List I Things we love in the Haute Savoie/France Well over 25 things that pleased us to no end when we arrived List II Things to watch out for in the Haute Savoie/France About 15 things we could do without and still be quite happy living here....some of it is just being picky ex-North Americans (Roberts time in Canada did have it's effects!) and some of it is legitimate griping - you be the judge which is which! |
Random Observations Grappa Grappa (Italian Alps origin - strong eau de vie (clear alcohol) made from the dregs of the first pressing of the grapes) is yucky -- until you drink about 5 mouthfuls whilst dissolving a sugar cube in your teeth at each sip, as the locals originally suggested....And then it's not really so bad anymore.....(And funny enough, if you keep drinking it you don't remember anything else from the evening....this is probably why you will forget how bad it tasted when you are offered it again the next time you are out and take that "first " sip for the second - or was that third? - time .....) Signage in France The French are not at all fond of those 'don't be an idiot' warning signs the likes of which you find plastered all over the public parks and places in the US (usually ruining the view). The purpose of these signs in the US is simply to avoid lawsuits, and they say things like "Don't be an idiot and lean so far over this ledge that you fall off of it and down into the canyon 500 feet below. Doing this might hurt - or worse". Not here in France - nope. They want to keep the gene pool for swimmers only --- so get a clue - when you do actually see a warning sign posted in a park or public place here, it's for a very good reason....... High Mountains and High Fashion High Mountains don't care if you have lots of money and wear North Face t-shirts and Oakley sunglasses with your Mountain Hardware jacket. They also don't care whether or not your friends think you are cool. Frankly, they don't care at all about anything. If you make dumb mistakes in the high mountains you will still end up hurt or dead, even though you look really really great . Think about this the next time you wander onto the Mer De Glace in your platform sneakers and laugh and giggle as you and your friends stumble around slipping and sliding near the edges of crevasses or take open glacier walks unroped or decide the helmet will 'mess up' your hair or isn't cool enough to wear or that you've climbed with so-and-so before, so why bother double checking his harness and knots before the climb or how many times have you rappelled - no need to double-check the set up every darned time you go down is there? No, that kind of thinking is just fine with us. Keeps the gene pool open for more swimmers that way..... Music Listening to American or English songs on French radio or at public events can be pretty entertaining in itself. It is either that no one really understands the Enlgish lyrics, or they just don't care. It's normal to hear the 'unedited' versions of songs with 'fuck' and 'shit' left in as they should be, and that much is nice to hear. But we simply could not stop laughing when we watched a horse show with lots of pre-teen little girls and boys all dressed up in their best little riding togs on cute lttle ponies running around a jumping course while the loudspeakers blared the Barry White (as the Chef in South Park) song 'Big Chocolate Salty Balls'. . . . The tape repeated at least 5 times during the event. The Beastie Boys and Red Hot Chili Peppers were also featured on this tape, with all the naughty bits left in....the contrast was stunning and I don't think I've ever enjoyed a horse show more; for all the wrong reasons. |
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