New year in Megeve

Deciding what to do for New Year was a big dilemma for us, as always (where to go, whom to invite, etc.). Fortunately, Flore & Christian solved it for us by kindly inviting us and a bunch of other mates to spend it with them in Megeve, in the French Alps.



So off we flew to Geneva, with Fly Baboo, a Swiss low-cost airline that I would definitely recommend to anybody flying to Switzerland, in spite of our 1 ½ hour delay! (Their meal concept is quite original – the light snack is served on cocktail sticks). From there, Christian drove us as well as Chie & Jeff (who had spent the day in Geneva) down to Megeve (after a quick visit at his parents place in Annemasse). We were later joined by Isabelle, Nick and Flore, who had all taken the train from Paris.



We had three absolutely fabulous days of skiing – a lot better than last time (although that time our nocturnal activities would’ve probably prohibited any serious skiing even if the weather had allowed for it…). At the end of it all, I even felt some improvement in my technique (I actually felt like I was skiing rather than just tumbling down the hill with skis on my feet). Blue skies, great snow, just superb, all in all. And of course this was accompanied by great food, drink and friends…



We were treated to two of the local specialities: Tartiflette (which is, according to that most reliable internet resource Wikipedia, not actually a traditional dish but rather an invention by the Reblochon trade union – Reblochon cheese being one of the main ingredients) and Fondue (which is apparently originally Swiss - doh).






New Year’s eve was a somewhat less energetic affair than last year – a day of skiing does that to you at my age ;-). We started the celebrations in the central square of Megeve, where they very kindly served free Vin Chaud (fortified with Grand Marinier). Then we continued in the flat, struggling on ‘til about 1h30 in the morning, dancing to 80’s music, drinking what was left of the wine and champagne and chatting away… Too bad Sinhung couldn’t join us –we fondly remember his inflated balloons from last time around ;-)



Tuesday was a sad day indeed, as we had to head back to our respective homes… A big thanks to Flore and Christian for their hospitality and a great break!