The Pats vs. The Mohammeds

I hope everyone had a great St. Patrick’s day! We were in London this weekend and my cousin Alex came to visit us. Alex and I spent Thursday and Friday sightseeing, but the main event for him was the Arsenal match on Saturday. Alex left Sunday and Pat & I went to the St. Patrick’s Day celebration and parade (yes, they do celebrate the Irish holiday here).

I was teasing Alex that he should be nervous about what I might write about him on this blog (that his mom, aunts, and grandma would read). Being the second year law student, he immediately retorted that he would file a misrepresentation charge against me! So, I guess what I am saying is that this post might be a little bland, but it is not my fault!

Alex arrived late Thursday morning and we set out to get lunch and do something, but with no definite plan (except not a museum). We ended up walking through Harrods (which is insane by the way. I felt like I was in Vegas!) then grabbing lunch at a pub nearby. Alex started to feel a bit jet lagged and the cold rainy weather did not help. We ended up getting on a city bus and just staying on it. It was our own little tour of London! For dinner we went to The Pig’s Ear, a “gastropub” I had read about. It was the first time we went to a British restaurant and it was actually really good!

Friday Alex was my guinea pig for a plan for visitors. We took the tube towards the city and crossed the Millennium Foot Bridge to the Tate Modern museum to get a view of the London skyline from the café on the 7th floor. It was great, so great that I saw a photo of the exact same view in this week’s Economist (in the London vs. Paris article). Then we walked over to Borough Market for lunch (yum!), crossed the Tower Bridge, and then walked around the Tower of London. It worked really well! For those of you coming to visit us, I will probably suggest the same plan. Everyone here raves about Borough Market, and it definitely lived up to my expectations. It is a fresh food market combined with food stands. I got a very good falafel wrap and Alex got a Thanksgiving Day sandwich (turkey, stuffing & cranberry sauce on a baguette). Who said the food in the UK is bad? We were 2 for 2 on the weekend!

The main event was Saturday – the Arsenal match! Arsenal is a Football Club (soccer) and Alex has been a huge fan for several years, but never had the opportunity to see them play in person. Saturday was like Christmas morning! We headed to the area near the stadium to find a pub to pre-game. We ended up at The Arsenal Tavern and met some real live Arsenal fans, who loved to make fun of my accent and tried to get me to speak with a cockney accent. Never fear, I am still Chicago through & through! Here is a picture of Alex and Pat before they headed into the stadium:



We only had 2 tickets, so I went to a movie while they went to the match. Unfortunately, Arsenal did not win, but they didn’t lose either – it was a 1-1 draw.

Sunday we said good-bye to Alex and headed to Trafalgar Square to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day and to attempt to break a world record. Yep, you read that correctly. Pat participated in a campaign to break a world record for having the most people with the same first name gathered in one place. The previous record was set in 2005 by 1,096 Mohammeds in Dubai. It was another cold & rainy day here so we were nervous about the turnout, but they did it! GO PATS! One small step for mankind . . . Click here to read about the campaign that organized the event. Look at this smile, he is so proud to be Patrick! Here is a picture of Pat with his souvenir green thumb:

Chamonix - Part Deux

Just as perfect as Sunday was for skiing, Monday was equally imperfect, but deceptively so. From the valley where our hotel was, it looked fine - not sunny, but not raining either. We hurriedly ate breakfast and began the journey to get to the mountain (which is quite a workout itself). We decided to try another mountain that was rumored to have a variety of runs, including nice wide ones for beginners. We finally arrived and once in the gondola on the way up, we saw the visibility diminishing right before our eyes. Hmmm. The gondola took us about halfway, then a chairlift took us the rest of the way. Here is a picture from our chairlift:



Ahhhhhhhhh! We had never been to this mountain before and we could barely see 15 feet in front of us! Ascending in the chairlift we heard the skiers beneath us, but when we looked down, all we saw was white. Kind of eerie, kind of exhilarating at the same time. We decided the best strategy would be to take the easiest trail we could find, stick close to the marker poles, and Pat would lead (supposedly slowly). Off into the abyss we went! Looking back at it, I can say it was fine, because all’s well that ends well, right? But while we were trekking (it would not be fair to call what we were doing skiing) down that mountain it was freaking scary! At some points there were other people around, but most of the time it was just the two of us and whole lot of whiteness. There were parts that had marker poles on both sides, but one part only had marker poles on one side and I sure did hug that side! But suddenly I was going kind of fast toward the other side and was afraid I wouldn’t have room to turn, so down I went. When Pas asked why, I said “I think that is a cliff and I didn’t want to go over!” I know he was rolling his eyes underneath those goggles, even though I couldn’t see it. Here is a picture I took of Pat to show you all just how little we could see:



Halfway down we had decided that once (if) we made it to the gondola, we take it all the way to the bottom and just go home. This was not fun at all and kind of scary. But by the time we made it to that point, we realized that it had not been that bad and maybe we should give another go. The second time was much better! We were still literally in the clouds, but we had a little more confidence about where we were going, we found another (easier) path, and we found a rope pull part of the way down. And we were pretty much the only people on the run! No lines and no people to maneuver around (which was the really unnerving part about the first run)! It was like we were on an exploration expedition! As you can see from this picture, we found the humor in the situation:



So we kept doing the same run over and over, a little faster and more confident each time (i.e., Pat was leaving me in the dust!). And then all of the sudden, in the blink of an eye, there was light! And we could see! IT WAS AMAZING! For the first time, I truly understood the Biblical verse from Genesis, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” I wish I had a picture to show you (and for our scrapbook), but within a blink of an eye, the white abyss had engulfed us again. That brief lightness gave us the hope that if might come back and perhaps it would stay a bit longer next time? And it also gave us a glimpse at the run we had been skiing from memory. I have to tell you that my instincts were correct. When I meet up with Pat at the rope pull the first thing he said to me was “I guess you were right, you didn’t want to go over that edge!”

It ended up being an amazing day, but in a totally different way than the day before. We did several more runs and stopped for a chocolat chaud (me!) and then did a couple more before we headed home for the day. Our grand finale dinner at La Taverne awaited us!! This time we were a little more indulgent (we needed to celebrate our triumph over the weather!) and ordered the fromage fondue and a filet de beouf. Yum! And the filet came with frites! I have to admit, it made for delicious “cheese fries”!

The next day was cloudy again, so we opted to return our skis and walk around Chamonix to soak it up before we left. It was an amazing weekend and first skiing experience for me. Pat admitted that the scenery was beautiful and the town rightfully boasted fabulous “après- ski”, but I think he was still harbors loyalty for skiing in the great American West. I loved the international feel in Chamonix, it made the idyllic setting seem like more like a fantasy. But my main question regarding future ski trip destinations: Colorado might be the best skiing in the world, but do they have fromage fondue???

Chamonix - Part One

Bonjour! I have been on the road for over a week (and unlike someone we all know and love, I travel sans my computer) and therefore have not been able to do an update. I have been in France (for the first time!) for over a week – 5 days in Chamonix with Pat skiing and then 4 in Paris with my friend from Chicago Meg. It was an incredible week, but I have to admit that I am glad to be home – if I lived in France I would never stop eating!

So, Chamonix. We left Friday mid-afternoon out of Gatwick. It was our first time flying in or out of that airport, and it was fine. The fire alarm went off just after we passed through security and for a few minutes we thought we were going to have a long day at the airport ahead of us, but luckily it was confirmed to be a false alarm. We landed in Geneva (the closest major airport to Chamonix is in another country. funny, right?) about on time and our bags arrived no problem. Yay! We found our shuttle and off to the mountains! We were hoping to make it to our hotel in time to rent our skis before they closed and we did, with about 10 minutes to spare. So far, the holiday gods were smiling on us. We dropped our bags and skis in our room and headed out to explore the town and find dinner.

I had read that Chamonix is a great place for those that ski and for those who just “après-ski” and yet we were still amazed with the breadth of the shops, restaurants, cafes & pubs. It made it difficult to pick a place to eat, but we figured a busy place is sure bet. We read a couple menus and decided on “La Taverne du Chamouny”, a large place with several rooms, and we were seated at the last available table (good sign). The menu was huge, but we decided on fromage fondue as an appetizer. It came with a basket of bread (no veggies to lessen the guilt of eating a bowl of cheese). I took the first bite and “YUMMMM!” – I literally startled Pat (who was looking down, checking his blackberry). I have to admit that I am kind of a fondue connoisseur (well, I really really like it) and with one bite I already knew this was the best I had ever had. Heaven. Pure cheesy, melty & perfect. Obviously, the best dinner I have ever had. And Mr. Meat & Potatoes agreed! Well, maybe not that it was the best dinner he ever had, but that it was amazing (and yes, I have dragged him to several other fondue places).

We went into the meal expecting to order entrees but near the end of the fromage (and yes, we did consume every last drop) they brought us the dessert menu. We looked at each other in an excited awe, like kids being told to forgo the spinach course. And we agreed! No need for more food, but definitely room for dessert. Just when we thought it could not get any better, here comes our apple tart flambe and chocolate crepe with a pear & vanilla ice cream. WOW! For the first of many times during my next week in France I think, thank goodness I don’t live here! I would never stop eating!!

On our way back to our hotel, we walk by several casinos and decided to check one out. It is a relatively small place and quiet. We sit down at a blackjack table and I try not to laugh at the “dix-huit, vingt, blackjack!”. It was fun, but we did not stay long as we had a big day ahead of us.

I woke up Saturday morning ready to hit the slopes! I must admit, I had never skied before (well, one day when I was in high school, but that doesn’t really count). About a month ago we watched the second Bridget Jones movie and Pat kept teasing me that I was going to do a reenactment. Thus, in order to avoid the completely embarrassing (but extremely hilarious) scene in which she can not get out of the chairlift, I immediately enrolled in “ecole de ski”. The plan for Saturday was for me to go to my lesson in the morning, then meet Pat on a mountain for lunch and a few afternoon runs. But by the time we hit the mountain (bunny hill for me) it was raining. Yuk. Luckily it was not raining too hard where I was. Lillian (a woman in her 40’s, born & raised in Chamonix) was a great teacher. She spoke decent English, but it still felt like a joint ski/Francais lesson. So fun! I was doing well (even compared with the 6 year olds), so well that Lillian said I was not a beginner! Maybe I did learn something in that one day back in 1996? Of course, as soon as she said that I let my mind wander (guess where it went? Oui, the fromage fondue) and the next thing I know, I am eating snow – not nearly as delicious as my beloved dinner the previous evening.

We got a couple more good runs in before the end of the lesson. As long as I kept my mind on the keeping my skis parallel and not cheese, I did fine. At the end of my lesson I called Pat to find out where we should meet. Apparently it was raining much more where he was and was extremely cloudy and hard to see. We decided to call it a day and meet back at the hotel and pray for better weather the next day.

By the time we got to Casa Valerio for a late lunch, we were starving and really excited for the pizzas we had heard so much about. Despite the extremely slow service, it was a good lunch. At the end, there was only one other occupied table in the restaurant, an older gentleman seated at a table just behind us. He kept turning around and staring at us (I guess bc we were speaking English). Finally he said “Bonjour!” Yes, we know what that means and thus responded. Next he tells us in very broken English that he doesn’t speak English. Between our broken Francais, his broken English, a little help from the restaurant staff and some hand motions, we learn that he is from nearby and has lived there his whole life. He spent time in the military in 1968 and has been to Germany, but never America. His family has been to America, but he has not as he refuses to fly. It was interesting, but frustrating too. The depth (and length) of our conversation was quite limited. We shortly said “au revoir” and were on our way. I felt bad leaving, I know you would have loved to talked to us longer (probably so he could go home and tell his family that he had spoken to Americans! Hopefully he would tell them that we were nice and respectful, not monsters) but there wasn’t much more either of us could say.

It was still cold and raining, so we decided to warm up with an Irish coffee from Irish Coffee, a pub in the middle of town. They were quite good, so we had a couple more before heading to the shops. As we walked through town, we noticed everyone looking up. The weather had cleared and the scenery was truly magnificent! This picture does not do it justice:



Then we continued our pub crawl at Elevation 1904. That was a fun little place (the bar had 4 stools and there were only about 6 tables). They had a projector & screen and were showing a rugby game (the Bulls v. the Sharks) and the Beastie Boys were blasting from the speakers. It was kind of surreal, but very fun! We hung out there for awhile, trying to get a grasp on the rules of rugby (and oohing & aweing over the craziness of it) and then rocking out to Bob Marley following the Beastie Boys. Then back to the hotel for a good night’s sleep, to hopefully wake up to good weather!

Ta da!! We woke up to gorgeous weather on Sunday. Check out this picture from our balcony:



It was an idyllic day for skiing: clear skies, sunny & warm. Here are pictures of us going up the lift:





Pat picked this particular mountain bc he was told it had good beginner slopes as well as more challenging runs for more advanced skiers. Hmmm, I am not sure I agree with that. Look at the first hill Pat took me down!



Ok, it might not look like much from this angle, but believe me, this is not a beginner hill! When I made it down without falling, Pat thought that meant I could keep going. While technically I could, it just wasn’t that fun bc I had to go so slow. We ended up trying a couple other runs, which were fun for him, but just a bit too steep for me to be getting my groove. Finally we found the single bunny hill, which was actually too bunny for me; still fun though bc I could go really fast at the bottom.

Time for lunch! There was only one restaurant, so thankfully our hunger pangs waited until the end of the lunch crowd and we scored a prime table. Here is a picture of us taking a break from our soupe l’oignon and lasagna. The food was great, but it was the view that made the lunch unforgettable.



After lunch I decided to stick to the bunny hill and perfect my turns in order to be more confident the next day. We each did a couple runs, then would meet up to chat. At one point we ended up on parallel téléskis ! Here is a picture of Pat from behind. He told me later he was emailing a picture to his work team asking about their day & sharing a view of his. Of course, right?



It was an amazing first real day of skiing for me and Pat loved it too (much much better than the previous day). We headed to a supposedly great meat restaurant to re-live the day over and over while enjoying yet more yummy food & wine. While Pat thoroughly enjoyed the combination of fromage fondue with cured meats, I was not as content. I gave it a chance, I really did. But it just did not compare to La Taverne. We settled on going back there for our final dinner in Chamonix the following night. And yes, it was difficult for me to sleep that night. Ha!