chamonix-mont blanc
On a scale of 1-10 on 10 (10 being the happiest!) of how happy i was to see see shayan on Saturday in Chamonix, i would say it was a great whopping big 11! we had originally arranged to meet at Geneva Airport when my flight would get in from Birmingham at about 9.45am. He was coming in from Zurich before catching a train to Geneva. He made the right choice. Hearing him describing his elation on getting to Geneva Airport before my flight landing and then seeing the Arrival Boards with a row of red signs that said-DIVERTED was only hilarious after I made it to Chamonix at 8.30pm. I ended up in Lyon at about 10am (named after a famous writer if anyone would like to hazard a guess), trying to work out the best way to get to Geneva or Chamonix, before finally getting on a bus that left at 4pm that headed to Geneva. So you can imagine how happy I was when I finally made it to Rue de Joseph Vallot, trudging up 3 flights of stairs at La Hotel Croix Blanche, knocking on the door and seeing him on the other side!
But, to tell you in all honesty, if i had to go by the same route again (though i hope it never happens ever!) to get to Chamonix, I would do it in a heartbeat (I'm glad you stuck to your guns and chose this over Paris! hee hee). Just look at the photo. That's where I learnt to snowboard! Isn't it amazing? It was almost surreal. And if being surrounded by these mountains and all the snow wasn't crazy enough, the food was amazing as well. Granted, I overdosed on cheese but it was worth it. Fondue, Raclette and the yummy Steak Tartare that Shayan ordered, with the waiter making it very clear it was raw. The chocolate from the tiny shop and the yummy boulangerie. And the coffee! yum yum yum
So can i snowboard now? err...i can come down in a straight line, i can ride the ski bar lifts ( a lot harder for a snowboarder because we can only use on hand), i can control my board when the slopes are steep but I sure as hell can't turn! Not right or not left (well, not without falling over in a great spectacular heap at the end of it). you know what that means right? i need to go back :P and learn to get it right. hee hee hee