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Published: August 8th 2007
It would be easy for me to let an accident in the Swiss Alps be the big happening of this blog. For example, I could tell you how it feels to fall down in the heavy snow loosing grip on the steep mountain side. I could go on describing the sound your shoulder would make when snapping and being dislocated. Or how about getting rescued on high altitude with a sledge and then flown to the nearest hospital - with a helicopter?
Oh no! Although an accident would make an exciting entry I cannot let it take all attention considering all other great experiences from my visit in Switzerland.
The trip was well planned! After landing in Geneva we drove to France for a weeks supply of wine and groceries. Switzerland holds hands with Sweden and Norway in being one of the most expensive places to live on earth. So with four people, two suitcases and 10 bags of groceries Djamel's small Volkswagon brought back the cheaper supply from across the border. We started on 5th gear and made a short stop at the border before continuing all the way to Lausanne - a 45 minutes drive from Geneva.
By the way, the reason for our stop at the border was because the staff of Swiss customs wanted to know how much wine and food we had bought -
more than 2kg of meat was not allowed to bring back to Switzerland:P! Next day we were off towards Bex, the village nearest to our chalet. It was an hour of scenic drive away from Lausanne and our chalet was situated just a few km away from Bex. Arriving at the magnificent location we all knew we could look forward to extraordinary experiences for the coming week - socializing, eating, skiing and nature. It was all picturesque and perhaps the only thing missing was
yodelling girls with rosy cheeks and a healthy cow in the background.
Needless to say that the chalet exceeded all our expectations regarding size, interior and location. The chalet gave us a great feeling since
it was built 1714 - before French Revolution.
Anyway, we had a great time of course! Enjoying lots of good food, playing games and bonding with each other in a way that would make Israel and Palestina envy. I mean how could it possibly get boring in a
house filled by people with backgrounds of Switzerland, Iran, Germany, Sweden, Vietnam, Tunisia, Marocco and Algeria while surrounded by mountains and forrests.
Although this year has come short on snow there was enough in Les Crosets and Champoussin to challenge my skill. First day, I had the pleasure to see my cousin's first experience of skiing. An adventure he masterly excelled at.
As usual it is better to show you the photos rather than trying to depict in words. However, I need to finish this entry telling you that the best thing you can do after a good day of skiing is to visit the natural baths of Lavey - a place where you enjoy hot springs, saunas and relaxation - allowing you to recover in muscles and joints. Maybe I needed more Lavey sessions to prevent my unfortune of a dislocated shoulder! But then again, how often do you experience being saved in the Alps with a helicopter? Although some would prefere to skip the part when 2 nurses and a doctor use bare strenght and sheets stretching you to all points of the compass to
relocate your shoulder back to where it was meant to be by nature.
Make sure you don't miss the uploaded videos - although sensitive viewers are warned!
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Dji Dji
non-member comment
Awesome!!!...
Hey B! Thanks for this little selection(...you'll get the remaining pics soon). I had a great time with you guys and really hope that we'll manage to organize another "cultural" trip as soon as possible. Talk to you soon Djamel