So with our birthdays only four days apart, it is tempting to make it into a birthday week of celebrations. This year though we decided to keep things simple. When I asked Pete what he wanted to do for his birthday he said “I just want to go mountain biking”, that’s easy! So, after a special breakfast of homemade waffles, we headed to La Plagne mountain bike park.
We had arranged to meet the guys from BOB (Berks on Bikes) and headed up on the chairlift for fun and frolics. We knew the weather was due to change in the afternoon so we packed in the runs. Suddenly about midday the heavens opened and the red run that had been fast, furious and full of hard packed berms became a slippery ice rink. Pete slipped off on a berm while checking behind him. We were fearful that the chairlift would close for lunch and not reopen so we decided to go for one last run. This time it was my turn to bail in a berm. I was sliding out the top of the berm so decided to dive off my bike. Not quite clearing it, my thigh is now black and blue. Taking it easy to the bottom of the run we all took shelter and ate our lunch while the thunder rumbled around us. It looked unlikely that the chairlift would reopen so we called it a day.
We headed to collect Pete’s birthday cake and ice cream.
We invited our neighbour in at 6.30pm for cake and somehow at midnight, after wine, bubbly, beer and rum, we bade him goodnight! The mountain biking wasn’t so fast and furious the next morning!
And then for my birthday…. I just wanted to get back to nature and spend the night sleeping out in our van. The weather forecast for the 13th didn’t look great so after a great road cycle on Sunday morning we started celebrating at Pause Coffee and Kurtos with a Hugo Spritz. Then we packed our bedding and some treats and drove up to the huge and vast valley that is Les Chapieux. We spent the evening listening to marmottes and watching the sun set over the glaciers – just stunning.
And then the stars came out – wow! There was a full blanket of stars and a few shooting stars too – just amazing! I wish I could have captured it on camera but instead we just took it all in and it is etched in my memory forever.
This morning we woke up to rain pitter pattering on the van roof and snuggled under the duvet. Finally the rain eased and we packed up and drove to the Lac de Roselend.
Then onto Beaufort where we had been told “the best cake shop” was. They weren’t wrong!
And then we had an explore around the pretty village of Beaufort.
What a fab few days! Here’s to another trip around the sun over the next year.
