Val Thorens

Made a trip about 2.5 hours North/East from Lyon to Val Thorens this Sunday for an afternoon as we inch our way to Chamonix/Mont Blanc. Turned out to be a blindingly sunny day and it sat around -25 at the peak. Joel hit the slopes solo as the powder is more his flavour and it was much too cold for my taste! I took-in the resort's spa though, what? Did you think I just sat in the car?

Joel & Amy

Carnivale

Hi there,

Over the weekend we ventured down to the French Riviera to Nice for Carnivale with some other Linamar friends and their families. The drive was about 4.5 hours or 5 hours if you detour through Cannes. We toured around, caught the Parade of Lights and on Sunday morning I ran in the Rock'n'Roll 10 Mile Run. It was a good taste of the south and we will be sure to make the road trip again. 

Check it out!

Joel & Amy

French Mediterranean

A sneak peak of our weekend at Carnivale in Nice, France.

New video coming ASAP!

Joel & Amy

The Big City

 Hello Everyone!

A busy couple of days for us but we are finally settled in to our new home in Lyon, France. We were actually able to decorate it ourselves with a trip to IKEA so it has really started to feel like our own place. The apartment sits very close to "Le Rhone" which is one of two rivers that create Presqu'ile or "Almost Island", kind of like Welland...but not at all like Welland, and there are some great trails for running and cycling along the river. We're also very close to some downtown highlights so we are looking forward to checking things out. Here's our new place!

This is the toilet room, just a toilet, nothing else.

THE MOST IMPORTANT ROOM!

The Guest Room! (Joel thought the pink light would attract the most interesting guests)

Taking reservations now!

You just have to share the sunlight with my herb garden.

See you real soon!

Joel & Amy

Saint Etienne

Hello/Bonjour,

As we wrap up our first month in France we are starting our gradual move from Saint Etienne to the big city of Lyon, SO we thought we should show you around our January stomping grounds. 

*(You can click on the pictures to see a larger version)*

As creepy as it is to take pictures in a cemetery; they are basically little art installations scattered across the city. Definitely worth a browse, but I wouldn't go wandering through one alone at night...

The only shop in town where you can get a "Western" style coffee. Don't get me wrong; I am absolutely embracing the French coffee culture with their tiny espresso style cafe au lait, but when a girl wants a large caramel latte, she wants a large caramel latte....am I right?

 CENTRE VILLE: The downtown area, all within walking distance of our apartment, is a culmination of high-end shops, french cuisine, amazing buildings and parks. An exceptional evening stroll...

...providing you can dodge the puppy poo all over the sidewalk.

THANKS TEAM.

Joel & Amy

Trip into the Alps in Aillon le Jeune

Rochetaillée and Planétarium de Saint Étienne

Bonjour! Bonjour!

A few events worth mentioning in the past week...

I took advantage of a nice, sunny winter day while Joel was at work and hiked into the French hills just outside of Saint Etienne to discover Village de  Rochetaillée. Which was an unusually quiet little spot with a handful of homes, vacant shops, rustic churches and The Chateau de Rochetailee (pictured below) which is some sort of religious ruins....as far as I know. The views    were amazing so the hour-and-a-half trek was worth it.

We also caught a show at the local Planétarium  where we learned about the origin of the planets and the night sky in France, AND! they had headphones so we could listen in en Anglais. 

  

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY!

Joel & Amy