Farewell France

Happy Fathers Day!

Our last stop on our 6-week trip was the town of Thones, not far from Lake Annecy. We stayed here 2 years ago and really enjoyed it so decided we would come back again for 5 nights to finish off our trip. Coincidentally, it was the same time as 2 years ago which has a fantastic food festival over the first weekend of September. We stayed at a hotel that also had a few apartments, staying in a 2-bedroom one which had recently been renovated.

On our first full day (Saturday) we visited the local markets which are very big and have a huge variety of food stalls. So we bought cheese, fish, meat, bread, roast chicken, saucisson and even sauerkraut (a favourite of Matthew's) to last us for our days here. Being a quite warm day I went to the local pool with Matthew that afternoon while Heather and Jordan slept. There were 3 pools to swim in so we went for the mid-size pool that wasn't too deep for Matthew and even had a short water slide that he could use. Matthew had a great time and I had a bit of trouble convincing him when it was time to leave!

On the Sunday we headed to the food fair late morning so that we could sample something nice for lunch. We decided on a seafood lunch - oysters and mussels with bread and wine (latter 2 for Adrian only!). What a great lunch to have on Fathers Day. Matthew was intrigued by the bagpipe players (who were also staying at our hotel) and both boys even managed to have a feel of the bagpipes while they were having a break. That afternoon it was back to the pool for another swim (all four of us), being the last day before it shut down for the summer season (with a hot Monday forecast!).

With the pool now closed we spent our last couple of days at the local playground, cafes and boulangeries taking it quite easy before our long trip home. We flew Geneva-Heathrow-Hong Kong before taking an over night stop to break up the trip (plus flights didn't connect well!) at the airport hotel. It was a great idea and Matthew had a super time in the kids playroom which had all sorts of soft steps and slides to burn up some energy. Our last flight of the trip was on Cathay Pacific where the service and meals were impeccable. The cabin crew loved Jordan and all had their photo taken with him! We arrived in Perth late on Friday night with Heather's Mum meeting us at the airport and taking us home. She had done a fantastic job looking after the house and Muppet, including all our mail and bills. And to top it off she had cleaned the house from top to bottom - it's probably not been that clean since we bought it! Thanks Petra, your help has been invaluable on so many levels.

So our fantastic 6-week trip has come to end. Time to start thinking about the next trip........maybe when the boys are a little older though, and the added excitement of nappies and day sleeps are a thing of the past!

Matthew's favourite was the fig cake

Too many lollipops to choose from!

Boys helping out with the final pack. Huggies - check.

All loaded up at Geneva airport for the long trip home

Chatel and a bit of Switzerland

It was an interesting move from bustling La Clusaz to sleepy Chatel near the Swiss border on the south side of Lake Geneva. With school holidays ending, most summer entertainment in the mountains shuts down and the average age of tourists increases as the tour buses replace the families. So whilst we had to search around to keep ourselves occupied we still enjoyed our time in this corner of France. A glaring omission from this town is no active playground! There is one, however it was fenced off due to a new ski-lift being built nearby. So the nearest playground was about 10 minutes drive away, over the Swiss border.

Our first full day in the town (Sunday) was the last day the ski lifts were open, so we caught the telecabin up from the centre of town and then went for a short walk to the Swiss border (about 300m away). This ski area encompasses both France and Switzerland, so bring your passport when here!

We will long remember the first day of (Australian) Spring as when Jordan's first tooth broke through. He has had a tough time with his teeth so far and now has 2 bottom teeth.....a lot more still to come though!

Our stay here also included a trip to the town market day where we tried some new local cheese, a very nice (and expensive) fig cake and some of our favourite brioche bread. We also made a trip over to Switzerland to a miniature railway park which has a variety of trains you can ride on. Matthew's favourite was definitely the steam train, especially when the driver tooted the horn, and going through the tunnels!

Matthew picking a flower in France while Heather and Jordan are resting for a moment in Switzerland

"Do you mind if we pass Mr Cow"

After watching Matthew practicing his catching with a balloon, Jordan gets very excited when he gets hold  of one

Brothers having a wonderful time together

Just about to puff away...These miniature trains and the array of railways throughout the grounds were amazing.  The 15 minute rides (especially on the steam train) were enjoyed by young and old.

Now that Jordan has sprouted his first two teeth, he needs his big brother to show him how to brush them

Most mornings Matthew and I head out for a coffee and croissant "run". Sometimes all four of us make the journey
with Matthew riding on the skateboard attached to the stroller

Asking for directions from a cow at the Chatel Market

The heated pool and fountains at the Chatel pool were fun, but nothing beats
drying your hair afterwards!

La Clusaz Part 2

Our seven days in La Clusaz was jam-packed as there was a lot to do in and around La Clusaz. On one of the many sunny days we drove up the mountains to the nearby Col des Aravis. It had great views of the surrounding areas, including to Mt Blanc (highest mountain in France). While there it was only a short walk to one of the local cheese-producing farmers from whom we bought a chunk of Tomme de Savoie cheese (one of our favourites). The walk was very scenic and fortunately flat (for Heather) and we returned for a lunch at one of the several restaurants at the Col. We also enjoyed the local swimming pool in La Clusaz. Perched on the side of a hill overlooking the town it had 4 different pools, 2 of which were specifically for toddlers - an indoor and outdoor splash pool. Jordan and Matthew both loved it with Matthew also venturing into the big pool but it was a bit cool for him so he was quite happy splashing Mummy and Jordan instead! We could easily have stayed longer but are sure we will come back again some time in the future.

Heather and Jordan enjoying lunch at the Col des Aravis, with Mt Blanc in the background

Also at the Col des Aravis

Having a good splash at the La Clusaz pool

Matthew on the hill overlooking the centre of town with the telecabin, luge, air bag jump, bouncy castles and
bumper boats all in the background

Jordan enjoying his play area in the apartment\

La Clusaz Part 1

We had a fantastic seven days in La Clusaz, a busy ski station in winter but in summer it has plenty of other activities on offer and is a very busy little town. We had a short-ish drive from Champagny, travelling up some quite windy and spectacular roads and through gorges to get there. Our apartment was right on the edge of the main "activity" area of the town which was great positioning and only required short walks when we wanted to do anything or get something to eat. It was also the biggest apartment we had stayed in with 3 bedrooms and a huge balcony, so was especially useful on the one rainy day we had. One advantage of our stay was signing up for the La Clusaz "Detente Card" which allowed unlimited access to most activities - at 45 Euro for adults was pricey but we definitely got our money's worth. Matthew had his own special "Enfant Roi" card, complete with photo, to use as well. On the first afternoon Matthew and I caught the telecabin from just near our apartment to the Plateau de Beauregard where there are some good views and a restaurant/bar for a coffee. Matthew loved the ride up so we decided to do it again.....this time with Heather and Jordan on board too! Over the week we did it several times, the journey being about 10 minutes each way. The photo is the heading up to Beauregard with La Clusaz in the background.

Sunrise viewed from our balcony, overlooking the centre of town

During our week's stay Matthew spent alot of time on the bouncy castle (chateau gonflable!), bumper boats and summer luge. The luge was great fun and could be ridden as tandems with little kids (taller then 80cm). Both Heather and I made numerous trips up the Patinoire telecabin with Matthew to make the 800m run down the hill where you could build up alot of speed up if you wanted. There were plenty of sharp bends and a couple of tunnels, the longer one being where Matthew would shout out to look out for the bear! Unfortunately Jordan will need to wait till our next trip before he can have a go.

Always fun in France is town market day. All sorts of local producers have stalls and fortunately for us market day was on a Monday and early on in our visit to La Clusaz. So we stock on up fresh fruit/veg, all sorts of cheeses, plenty of saucisson (dried cured sausage), lots of meat and finally a huge chunk of nougat! Despite there being a little bit of drizzle we had a great time and finished off with a coffee at the local restaurant (no babycinos here so its a "lait chaud" for Matthew). As a result we had some great meals during the week (thanks to Heather's cooking of course).

Matthew had heaps of fun on the bouncy castle, and it was a great way for him to burn up his energy
and be very tired by the end of the day!

Heather and Matthew coming into the finish on the summer luge

Matthew driving the bumper boat, with the bouncy castles in the background

Market Day! Our usual coffee venue is in the background.