Amy Gottlieb » Chamonix Mont-Blanc and Beyond

Chamonix Mont-Blanc and Beyond

(Taking a break for lunch in Chamonix)

I just had the joy and privilege of spending a week with Sami, Scott, Maia, Ben and my Dad in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France! Needless to say, it was amazing!

(Day 1 – Brevent – Flegere)

(Which way?)

Scott recently accepted a position with The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria as their Malaria Technical Advisor (forgive me, Scotty, if that’s not your official title). As such, the family uprooted from Atlanta, GA and has settled into the most GORGEOUS home outside of Geneva, sporting views of the Alps from their front yard and the Jura mountain range from the back.

(Unbelievable scenery)

(Sami, Scott, Maia and Ben)

(Riding the chairlift)

Oh, and let’s not forget the endless miles of apple orchards, sunflower fields, horse-back riding trails, jogging courses, and quaint little towns all within walking distance from their home. In fact, the juxtaposition between our living environments made me laugh out loud.

(Sisters)

As I pondered the noisy polluted chaos that I fondly refer to as home (Hanoi), the peace and tranquility of her surroundings, with its fresh air and its ease of promoting a healthy lifestyle made me more than a bit envious.

(Church down the street – B&W)

(Sami and Padre on the slopes)

(Glaciers)

In all honesty, I was surprised by Geneva’s lack of development (at least outside of the city). In a lot of ways, it reminded me of Kansas….astoundingly agricultural with its vast open fields, charming farms, along with the occasional farm animal. If it weren’t for the distinctly European-style housing, I could have easily mistaken the region for Wichita!

(Striking Alps)

(Gondola)

(Again with the stunning views)

Moving to a new place is difficult at any age – but I must say, I’m incredibly proud of Maia and Ben (almost 9 and 6 respectively), who not only had to leave their friends behind to move half way across the world to start a new school in a foreign land, but also had to learn a new language, as their school is predominantly taught in French!

(Day 2 – Domaine de Balme – Le Tour)

(Scotty, Amy and Padre)

I marveled over their superb accents and delighted in hearing them speak. Their vocabulary is growing with each passing day! In fact, Maia became my personal interpreter and helped me interact with shopkeepers and other persons that we encountered in France.

(Scotty)

(Scott and Ben)

If only I were exposed to more foreign languages during my early developmental years, I may have been blessed with a linguistic gift….at least that’s what I’d like to believe. Perhaps I can blame my lack of aptitude for foreign languages on my childhood, which may explain why my Vietnamese remains non-existent after two years in Hanoi!

(Amy, Maia and Padre)

(Sami and Ben)

(Padre)

Both Maia and Ben seem to be thriving in their new environs. Geneva is much safer than Atlanta and as such, is much more conducive for walking to/from school, bike riding, hiking, and other kinds of outdoor activities. The kids were showing off their new cool scooters and bikes!

(Maia and Ben)

(Ben)

What I found truly phenomenal….just six months ago when we were all in Austin, TX, we were trying to teach Ben how to ride a bike. At the time, it was a rather lost cause….but Sami exclaimed that he just got the hang of it one afternoon and has been a bike riding dare devil ever since.

(Quaint little downtown)

(Day 3 – Les Grands Montets)

(Sami and Scott)

Speaking of a little dare devil, Ben’s antics on the bike were only outdone by his antics on the slopes! Just imagine a fearless 6-year old flying straight down the mountain! Talk about stress…

(Amy and Sami)

(Scotty)

(Sami)

Unlike the easy groomed green runs in Colorado, Chamonix is one of the best places in the world for off-piste skiing. And nothing is more alluring to a 6-year old than a section of the mountain that’s obviously roped off for a reason.

(Maia)

(Ben)

(Maia and Ben)

(Ben)

Sami and I went into panic mode as Ben was on the cusp of venturing off-piste to ski the fall line in deep powder! Fortunately, Ben heard the sheer terror in our voices as we screamed for him to stop….and he did, just in time!

(Scott and Maia)

(Walking into town for waffles and raclette)

(Window shopping)

Maia’s talents on the slopes also amazed me! At her young age, she’s already skiing with such grace and control. And I happened to notice her fondness for skiing through the trees and over little jumps – seems like Ben isn’t the only dare-devil in the family!

(Day 4/5 – Group shot)

(Hitting the slopes with my niece and nephew)

Maia even went up to the very top of Mt. Brévent and skied the most difficult black runs down the mountain….three times! Even I didn’t attempt those runs! I’m so incredibly proud of her!

(looking good)

(Playing in the snow)

(Ben)

(Maia)

Despite the occasional panic-induced moment, skiing Chamonix Mont-Blanc was truly remarkable…by far the best ski trip I have ever experienced (thanks, Padre, for convincing me to go)!

(Typical stance)

(Dare devils on the slopes)

Chamonix Mount-Blanc is divided into six exceptional ski areas, with runs straddling France, Switzerland and Italy. We explored several different mountains – Brevent-Flegere, Les Grands Montets, and Domaine de Balme….and took various modes of transportation to the top of each peak. In fact, in Les Grands Montets, we rode the longest and steepest poma lift that I have ever seen! In fact, I didn’t realize that they even made pomas of that caliber.

(Back to Flagere)

(Amy, Maia and Padre)

(Sami, Padre and Maia)

I also marveled over the architectural ingenuity of some of the cable cars going to the top of the mountain! How did they build these structures on top of the mountain?

(Maia skiing with her friends)

(Padre)

(Les Grands Montets)

Growing up, we made the annual schlep across I-70 from Kansas City to Colorado to ski in the Rockies (back in the day before iPods and DVDs….with only an 8-track of Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline (my dad’s favorite – Lay Lady Lay) and John Denver’s Greatest Hits playing over and over and over again for the twelve hour journey)!

(Last day of skiing)

(Eating Crepes on top of the world)

Yet, it was precisely those tortuous road trips that afforded me an innate appreciation of the mountains, skiing and the general outdoors (not to mention, classic rock).

(Maia, Scott and Padre gearing up for a black run)

(Maia – I’m so proud of her!)

(Another family portrait on top of the mountain)

(Ben going off-piste)

(Ben!!!)

And I’m thrilled and honored to witness Sami and Scott instilling these same virtues into their children – an appreciation of culture, history, skiing, and nature! I can also say that my brother, David, and Siham are also instilling these same virtues into their children.

(Sami and Ben)

(Ben)

(Amy)

I look forward to seeing how my nieces and nephews will continue to evolve!

(Very excited on top of the mountain)

It was difficult saying good-bye to my family! I really miss them…Now I’m back in Hanoi focusing my energy on work, my relationship, and my dog! I have exhausted all my leave time, so no travel plans in the near future.

(Together)