondue!  The place came with a fondue pot and we are most definitely utilizing it!  Josh and I have been getting a lot of reading over the last few days - I think I'm on my third book already!  The kids have been loving the itouches that they got for Christmas - thank god for them!  Though I wish I'd brought other things to entertain them as well like a deck of cards and more books.  But they seem very content after a long morning (or day if it's Aidan and Josh) skiing to come back, chill out with some fondue and watch a movie on their itouch. 

Our chalet

Liam taking a stroll

In the distance an old church with beautiful church bells at the top

View of the mountains from the bottom of our street

And looking the other way

Liam has found the playground

The highlight while we were playing though were all the horses that walked by!

This morning we headed back to La Quillane for the third day.  The boys were supposed to have 2 lessons but after the first one Liam was pretty toasty.  So Josh and I took turns with Aidan for a while before he had his second lesson.  Once again, I'm amazed.  We took the lift up to the top and instead of going down the windy green circle that I liked, he immediately turned around and headed down the blue square... and he beat me down it.  Yeah, he's already better than me...

Cloud cover that looked pretty cool

Getting ready for their lesson this morning

More low clouds

Liam taking a "break" (he didn't get back on his skis after this)

View from the restaurant

Yummmm hot chocolate while Aidan has his second lesson

And a big snow pile!

Here comes Aidan

Because Josh is a much better skier, I sent him out with the camera today to videotape Aidan going down the hill.  These are some of the videos that he took:



http://youtu.be/UPG1wma9xKs

http://youtu.be/yi5zdHMTdfY

http://youtu.be/qlIdddwYPzo

We're not 100% sure what our plan is for the next week - we have the chalet til next Saturday.  The kids have one last ski lesson tomorrow and we don't know if we'll try another ski resort after that with some more challenging slopes for Josh or stick to La Quillane.  Josh said that Aidan seems really happy where he is and is improving each day... plus we've gone thru the process of renting the skis there already so it saves us time each morning since we can hold on to them til we are done.  So we may just stick to it.  We thought about going to Toulousse or Carcassonne, but it's looking like over a 2 hour drive from here so given Liam's likelihood to get carsick, we may just stay local for the next week and keep skiing most of the days.  We shall see where the wind (and snow) takes us :)

In the meantime, we want to wish all our friends and family a very happy and healthy New Year!!  I have a feeling ours is going to be very low key and likely we will not even make it up til midnight, especially since the boys have their last ski lesson at 9:30 tomorrow morning!!  You never know though, we could surprise ourselves and have a wild evening!
Julie

It's Like Blue Hills... Only in France

Yes, we've come all the way to France (ok, maybe not allll the way since it's only a 2 hour drive) and we are skiing at a "mountain" that I would associate to be close to Blue Hills at home.  Actually, Blue Hills might be better because this place only has 2 runs - the bunny hill/green circle and a second run that might be between a green circle and a blue square.

However, that being said, it is barely 1 mile from our chalet and when we mentioned to the owners of the chalet that it was the boys first time skiing, they immediately suggested it.  So off to La Quillane we go.  We actually went there yesterday to check it out and see about getting the boys signed up for lessons.  It was a nice enough place, very clean and full of tons of kids which was perfect for us.  It didn't feel overwhelming or overcrowded.

First thing this morning we hit the road running.  Now I'm not much of a skiier and I could tell that I was anxious about going, even on the easy slopes... I could tell this about my argumentative mood this morning.  And of course, all went well so I'm not sure why I was so stressed. 

Entrance to the ski area

Liam checking things out yesterday

As much as Aidan had been looking forward to skiing, I was totally prepared for a battle. That probably explained a bit of my mood too. I know his personality like it's my own (we are two peas in a pod) and I expected a lot of whining about the weight of the boots and falling and not being able to get up, etc etc. But off he went with the instructor, Jean, along with Liam.

Liam on his skis trying to get around

Heading off with Jean, their instructor

Josh and I skied while the kids were in their lessons. I insisted we do the bunny hill to start.  Yes, I know, I'm a total loser.  But in my defense, I have not been on skis since before I was pregnant with Aidan so that's what over 8 years??  After a few runs I was getting the hang of it again though Josh, as always, was significantly better... significantly doesn't even do him justice, he is worlds better than I am!

The "terrifying" view from the top of the bunny hill

Come on, already!!!

I'm in awe of both of my children right now. They did AMAZING!!! I'm so proud of them both, but especially Aidan. I had limited expectations with Liam since he's only 4 and he just doesn't really have the fine motor skills yet...though he way exceeded my expectations! But Aidan, my god, Aidan was amazing. He has this unbelievable ability with sports, they just come so naturally.   At the end of the lesson, Jean had each of the kids taking a turn going down the beginner hill - I didn't expect him to have Liam do it but he did awesome!!  I had tears in my eyes I was so excited for this new adventure for the both of them!  The kids had 2 hours of lessons today and then Liam was toasty.  However, after lunch Aidan and Josh went right back up the hill to start over. 

By the end of the day Aidan was giving (albeit not so successfully) the big slope a try...but when he came down crying because he fell off the chair pully (it wasn't a lift but one of those ones you hold on to all the way up) he told me that he wanted to do it again even though it was really hard.  I have to give him so much credit for giving the big hill a try on his first day out.  Given it was the end of the day we told him maybe we should just keep at the slope he'd been working on and tomorrow he and Josh can do the big one.

Aidan trying the pully for the first time

And Liam is down...

But getting back up and here comes Aidan!

Liam gets a little help

Then goes on his own

Aidan is determined to do this himself!

I love to ski... for now (ask me again in 15 mins)

Aidan top center with his instructor (Aidan is in the dark blue jacket)

Liam in the center with his instructor

Liam again - I'm so proud of him!!!

Just a pretty view :)

Liam making "friends" in the snow while Aidan and Josh ski... his friend "Icy" was going to come back to Barcelona with us but I convinced him that we'd have to rename him "water-y" if he did.  The next morning he went back to the same spot and was thrilled that "Icy" was still there!

Aidan with Josh

Aidan going down the "big" hill... I say "big" somewhat sarcastically but at the same time you couldn't pay me to go down it :)

 

And off he goes!! 

I took some video of Aidan with Josh - it's kind of far out so you just have to look for him but I did a decent job of keeping the camera centered on him.  As he gets closer you can see it's him better.  But it starts with him and Josh at the very top and then coming down the center of the slope:

http://youtu.be/chlww_QW0b8

And then this one is of him going down that big jump of a hill in the center of the beginner slope.  Go Aidan!!

http://youtu.be/7OmdBXkrNig

I fully expect at the end of the 4 days of lessons (total of 6 hours each) that Aidan will be skiing better than I do... ok, he's already skiing better than I do.  And Liam will be going down that green circle like it's a piece of cake.  I have no doubt!  And after the 4 days, perhaps we'll move over to another ski area with some challenging slopes for poor Josh who has to be with us beginners the whole time.  He's being a real sport about it and I know he absolutely loved doing run after run after run with Aidan today.  I think it made his year :)

Til tomorrow!
Julie