Morzine and Tour de France

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Hi all – the trip reporter is a bit behind schedule but not to worry as that is what happens when you are on a busy trip. Have finally got around to doing the Morzine update - enjoy!

Well the amazing trip continues with all the kids and parents doing a great job of adapting to a new time zone, very warm weather, new food, different beds, lots of walking and driving as well as travelling via gondolas and chairlifts – so much in a short period of time.

After our early departure from Bristol in the UK we all arrived in Geneva, collected hire cars and drove to Morzine in the French Alps. Carla waited a little longer for Breny’s flight to arrive from Australia and Liam had a lovely surprise to see his dad. We were all exhausted when we finally arrived at Chalet le Surf in Morzine. Carla and Brent’s friends were already there and it became a very busy household with all five families, including 4 boys under 61/2 years. The chalet was set up over three floors. There were lots of bedrooms and bathrooms and a big kitchen family area at the top of the third floor. There was also a downstairs storage facility for all the mountain bikes. We were all much fitter after a few days going up and down the stairs. Of course Liam managed to escape us and climb to the top as well as climbing over the barrier that we had set up to stop him going down the stairs – talk about a heart stopping moment for us all!

Wine o’clock on the outside terrace was the daily tradition and it gave us all an excuse to try the lovely cheeses, pate, hams and salamis and of course an interesting range of wines and beer. It was also a great time for sharing the daily mountain biking dramas like the day they all used the chairlifts and rode from Morzine in France across the border into Switzerland and back (no passports needed). It was a very big day in the mountains on the bikes and a few bruises and tired legs to boot.

We had a day playing golf at the Evian Masters Club – a bucket list course for us for a very long time. Both agreed it was one of the most scenic courses we have ever played. Every hole had amazing views of the lake or the mountains. Played with two English guys who had moved to France to get away from the UK and its politics. They helped us navigate the course and shouted us a drink afterwards. Graham played really well – never missed one fairway.

Morzine village was lovely. Spent quite a bit of time with the boys in the souvenir and toy shops. They loved going for a croissant or an ice cream and then trying to con us into buying yet another toy! The village train was also a hit but of course the gondola rides were the favourite kiddy activity. The adults all spent each day mountain bike riding. They used the gondolas and chairlifts to take the bikes up and down the mountains and then rode the seriously steep bike trails in between. Lauren had a few stacks and Carla really kept Lauren going after one crash that left a bit of gash in her leg. Adrian did well keeping out of trouble.

While they were riding Lauren, Adrian, Brent, Graham and I took the boys up the mountains on the gondola. There is something special about lunch at a mountain side village enjoying the views and letting the boys run around.

The big day of the Tour de France in Morzine finally arrived and a lot of planning went into staking out the best locations. Carla Brent Liam and team went high up the mountain to the watch the riders climb to the top of the mountain pass. Loz, Adrian, Leanne, Graham and the kids staked out their positions on the main street approach in Morzine. It was hard because both Liam and Flynn had to be carried in the backpacks by their dads as prams were impossible. All was going well until the rain hit and then we had to really work hard to keep warm and dry.

The Tour Caravan which is all the pre entertainment 2 hours before the riders arrive was fantastic. Flynny loved banging on the crowd barriers with all the other people. Lucas took some great photos with his little camera. Then we all got sprayed with water by the Vittel vans and it was such a hoot. We also managed to catch a few of the souveniers that were thrown into the crowd – this kept the boys entertained.

The cyclists finally arrived and the noise was really something. The crowds are so encouraging of the riders who really do an amazing job of riding with so much speed and skill up the steep mountains and then hurtling down at amazing speeds. All this in quite heavy rain and no accidents on the day was quite amazing.

The race into Morzine was all over by about 6pm including the presentation etc. Within 1 hour of the finish the caravans associated with the tour were departing with the riders for the town of Chantilly and the final day’s ride into Paris. So we all trundled back to the chalet for nice hot showers. Of course at this time the rain stopped and the sun came out – how typical. Met up with the others who made it back from the mountain. Finished off an awesome day with a few bottles of wine and a wonderful feast cooked for us all by Jodi and Tim (chefs extraordinaire).

The next day saw our mass exodus from Morzine – ah packing all the bikes, the kids stuff and cleaning up was a bit of a task but before we knew it we were farewelling Lauren & Adrian and the boys as they headed to Chamonix and the rest of us were off to Alpe Duez, another mountainous region in France.

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