a nice warm-up

Recently, Félix and I had our first hot chocolate of the season.  Is it obvious whose mug requires the most marshmallows?

It's mine. It's always mine.

It practically required blackmail to get that man to put a fluffy marshmallow in his cocoa. He's still not sold on the idea, which is wonderful news of course;  it leaves many, many more for me.

How are you warming-up these days?

the best way to visit Paris on foot

Needing an easy excuse for a weekend in Paris I decided to sign up for the 20 kilometrès de Paris race a couple months back.  It was the perfect reason to get us to the city of lights for a quick 36 hours in October. Paris did not disappoint, we had the best weekend.  We packed in a lot and it made for so much fun. Clover got to stay with Felix's parents and sister and be spoiled with attention while Félix and I traipsed around the capital.

Our friends loaned us their lovely apartment as a homebase for the weekend since they were out of town.  Don't they have such  a gorgeous view of the Théatre de la Renaissance? Thank you so much,  A&A! We really wanted to stay for days and days!

It was wonderful to be in the city. We stopped for a leisurely coffee and hid out from a bit of rain until the weather cleared to make our wanderings a little less damp.  After doing our best of being tourists for a bit, we went to the Trocadero to get my bib number for the race.  After a bit of a hiccup with the mandatory doctor's note , mine only specified that I was allowed to run  20 kilometers and it had to specify either  run the 20 kilomètres de Paris or run in competition.  Very strict about that, good to know!  So I had to call my doctor on a Saturday morning and get a new note scanned and emailed to me and then find a shady copy shop to print it out. In the meantime, we didn't let my momentary inattention to detail get us down. We went to lunch in a little bistro on  Rue Montorgueil and did some good people watching.  I managed to wrangle Félix into doing a tiny bit of shopping before we went back to the race headquarters where I waved my very dear athletic clearance and  I was finally officially eligible to run.

We had heard good things about the Edward Hopper exhibit at the Grand Palais but upon our arrival we learned of a 2-hour wait  to get in.  It was too much for our impatient souls.  We went for a celebratory flute of champagne and then headed to a sold out performance of A la Française at the Théatre Marigny.  A work written, directed and starring one of our preferred french actors, Edouard Baer.  It was hilarious and light-hearted, heavy hitting and thoughtful.  He wonderfully poked fun at french culture but also gave a bit of an ode to it as well. Félix and I both left grinning. It was so easy to get carried away in the story, the humor, the moment.

The next morning we headed to the foot of the Eiffel Tower and I got ready to race. This was my first time running with so many people.  There were about 25,000 runners. The race took us out towards the Bois de Boulogne and back through the city and along the banks of the Seine before bringing us back to the Eiffel Tower.   I loved how flat the course was! Compared to where I was doing all my training runs in the hilly, high altitude of the Alps, it was a very welcome change.

There were groups playing music every few kilometers all along the course and people cheered encouragement along the race route.  It was a grey rainy day and it only got more grey and more rainy as the race went on.  It did nothing to dampen my spirits though, it was so fun to be running around Paris with the streets closed just for me... ahem, us, all of us runners.

There were so many people:  participants, supporters, organizers.  Félix and I lost each other until we met up at our pre-determined post-race spot overlooking the Eiffel Tower.   I was greeted with cheers from Félix and his cousin. I ran it in two hours, I was hoping to be faster than that but overall,  I am really happy with my run.  I had a lot of fun and would do it again in heartbeat.  And before we knew it was time to catch the train home and find our little Clover  so that we could cover him with kisses. Now, the only lingering question is what race to sign up for next.  Any ideas?

let's head for the hills

Last weekend, we decided to have breakfast at a higher altitude.  After picking up croissants from our favorite boulangerie, we high-tailed it into the hills. We opted for a short hike and decided to walk a small portion of the trek around the Mont Blanc.

Lots of hikers come through on their way around the Mont Blanc.  The trek usually takes about 7-10 days.  Although, some daredevils do it in under 24 hours but those are men and women running the UTMB, the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc and they are very much exceptional human beings. This year's race was this past weekend. It's so exciting and energizing to watch.    Anyway back to our small, small endeavor, we opted for a very short portion of the same trail.

Nature brought out the bear in Clover.  Literally.  Out of the blue, he growled at some fellow hikers that walked past us as we were taking a break and sent himself into a fit of giggles.  Well, it made the passers-by chuckle, too. Not to fear though,  should you cross this little cub in the wild, I  have on good authority that he isn't very dangerous and can be swayed into just about any activity by offering a small square of cheese or chocolate.

We were rewarded for our early morning motivation.  The sun was just peaking over the tops of the mountains when we arrived at our destination, Le Sollié, a high altitude restaurant just off the trail.  It's usually a stopping point for a refreshing perrier on the way back down from a long hike, or a sweet crêpe to give a boost for that last bit of trail.  We ordered coffee and orange juice to enjoy with our croissants and soaked up all the sunshine we could.

Outside the small chalet that houses the restaurant, there are gurgling fountains. They have rabbits that happily nibble away on grasses and a big sand box filled with toys, in other words an endless amount of things to keep a little boy occupied. They did so very successfully.  But, lunchtime and naptime were growing closer and before those things could happen, there would need to be a hike down.

A tired out Clover got a fair amount of rides on our shoulders and a well-coiffed Félix got an even better hairstyle from his new, little hairdresser.   This breakfast in the hills was a great start to our day and a wonderful start to the weekend.

How was your weekend? I hope there was sunshine involved! Maybe some croissants, too?

you might want to stand up for this

I can't believe that we are staring down the final days of August.  Where did the summer go? I told Félix, rather urgently, that I thought I needed to up my ice cream consumption for the last of the hot weather. And I totally meant what I said.  We've really made the most of this summer though.  I think that is why it feels like it has gone by so quickly.

This past weekend, we headed to the Lac d'Annecy to do something that's been on my summer bucket list for ages. We tried our hand at Stand Up Paddling.  If you aren't familiar with it, the sport originated in Hawaii.  Waikiki surfers used paddles to get out past the reef break to surf bigger and better waves. Stand up paddling has picked up a lot of momentum all around the world and can be found in both salt and fresh water, now. It is easy to understand the popularity. It is so much fun.

It felt amazing to be out on the water.  The sun was shining. The lake was calm.  It was gorgeous.  We only paddled for an hour, but the time flew by. It was so peaceful.  Although I did get honked at by a lake ferry. I was in my blissful, paddling mindset when I half-wittedly thought the captain could steer his big old boat around me.  The horn blasts easily made it clear who would be yielding to whom. Félix and I braced for the waves while the passengers grinned and took photos. We grinned back.

We are officially hooked on this sport. Once we returned our boards, we strolled over to the old town for sushi in the sunshine. It was a completely dreamy day.  Have you tried stand up paddling? Or, maybe just standing up independent of paddling is more your thing?

In any case, I hope you are enjoying these final days of August!

riding the rails in the Alps

 
I was happy to see that  Gabrielle at Design Mom was hosting another Love the Place You Live series. I require very little encouragement to wax poetic about where we live. We love it here. The idea of the series is to get out and enjoy a place close to home, share about it and link up with others that did the same. Félix and I have been meaning to hop on the TMB, the Tramway du Mont Blanc for ages. The timing couldn't be better.  Well, maybe our timing was a wee bit off. When we went to pick up our tickets, we missed the train that was at the station by about 30 seconds.  To make the most of it, we sat down at the little railway café to enjoy a coffee in the sunshine while waiting for the next train to arrive.

The rail line was inaugurated in 1909 and is the highest railway in France. It is also one of the steepest. In only 12 km (7.5 miles) of track, it climbs 1798 meters (5866 feet).  Our train wasn't too full but the early morning trains are usually packed with climbers heading up to start the long trek to the summit of the Mont Blanc. The original idea was to build a train that would go all the way up to the top of the Mont Blanc. Can you imagine?  The early 1900s were such a lofty time of industrial revolution. However, the project faced financial difficulties and with the arrival of the First World War, the idea to go all the way up was definitively abandoned. 

Each one of the three trains that run on the line are named after the operators daughters, Jeanne, Anne and Marie. The railcars are beautiful with polished wood benches and big windows that open to let in the fresh alpine air.

The train winds through the forest climbing up higher and higher until out peaks the most gorgeous panoramas of the Mont Blanc, the Bionnassay Glacier and the Aiguille du Midi.  It rolls through alpine meadows and then heads into a tunnel before reaching its terminus.

We hopped off the train at Mont Lachat stop.  The train can go all the way up to the Nid d'Aigle (The Eagle's Nest) but due to intense melting and glacial activity of the Bionnassay glacier the rail line has had to close and have some work done.

Meanwhile, the wildflowers have happily moved in and taken advantage of the slow down in train traffic. 

We hiked up and up and up further.  It was such a beautiful day.  Félix set a perfect pace as we followed the switchbacks through the rock fields. We walked along until ice axes and crampons were required to go any further.

There has been a lot more rock fall this year with the hot, hot temperatures.  Helmuts were a must at this point, too.  After savoring the amazing view over a snack break, we headed back down and just happened to make a new friend.

We came across this good-looking fellow. He's a bouquetin, a european mountain goat. He was pretty mellow. And no, that's not zooming in, we were really that close. He checked us out for a bit and then trotted off towards his buddies that were busy sunning themselves on the rocks a bit higher up.

This was such a fun day trip.  I feel like the mountaineering bug bit me with this one. Félix and I wanted to keep going up and up and up.   People come from all around the world to visit where we live. We are so lucky to have all this just outside our back door.  And who knows, maybe the next time we're on that train, we will be heading to start our long trek toward the mountain huts before taking on the summit of the Mont Blanc.  What do you think, would you want to join us?

p.s.  For my other favorite from the Love the Place you Live series, take a look here.

that creepy old man

How do you feel about string puppets?  I find them entertaining but I now know that's not a universally held opinion. A couple years ago, I was on a business trip to Prague. I was looking for a cool, authentic souvenir to bring back to Félix. After casually mentioning the history of marionettes in Prague during one of our nightly phone conversations, I learned that since a young age Félix had found them to be bizarre and rather unsettling. My gaze drifted to the the hand-made, recently purchased and more expensive-than-I-care-to-admit string puppet that was sitting propped up on the hotel room chair.  I quickly changed the subject.

Just before leaving the city, I picked up a small, less-shudder-inducing souvenir and proceeded to carry the delicate and super awkwardly wrapped puppet through the airport and on the bumpy flights home as carry-on luggage.  Needless to say, the white-bearded wizard received a luke-warm welcome into our home.  But Félix graciously helped me find a spot for the small sorcerer in our front room.

And it's pretty much every guest we've ever had over the past few years that seems to share Félix's dislike for that wizard. I've gotten questions that make me laugh just thinking about them, some gems like: Do his eyes follow you around the room or is that just me? Doesn't that wizard make Clover cry? Are you going to keep that puppet there?  And my personal favorite, whoa, who's the creepy old man?

As it turns out, from a very young age Clover has found that creepy old man to be hilarious. He loves to shake the puppet's tiny porcelain hand and pretty much can't stop laughing when we make the little wizard walk around. And the great thing is that even an amateur puppeteer can make it move like it's a real human being, which is, as Félix has correctly insisted from the beginning, bizarre and unsettling, but also, as I continue to lobby, always good for a laugh.

the clementine caper

              

Remember this post ? I snapped a picture for it while Clover was having his afternoon snack. I thought it would be a simple, quick photo session but the little guy had other plans because I was only two photos in when his tiny hand came into the frame...just to help tweak the arrangement ever so slightly.

He helped himself to the rest of the clementines.

And found this to be absolutely hilarious...

and then, he got down to the serious business of throwing them about...

And I am so glad that he did because it makes these photos much sweeter than the original.

Packing Up

We're getting ready to go on holiday in Tuscany for a week. There is so much that I am looking forward to, some of those things include: 

+ spending good, solid, family time together

+ enjoying lots of good gelato and enjoying walking off all that gelato,

+ going to the Uffizzi Gallery to see my beloved Botticelli paintings,

+ discovering some new spots with my boys,

+ introducing the little guy to the seaside (again).

Time to get packing!