Happy New Year!

Shocking to only be typing my first post of 2011 on the 16th of January, but it has taken me a solid week to get back into the German groove of things, because for New Years 2010 Robyn was not in Germany. Robyn was in France. SIGH.

Of course it would not have been right to set out on our journey without a chocolate croissant, I know, how very French of me. It was then an hour and a bit flight to PARIS! (YES, I breathed in some Parisian Airport Air!), a two hour train trip to Lyon, then an hour and a half-ish to Grenoble, where we reunited with our South African Team Members, and head off to, well, I don't even have words... just look where we stayed:

A worn down winding staircase, about a million trillion rooms, stone floors, old old windows, a tiny kitchen with the smokiest fireplace imaginable. (You could almost see the kitchen staff of way back when sitting there peeling veggies with a cloth bonnet and an apron).

Grenoble is such a beautiful place. (As is the rest of Europe). But it's in France, and it was just pretty and romantic. I also bought a new, very french-sophisticated-lady looking coat, which may, too, be influential in the formation of my opinion of Grenoble, but let's not dwell on that... LOOK!

This was were we stayed until New Years, when we attending an unbelievable little soiree in a town hall of sorts. It was basically a HUGE family reunion for Team Members Snyman 1, 2 and 3 (Afrikaans speaking French cousins included) and I felt incredibly lucky to be able to be a part of it all. (Thank you...)

We then took an hour and 20 minute bus ride to Les Deux Alpes, where the skiing began.

(Bearing in mind that this is on the 'baby slope' view-of-the-town side, and not the ALPES. The big mountainous valleys of snow because, you see, I, however brilliant I am in my mind, am not AMAAAAAZING, so I stuck to the baby slopes and just had fun. A LOT of fun.... ok, I'm a ski-poep. But I'll get there... Although, if any of us are honest, the best part is really the Apres Ski. You know, the part that comes after, when you're tired, and sore, and the alcohol warms you up and goes straight to your head. (Luckily there was a million step high staircase winding through the roads and up to our chalet to 'sober us up'. I, being one of the novice Ski Holiday Team Members, was at the back of the troop marching up. Yes, it was definitely due to my novice-ship, and in no way related to my incredibly low, embarrassingly so, fitness levels. Plus, we all know how I like to look at the stars and day(night) dream etc...

We had a birthday, and subsequent engagement (for which I must thank Team Members J and B for the party that followed that), soup, snow, tartiflette, racqulette, and more baguette, salami and cheese than I ever thought it possible to consume. And then more. We found two avo's worth their crazy price tag. I sampled my first Macaron (Heaven. Absolute heaven). We wined, and dined, and well, walked up stairs.

And then it was all over. I don't really know how it could have been over so fast, but it was, and then we had the loooooooong trip home, which wasn't nearly as adventurous as going there. We even had a night in a hotel in Paris! But arrived late, exhausted and very ready to go home to Germany, where the streets are familiar and we can (sort of) understand what people are saying.

But not to fear. My clothes are now all clean. My suitcase is now all empty, and I have rested my mind. So when we go on our next adventure I will be able to soak it all in. And there will be a next adventure. Soon.

So, happy new year!

I hope that your year is filled with adventures (the kinds that YOU like). Warm food in your belly, good people, and a wine glass that is always, always half full.