joyeux noel. les alpes.

…  there was cheese. oh, the cheese. and baguette. there was me breaking out in my feeble french every other sentence. merci bien! c’est fantastique! facebook updates with le and la and tres bien. there was a late night of whisky (for the men, bien sur) and another evening of port tasting. there was snow-shoeing, and swimming, and sledding, and cafe au lait.

there are a number of experiences that wen and i planned and imagined and daydreamed throughout this adventure.  amsterdam, neuschwanstein castle, prague … and the list continues for pages.  and when they actually happen, there’s a beautiful sense of wonder and satisfaction. but it’s the experiences that aren’t planned, that happen due to unexpected circumstance, or the generosity of friends, or serendipity, that are truly the sweetest. to find oneself in a place you never imagined, not because it seemed so far out of reach (which it did), but mostly because the possibility never crossed your mind. to be surprised and delighted.

for christmas this year we were invited to join my dear friends caroline & bob at their beautiful place in the french alps. i still, even after it happened, can’t fully wrap my head around the wonder of it. we’re spending christmas in the french alps. the beauty of those mountains … i have no words to describe. truly, i’m wordless. the endless white . the chicklets squealing with joy as they zipped down the hills on their sled. the pain au chocolat. the most amazing afternoon snowshoeing … laughing as caroline and i slipped and fell and then fell again. i paused for a moment as we descended – taking it all in, wanting to hold onto that moment, high on that hill. it felt like another world.

we were spoiled, indeed. caroline et le bobster entertained us, fed us (and how!), indulged us, and patiently and graciously allowed the chicklets to have the run of their beautiful chalet. ohsograteful.

merci bien, mes amis, pour les vacances incroyable. there are truly not enough words.

hope you and yours had a christmas filled with surprise and delight. xo.