A "balmy" -12C and SNOW in the city!

Yesterday I decided to bike to my French class because I can kill two birds with one stone.  I get exercise and I'm not contributing to the already nasty pollution/smog in Grenoble.  The class is situated beside the !nuclear reactor! and synchrotron where Jakub works.  It's about a 20 min ride from home and totally do-able, but being practically raised on the West Coast, biking in -2C or lower does take getting used to.  Jack Frost was not only nipping at my nose but also at my toes, fingertips and buttocks, but it was fun.  The Siberian front is heading our
way and we're lucky here in Southern France, since we're receiving only the tail end of it; a "balmy" -12C compared to the -30C in the Eastern block.  We've been hit with snow in the city three days ago and it continues to fall slowly, but surely.  Alas, there are no "snow days" here in Europe when a few centimeters hit the ground; no crippled public transit, school closures, cars in ditches or other such issues.  Life goes on :)  In anticipation of the inclement weather, we have made some improvements to our home insulation.  We've stuffed foam in the chimney, we closed the window shutters, and we got a heating thermostat.  Now it's time to hibernate, see you in a week when I crawl out of bed!

Christmas in the Czech Republic.

The second part of our trip was spent in Czech Republic.  We first hung out with Jakub's family for a few days which consisted of eating duck, dumplings, sour kraut and washing this down with copious amounts of beer.  We had a huge (15 person) gathering and since there were 3 ducks involved from each family, we decided to have a duck tasting contest.  We even had our regional flags at the table (Grenoble, Kanice, Mesto-Brno, Svinosice)!

The  winner of the duck contest was Jakub's aunt, teta Ira, and so she received a certificate and a kiss from Jakub.

Duck and Dumplings for the taste test.

Teta Ira, the winner of the duck competition.

Tommy and Anna got to hang out with their cousins and grandparents...

Cousins Hanging Out.

Grandpa Ruda.

Regardless of all the eating and drinking, this was a time to socialize.  We also went out to Brno one eve without the kids to enjoy some beers and mead.  We spent half the evening in two very distinct pubs.  The first pub was a very smokey, bare bones pub, purely aimed at drinking alcohol because the waiter said they will have tea in January, he doesn't understand why we need to eat, and kept serving us beers before we have even half finished them.  Obviously they had some tea and food but it was just not routine there.  You could also get a good idea about the pub by observing the individuals that went there....   The second pub was more of a tourist "themed" pub called the medieval tavern.  I  do recommend the pub to anyone visiting Brno (despite the bad tripadvisor reviews) as they have really good food and also excellent dark beer as well as lovely and potent mead.  We had ribs, bramborak {deep fried potato patty} and škvarky {basically fried pork lard}.  The latter was worked off by Jakub as there is an option on the menu to get a free meal if you work for it.  You are not told what the meal or the task is and once you agree, you are committed.  They had a leak in the wall as this is a cellar pub, so Jakub had to mop it up every 10 minutes a few times in exchange for a bowl of lard goodness :)

I forgot to mention that we also ate all of those great traditional Czech Christmas pastries including the well known gingerbread, so here is a little photo of the gingerbread house that Jakub's mom made for the kiddies.  Looking at the cotton ball "snow" just reminded me that Jakub's mom also had a nice wooden nativity set in the midst of cotton fluff, and when she went to light the candle, a spark from the match ignited the cotton and the whole thing was in flames. Some of the burning cotton fell on the ground, so Jakub ended up pouring a decent amount of soapy water on everything to get the fire out.  Jesus survidved it; the only casualty was the gamekeeper with his charred rifle.

All the best in 2012!

I'd like to wish all my friends out there all the best in 2012!  I hope you achieve your goals & dreams, wish you lots of love and health as well as peace....  enjoy the little things, be in the moment, don't be too hard on yourself and don't forget to visit us ;D (soon!).

We've had a superb white Christmas this year in Sankt Johann in Tirol, visiting our friend Tim, his wife Eva and their little boy Daniel.  Jakub knows Tim from BC (paddling of course), and since Tim happens to live en route to Czech Republic,  it is rather convenient for us to visit, drink some wine and chat in fluent English!  Tim rents his upstairs suite to visitors so we booked ourselves in for a week.

Pre-Christmas was rather hectic as I was baking all those Czech goodies, buying and wrapping presents, buying skis/boots, doing lots of laundry and packing all our stuff for the trip.  But it was all well worth it because we did not have to worry about any of these preparations starting on December 17th or so.

Marzipan coated with chocolate - Anna was helping me make and eat these "bon bons".

Traditional Czech Christmas goodies.

When we left Grenoble it started snowing in the Alps so driving was a bit slower at times.  The drive is approx. 8 hours, so it was a long day and when we finally arrived, Tim came down with his skidoo to pick us up.  The location of Tim's house is perfect for skiing as it is midway up the mountain and one can only reach it by gondola or skidoo in the winter.  So off we went up the hill, the ride was rather exhilirating and I was amazed that Anna did so well - it was a fast and crazy ride up!

For All Photos from Sankt Johann in Tirol Click Here

Sunset viewed from Tim's place.

The next day my dad and Jana arrived, so we had to transport more items up to Tim's place.  My dad brought about twice as much stuff than the four of us brought so it was rather challenging (beer, presents, food).  We had to ensure that no beer froze in the car because that is something a Czech man would not allow :)  My dad even brought food for a whole week, so transporting eggs and flour in a backpack did not go so well! 

Skiing was pretty good at the beginning but the snow guns were still on, making skiing rather unpredictable.  The artificial snow patches were much slower so hitting one of those at great speed meant a wipe out.  My dad did just exactly that and sprained his knee.  Luckily it wasn't too serious and he recovered fast enough.  Few days later we had a huge dump of fresh powder (about 1/2 meter), so Jakub did some free riding and I attempted to do some off-piste skiing as well.  It was not graceful and my legs were jello after one run.

Powder baby!

We took turns skiing with the kids and within that one week, Anna went from zero skiing to decent skiing down an easy run by herself.  Tommy really enjoys skiing off route too, doing little jumps on the side as he goes.  Aside from skiing we had fun in the snow and of course we built some snow men too.

First time building her own snow man.

This year we had a very peaceful Christmas.  It involved skiing, eating, drinking some nice wines and beer, hanging out with family and friends and enjoying the beautiful white snow flakes outside.  No stress, shopping, masses of people, line-ups, etc. etc.  This is what Christmas should be like and I hope we keep that tradition from now on.  Jakub and I went to town one evening, when the snow was falling, and it was so pretty.  There were barely any people or traffic and it was so quiet in the snow.  We visited the cute little Christmas market and then headed for some tasty Austrian food and beer.  A perfect evening out without kids!  Then Tim drove us back up with his skidoo - we did have a small accident where the skidoo slowed down, then leaned, so that Jakub and I gently slid into the cushion of snow head first.  Quite hilarious actually - two buzzed people trying to get out of the deep snow...

For Christmas eve, we did the typical Czech traditional dinner with fish soup, potato salad and deep fried carp.  Then sang some carols and finally opened up the presents.  

The next day, we packed and drove to Brno, Czech Republic to celebrate Christmas with Jakub's family.

Climbing gym.

The weather has been holding up very long and until about mid November I was still climbing outside.  There are still warm days now in December to go out!  However, when it rains it's time to hit the gym and in Grenoble this means a good quality huge gym for a decent price.  I have a yearly membership (cheaper than crag-x) and I've been going 2x a week.  I've hooked up with some climbers (finally!), mostly international crew mostly Italian and German.  They are a super nice group of people to hang out with and it's easy to always hook up with someone as there are many of us.  There are plenty of routes in the gym and all of them are set up to lead climb so finally I get to practice leading.  There is a bouldering area of course and there is also a nice area upstairs set up for the kids, so we've been taking them climbing once a week. Tommy is now leading a 5c which is equivalent to about 5.9 US. The membership gives you access to two gyms and I have not even gone to the other one yet.  Climbing is rather a national sport here in Grenoble, so if a local tells you that he barely climbs, it means that he/she is a very good climber :)  Even kayakers are very decent climbers here.

EV3 gym

Tommy leading.

The kids climbing area; Anna playing dead.

Anna's New Dress

When my mom came over, we bought a sewing machine and since Anna was really wishing for a new princess dress ever since disneyland, my mom decided to make her wish come true.  Here is the product.  Anna is also wearing a tiara that I made her last year out of Czech glass beads. What a little princess :)) 

Now that my mom is gone, I've started to sew.  Maybe I'll post some pictures of what I've made soon :) that is, if I don't sew my fingers together.

Mom's Visit.

My mom came over to visit us for 2 weeks from Canada and this was her first time in Grenoble.  We were initially thinking of heading somewhere south like Morocco or Crete, but apparently warm weather lasts very long in Grenoble.  It was around 20C and sunny the whole time and we were semi-sick, so there was no need to leave for a trip.  We ended up doing a whole bunch local trips and it was really fun.

Vizille (chateau) is a pretty popular place to visit since it's only half an hour drive from Grenoble.  One can stroll in the park, go to the playground with kids, or admire the swans in the canal.  After a nice walk we went to see "A monster in Paris" as part of a children's film festival that was in Vizille.  This was actually quite a great experience because my French is basic, and watching kid's movies is a perfect way for me to learn.  It was a fun movie to watch and Anna still wants me to play the theme song "La Seine" on youtube....

For Photos Click Here

Feeding swans.

Black and white swans.

On our second trip, we went up to the bastille, a fortress that stands 260m above Grenoble in the Chartreuse mountain range, overlooking the city.  A cable car connects the city with the bastille as this is a popular destination for tourists and I guess some people just can't walk :)  We hiked up of course...  The walk up is really nice as you can go through gardens, winding stairs and tunnels.  A via ferrata also leads up to the bastille (see earlier post).  

For Photos Click Here

Grandma with kids.

Fall colors, looking down from the Bastille.

Another expedition was to the Fort Saint Eynard.  This fort is also located in the Chartreuse mountain range but is considerably higher than the Bastille.  We drove up to the top and hiked along the ridge in the forest for a bit.  Anna wasn't feeling so good, so we couldn't do anything extreme.

For Photos Click Here

Up in the clouds...

Our cultural day trip was to Annecy, (a must-see) where we strolled the picturesque streets, visited local markets, and absorbed the atmosphere of this little jewel of the Savoie.  No wonder it is called the little Venice of France.

For Photos Click Here

Cheese at the street market...we couldn't resist.

Trying on some French berets.

Annecy with canals in the town centre.

The fall here has been incredible.  I don't remember ever seeing such a beautiful display of colors.   Here's a few photos, enjoy!

For Photos Click Here

Fall in Grenoble.

Our favourite picnic area close to our home.

Fall colors in the mountains.

The Great Outdoors; First two multipitch climbs near Grenoble.

The Rhone Alps are the perfect place to be if you're into outdoor sports. (not to mention we are 2 hrs drive from the world renowned outdoor mecca Chamonix!!).The list includes and is not limited to climbing, via ferratas, caving, ice climbing, cross country skiing, backcountry skiing, mountaneering, paragliding, hiking, and more... (not so much extreme whitewater here - not nearly as good as BC apparently).  As far as climbing goes, one can explore all possibilities of alpine, crag, multipitch and boulder climbing.  Most of the rock here is limestone but it's possible to find some granite about an hour away from Grenoble.  The closest limestone crags are 15 mins hike uphill from our house, essentially located in our "backyard" ranging from a 5.6 up to most likely 5.13+ difficulty, not that I would know the high end anyway.  There's also a smallish boulder garden in the forest about a 15 min car drive from our place.  All around Grenoble and its vicinity, one can find more crags and some superb multipitch climbing which I've been itching to do ever since I got here.

Rochers d'Armentier

We finally had the opportunity to get out on a day trip with Jakub to do our first multipitch at Rochers d'Armentier near the village Bourg d'Oisans (1 hr drive from home).  This was mid October, the weather was stellar and we had some great views of the vibrant display of fall colors.  The climbing was easy and enjoyable (5.7/5.8), so a good choice for a first multipitch.

For rest of the photos click here.

Les Trois Pucelles 

Grenoble is surrounded by three mountain ranges; the Chartreuse in the north, the Belledonne in the east, and the Vercors in the south and west.  We live at the base of the Vercors mountain range on the way to the commune and tiny ski resort of Saint-Nizier du Moucherotte where part of the 1968 olympic games took place.  This is where a 90 meter ski jump was built and apparently gave competitors the impression that they were jumping towards Grenoble and eventually landing in the town centre.  When looking towards Saint-Nizier du Moucherotte from Grenoble, one can see a distinct rocky feature called les Trois Pucelles (Three Virgins), and this was our goal for the next multipitch climb. The drive is approx. 30 mins, and we decided to start after lunch as we wanted to ensure the rock was dry enough from the previous day's rain (mistake #1).  We hiked/scrambled up through a steep gravel corridor to the base of the "Petitdidier" route.  At the very end, the corridor is blocked off by a pile of huge boulders that only leave a crevice for entry.  It took us a while to climb/squeeze through the crevice and finally find the beginning of our route.  This is rated a 5b/A0 or 5b,6b/c which on a US scale is something like a 5.8 with an easy aid climbing move or a 10d+ move for the more skilled and well built :).  Overall this is a straight forward and relatively short multipitch aside from that one difficult move.

Petitdidier Topo

Les Trois Pucelles

We finally got ourselves organised and Jakub walked along the cliff edge to start the first pitch.  As I was changing into my climbing shoes, one of my sneakers rolled on the ground, but it kept going, and as it built momentum, it finally fell off the cliff edge and went into the corridor that we just laboriously hiked up through.  So the shoe was now 200m below us (mistake #2).  Option one was to keep going and hike back down in my climbing shoes and I didn't like the idea of that at all.  Option two was to recover the shoe and either go back home or start all over again.  We tried the latter.  Jakub came back, rappelled down over the boulders and recovered the shoe.  By now we were delayed even more and it was about 3 PM.  We probably should have gone back home, but the idea of hiking down a steep gravel corridor was worse than trying to climb late.  It seemed like we should be able to finish the 4 pitches fast (mistake #3).

The first two pitches were OK.  They were easy enough, but the exposure and the freezing wind, made the experience more exciting for sure.  Pitch three was the aid climb move - basically pulling yourself up on a sling.  It took a while, but Jakub managed it pretty good.  Our bigger issue was that some of our rope got stuck on a small pine tree a few metres below me, so Jakub had to first lower me off route, I untangled it, then climbed back up on route and finally finished pitch 3 with some huffing and puffing.  OK, we thought, the worst was over, with one more easy pitch left.  Wrong!  Dusk came after pitch 4 and we had yet a ways to go to find the descent path in the forest.  We were still in the midst of the rock pillars and there was some scrambling/rappelling left to do.  It got dark very fast and we were trying to find our way back (not easy at all).  Our rope got stuck one more time (a knife would have been handy at this point).  At least we had headlamps/flashlight - that saved us. 

The wind was picking up and I could see Grenoble light up.  I was watching all those people in the warmth and comfort of their cars driving down the streets and then there was us - on top of the three Virgins in the howling wind, trying to find our way to the path.  I don't know how Jakub did it, but he lead us through all the way back - he was my hero!  We got to the car 8PM.  This was a bit of a gong show, but we learnt many lessons :)  Kinda neat that you can have such an adventure within such a short distance from home.  That evening the fireplace seemed more enjoyable and the wine tasted exceptionally well :)))

Photos Here