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Not having been away for a while and to coincide with our 1st anniversary as a married couple (and the Bank Holiday weekend) we took advantage of the kind offer from Jo and Paul to spend a weekend in Argentiere.

The sales pitch was relatively easy, skiing in sunshine, sunbathing if we didn't feel like skiing and lots of tasty food thrown in, all in the beautiful Chamonix Valley and spacious homely apartment! (click on the link below, it might be available over the coming summer/winter but gets booked up quickly)

Paul's Apartment

Deal done and flights booked we left work on time on Friday evening and after a few delays at the airport (not the volcano this time) we got to Geneva and picked up the hire car!

Paul was really chuffed when at the desk we were offered a free upgrade and kept it a surprise until we got to the car park. Our upgrade was to a Ford Focus so god only knows what our original car was supposed to be!

A painless drive to Argentiere and a quick drink before bed ready for the 3 days of perfect weather/skiing ahead!

Unfortunately our resident weatherman had pre-warned and correctly predicted (with advice from the Met office and other sources) that the weather for the 3 days we were in town was going to be awful. Instead of waking up to sunshine and views of Mont Blanc from the balcony we were met with very low cloud levels and RAIN!

Rather than stay in and watch DVD's we braved the elements and headed into Chamonix to the local market to stock up on charcuterie and cheese! Sally bought her weight in asparagus as well so if the weather turned really bad we would at least have enough to eat. The market was a god send as all other shops were closed due to the bank holiday - unlike in the UK with everything open 24/7 France do actually close down - despite it being a holiday weekend.

Having had enough of the rain we ate a quick menu du jour which was ok and then headed back to Argentiere to watch DVD's.

Before dinner we did manage a quick walk up to the waterfalls around the Argentiere glacier. The weather was still bad but at least the waterfalls were full flowing. We followed a path that disappeared and then made it to the top. The lack of view didn't matter as we had had our fresh air and exercise for the day.

Stopping off at a restaurant on the way down Sally was so thirsty she asked the waitress for a vase of water, the rest of us had cokes and hot chocolates.

David and Kimberly joined us for dinner in the Dahu where we had a fantastic meal of local meats, steak, and Jo braved the Oysters and Fois Gras! Several carafes of wine later and a few drinks in Slalom and The Office we finally headed to bed exhausted but needed our energy for the next day of skiing we had planned - to coincide with the end of season party!

Still raining we mustered the energy to go up to the Grands Montets ski area. Still raining at the bottom and snowing at the top we did a few runs which weren't too bad. The mountain was pretty empty save for a few hardened seasonaires skiing into swimming pools and attempting rails badly as part of the end of season party! Despite the weather there were a few entertaining moments. First place goes to the friendly French man who called Jo a Merde after she asked him in English to move out of the way and drop his umbrella! While waiting for the cable car back down a bird poo'ed on Jo's hand so maybe he was just trying to warn her in advance?

Exhausted we went back for another DVD session then a quick break for a pizza in the Stone Bar, another DVD and then bed.

Our final day was again raining but we did manage to pack quite a lot in.

A drive through the mountains to Montreax and a visit to the local Chateaux and MacDonald’s before being dropped at the airport was more than enough.

All in all another good weekend break despite the weather. Only another year or so before we get the chance to put skis on again and hopefully next time the weather will be a bit better!

Thanks to Jo and Paul for the invite!

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