We participated in the scaled down version of House Hunters International; the Strohmaiers in France episode. In a nutshell it was the good, the bad, and the stinky. We were told that there wouldn't be much to pick from and this was so true. Each living space was different, some located in Vittel, some 15 minutes away. Some old, some new and one certified, 100%, rat hole.
The first place we looked had a great location, did not have a kitchen, just a sink and a cabinet under it, which is typical of renting or buying a home in Europe. It is usually the renter/buyers responsibility to install the kitchen counter, cabinets, appliances and light fixtures (just a bulb, if that, is hanging from the ceiling). Then when you move, you take it all with you. This concept doesn't make any sense to George or I, but that is the way it is. Only one other living space we looked at had a fully equipped kitchen, a newer home. It is rare to find carpeting in any home, mostly tile or wood floors.
But in the end, the fellow George has replaced at Nestle, offered his home to rent. It has everything we need and more, and is located in Bulgneville, a small village outside of Vittel. Nice kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, deck, 2 car garage, and small vegetable garden. There is plenty of room for guests. We moved in on March 8th.
And even though our belongings were still somewhat in boxes we felt we must have one more hurrah for skiing before spring. While there are tons of places to go skiing we chose Chamonix/Mont Blanc about 4+ hours away. The mountains reminded us of the Grand Tetons due to their abrupt and dramatic rise, but the tops of the mountains are quite pointy as you will see in the attached photographs. We stayed in a bed and breakfast, the owners didn't speak English but we managed okay. Our room view was Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps at 15,782 ft. Mont Blanc is located at the corner of France, Italy and Switzerland. Our second day of skiing offered views of Switzerland. Chamonix was the host of the first winter Olympics in 1924. It is a place that we know, we will return to, it offers a variety of outdoor activities.
Lastly, it was spring ski conditions and despite what your vision of spring skiing attire might be, I was able to capture some photographs of a couple of guys who took full advantage of the warm weather on St. Patricks day. See the attached photos...only in Europe!
http://flic.kr/ps/285kjt
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