Dinner for Twenty One

Every morning in France was a new opportunity. A couple of days I headed up the mountains on a ski lift, some days I stayed at the chalet and read, each day I explored a path or part of the town I hadn't seen before. I had only visited La Salle Les Alpes once in the summer of 2013, but I consider myself to have a decent familiarity with the layout. The winter landscape however, altered the views and the offerings. On Christmas Eve, while wandering through the shops, we came across an open air market. Some booths had clothing, some dried meats, but most importantly, some had glorious French cheese.

My thoughts on cheese? The stinkier, the better!

Christmas Eve night ended with half of the group going to church and half playing Perudo, drinking, and overseeing the finishing details of our dinner. Dinner each evening was seriously decadent with multiple courses, all of them handmade. Seating was always a struggle, and you became closely acquainted with those next to you very quickly as twenty one of us were crowded into two tables each day. To be fair, the only rough patch was when you got seated on one of the two benches near the end. Three people were on each bench, requiring everyone to sit, rise, and scoot the bench in at precisely the same time. There was true strategy to this as well, as it had to be two women and one man. You could not disturb the delicate bench balance! We all had chalkboard napkin rings with our names on them to designate our assigned spots.

Champagne and appetizers on Christmas Eve

The last night of our stay, the 26th, was a really special meal. The menu mirrored that of a Thanksgiving dinner, a true luxury for us this year, with the exception of the appetizer. We began with escargot. I consider myself adventurous when it comes to food, I do like stinky cheese after all, but this was something I had not tried before. After a few failed attempts at removing the snail from it's shell, I finally succeeded in retrieving one and it was delicious. They were cooked in an amazing basil sauce, which was remarkable by itself, and the texture was not as odd as I was fearing! 

Dinner was turkey, cabbage, parsnips of varying colors, potatoes, stuffing, and we finished with a chocolate log I would describe as a Swiss roll covered in powdered sugar and pomegranate seeds. Those pomegranate antioxidants really helped balance out the meal. 

The whole week at the chalet had absolutely flown by and was stuffed full of food and new experiences. Tom and I tried to retire at a decent hour, but wanted to enjoy as much time as we could with everyone. We were leaving at 6:30 the next morning and wouldn't be seeing them before we departed! Spending Christmas in France was an absolute dream and made for a fantastic first Christmas together as a married couple.

A Snowmobile Ride Under the Stars

Dinner time at the chalet in France was always an event. Each night a different family took turns making dinner for the entire household, and it was often a day long affair. Everyone was looking forward to a dinner out the Tuesday evening before Christmas. 

This dinner was set to be a spectacular one. All twenty one of us piled into vans and drove to a very remote location in the mountains. Living in Chicago for three years and spending the last few months in large cities, I believe I forgot how dark true wilderness can be. The vehicles were parked and we began walking up an isolated road. I didn't quite know what was going on, but followed as best I could, iPhone flashlight in hand. After a few minutes of uphill hike, a truck came speeding by us, did a U-Turn and stopped just ahead of the group. Unsure of who this person was, I'm thinking: Lovely. We are all about to be murdered and disposed of in the woods.

Fortunately, the driver was a man from the restaurant where we would soon be dining. He heard the roads were icy and came to pick us up. This way, we didn't have to walk the entire way to the snowmobiles. Oh yes. We all squished into this pick up truck, shoved creatively on top of one another, and took off for our next mode of transportation. 

While the night was cold and I was jostling around over the wheel in the back, I looked up at the night sky and decided it was all completely worthwhile. Between the darkness and the altitude, I have never before seen so many start just scattered up above.

We arrived at the snowmobile, it had a six seater carriage fastened to the back and we were about to go speeding around narrow trails in the pitch black. Good thing I got a look at the sky when I did, because I spent that snowmobile ride convinced I was going to be the one person jettisoned from my seat and into the abyss. I survived, and I must say, it was exhilarating. 

The snowmobile slowed in front of what literally appeared to be an abandoned cabin in the woods, surrounded by only snow and hills. Shuffling into the lobby, we all began to take off our layers and put on, get this, Crocs. I did manage to do a little digging and find some with flowers on them. Understandably, they didn't want dozens of people dragging snow and ice all over their floors. We all had to come up in waves, and I settled in with a beer and my Crocs, waiting for the others to arrive.

The ambiance was that of a cozy cabin with ample wooden decor and cozy curtains. My favorite part of this cabin? The dessert display was set up smack in the middle and I could keep my eye on it at all times. The fantastic amounts of cheese I got to ingest also made for a pleasant evening.

We ordered our entrees ahead of time. I was planning on playing it safe with a meat dish, but decided on the stinky cheese fondue, or more eloquently referred to as Mont D'or. I was shocked when they brought each person their own container of melted cheese. Thankfully, I got some help in finishing mine. I had a meat platter, olives, and some vegetables for dipping, smothering, in the Mont D'or. 

Post dinner and dessert (I had a fruit crumble), we naturally finished with a drink. Well, everyone else did. I passed as I wanted to have my wits about me on the return snowmobile ride. The drink display was adorable and perfectly rustic.

We had to leave in rounds as well.This was the hardest part to survive. With that much meat, cheese, and delicious food in your belly, all you desire is a deep, hibernation grade sleep. The restaurant owners had an adorable cow dog there to keep us company though. Playing with the dog made for a good use of my extra time.

The snowmobile and pick up truck ride was more pleasant on the way back. I knew what I was getting myself into this time around and did some deep breathing! The entire night was unbelievable and I still can't fathom the beauty of the night high up in the Alps.

Skiing and Chocolat Chaud

Glorious sunshine and a lack of snowfall proved to be a blessing and a curse when the time came for my ski lessons in the French Alps. La Salle Les Alpes is located in the resort of Serre Chevalier Vallée and there are a number of slopes nearby. We drove minutes down the road the Monday before Christmas to check out the ski gear I would need for the day.

I wore numerous layers, not because I was concerned I would be cold, but out of concern for how many times I was anticipated I would fall. So I waddled into the ski shop, rocking my borrowed ski pants, to shove my feet into the most awkwardly uncomfortable boots I've ever worn. I selected some poles, grabbed my borrowed skis, and slowly made my way to the lift. 

What is more terrifying than riding in an unstable, though thankfully enclosed, lift to the top of a mountain over the duration of five minutes? Having to manage your way into the capsule while it's moving and your wearing the uncomfortable above mentioned items. I was sweating bullets just thinking about it.

After successfully making it on board, we arrived at the top around 11:00, half an hour early for our ski lessons. This meant I had some time to put on the skis and attempt to propel myself around a mini hill with my ski poles. There may be some people who place skis on their feet and immediately glide around with ease, I am not one of them. I did okay in the initial stages, until I began to slide back. I didn't know how to stop. There are throngs of children behind me (who are all skiing far better than I, by the way..) and I'm envisioning myself ending in a snowbank as I take some of them out on my way down. Tom had to grab and drag me to safety before I caused such a catastrophe.

This days lesson would run for two hours. I was given the run down on proper stance, which involved leaning into the horrid boots and leaving me with a bruise that is still healing, and told to navigate my way around sans poles. Before I was cleared to enter the bunny hill, I tried going down a minuscule slope to how learn to stop and get a feel for my skis. Tom accompanied me to my lessons for moral support, but once bunny hill time began it was just me and the toddlers.

To get to the beginning of the bunny hill, you have to conquer a small downhill slope. The instructor went down backwards in front of me, it didn't do much good though as I went flying under her legs seconds in. She stopped me and gently navigated me to safety, no harm done. 

I feel I excelled at the super basics. Go down a hill? Great. Learn to stop? Somewhat. Learn to turn in an intentional manner, both directions? That's where I got lost. I could turn very well one way, but it was purely by accident. This meant I didn't know the proper mechanics of how to turn and inevitably ended up (intentionally) colliding with a foam covered pole to stop as I continued to turn into a crowd of children. Although, the children could ski better than I, so really they should have moved out of my way. Just a thought.

That sun though. It was wonderful. I wasn't cold, had I spent those two hours freezing I don't know that I would have survived the full lesson. It also made me feel athletic, as I knew I would have a bitchin sunglasses tan line from my day on the slopes. The sun was terrible, too. It meant there was less snow, and the snow that was on the ground felt soft after a few runs. I blame its mushiness for my unsuccessful stopping. 

Two hours came and went quickly. By the time the end came, I was certainly getting burnt out and frustrated. I couldn't figure out how to turn and was mentally spent. After a well deserved lunch, everyone else headed back while I grabbed a chocolat chaud and waited for them.

My preferred version of Christmas day skiing

I didn't return for skiing the rest of the week. However on Christmas I brought my Kindle and relaxed with, what else, a chocolat chaud while the others went out on the slopes. I will forever be grateful I took those lessons, the feeling of skiing is one of a kind, but I don't know it is something I care to master. I will probably spend all of my future time skiing on the bunny hill with children who are far more fearless than myself!

Have Yourself a Very French Christmas

This holiday season was bound to be different for us. Not only because we are newlyweds and are celebrating our first Thanksgiving and Christmas as a married couple, but also because we planned to stay in Europe and embrace holiday adventures came our way. Thanksgiving was spent in London with extended family, and for Christmas we really lucked out as well. Tom's best friend's family owns a chalet in La Salle Les Alpes, a small town located in the French Alps. We were invited to join them for the week of Christmas and eagerly accepted.

We made the seven hour drive the Saturday before Christmas. The drive itself was extraordinary. We drove along the west side of Germany, through Switzerland, into the notoriously long tunnel in Italy, until we were finally winding our way through the mountains of France. Our friends had arrived just hours before us and we could not wait to see them, the four months we spent apart was too long!

I have been to the town La Salle only once the previous summer. I remembered it well and was looking forward to spending time there with a great group of people. Twenty one people to be precise, family and friends, were staying in the chalet. That alone guaranteed an eventful week. 

Our first evening there was spent relaxing, eating, and catching up. One of the most fun events is everyone getting together to play games after dinner. That night we played a couple of rounds of Perudo, which was helped along by some limoncello, and went to bed around midnight. We awoke somewhat early the next morning since most of the group was going skiing. As I had never been skiing before, I decided to hang back with a friend. I consider our day to be much more relaxing. We enjoyed a Coke on the sun soaked patio of a cafe downtown and meandered through the peaceful streets. It was Sunday so unfortunately all the shops were closed. We made the trek home, had tea on the beautiful patio above, and were finishing lunch of one of my preferred simple French foods (salmon paste on toast with lemon juice) as the others were arriving home.

Another fantastic end of the day routine is partaking a pre-dinner sauna. This was something I took advantage of more days than not. While the sun was magnificent during the day, the weather turned cold at night and nothing squashes a winter chill like a hot sauna. We ended the day with cocktails, snacks, dinner, and a new game before calling it a night. I was anxious to get to bed at a decent hour, for the following day I would be attending my first skiing lesson.