SKI VACATION

COURCHEVEL  1850  

Courchevel, situated in the French Savoy region, is the widest skiing center of the world. It is our favourite ski village at 1850 meters altitude, with hotels; ski trails coating over three valleys and lifts that take us up to 3000 meters height. It is a place where we have spent the most unforgettable skiing holidays. Skiing through the whole day thereafter, we said to one another: “we did the best by not coming here first; As, we wouldn’t go and see anywhere else after here…”

Following the New Year’s Day, we went skiing.  We were a crowded group and everyone was cheerful. We arrived at the Geneva Airport. Just before the passport formalities, we realize that my Swiss Visa has expired.  While the others enter from the Swiss section, I pass to the French side of the airport morosely. I am lucky though that I have a Schengen Visa. The group crowded in the bus passed to the French exit to pick me up; of course, they made fun of me. 

We have a bus trip of three hours ahead of us, we prepare ourselves to stop on the way and eat pizza. We set off. 

It is a beautiful day, green everywhere and the sun shines.  We haven’t seen the snowy scenery yet. Just before we start ascending, we stop at our favourite town, Annecy. It is the last town situated on the side of a lake, looking as if it has melted among the surrounding mountains. Then we eat lunch in a restaurant in the old town and continue driving.   
  

  Annecy

The bus starts to climb up the mountain road, the scenery starting to change slowly and we begin to see the snow. First, the brown soil, then the green trees leaves changing their colour to white...We ascend the mountain turning. After the first settlement, we go up to 1550, then to 1650 and finally reach 1850 meters. Under the pale lights of the late afternoon sun, we see the tacks remaining from New Year’s Eve and the decorations made of small ampoules sparkling over the snow. The church bells are ringing in the center of the village. The skiers, with tired but brightened faces, return to their hotels from the ski track. The fabulous smell coming from the creppery enters in our bus from the air conditioning. We reach the slope where our hotel is located. The hotel staff meets us and we settle in our rooms. We all feel slightly dazed and dizzy because of being at a considerable height.

We go down to the ski room of the hotel right away, order our weekly ski passes and organize our skis and boots. We go to the village and buy necessaries. Our noses turn red and we are tired but happy.  We meet in the hotel.  We try to regain energy by drinking the hot herbal tea “Verven” with lemon. 

The name of our hotel is Byblos. It is a little above the village. However, one can go to the village easily with the yellow cabinets. The hotel minibus is also available to take you anywhere you want.

Our ski instructors come and we make plans. The weather forecast says it will be cold but sunny that week. (Yuppi!! It is my favourite weather.) They say it snowed a lot last week and the tracks are wonderful etc.  I want the following day to come quickly.

We take dinner in the hotel.

If we count the villages of these three valleys, they are: 

Courchevel; The star of the 3Valleys, La Tania; Balconies of the 3Valleys, 

Meribel and Mottoret; heart of the 3Valleys, 

St. Marin-de-Bellevilee; The nicest village of the 3Valleys, 

Les Menuires; The widest area of the 3Valleys, 

Val Thorens; The highest village of the 3Valleys…  

We slip on the skis on our feet and set off for the tracks. We will ski the whole day until the closing time without going back to our hotel and enjoy the local Savoyard Special food in one of the 300 restaurants located over there.

We are so sleepy that we cannot keep our eyes open. 

We throw the perfectly prepared promotional catalogues, the maps showing the skiing tracks and the lifts with detail, and the program lists to the bedside and fall asleep.    
 

to be continued.

T.E.