J2Ski Forum Posts and Replies by AllyG

Ian,
I have never recovered from the embarassment of ordering pepper on my chips instead of peas (poivre and pois) when we were having a day in Paris many years ago. My nearly grown up children always remind me of this whenever they think I'm getting too big for my boots. And the worst of it was that I'm really stubborn and I used to get embarassed easily, so I ate all my chips and pretended that I wanted pepper sauce on them all the time!

And while I'm thinking about it, I believe that the French meaning of 'propre' depends on whether it's before or after the noun (as in clean, or belonging to me). And according to my dictionary it can also mean toilet trained! Speaking another language is awfully difficult.

My own local garage once put petrol in my car instead of diesel, when I wasn't looking, and they had to tow me back after I'd gone about 1/4 of a mile, and clean out my fuel tank. Luckily my car was O.K. because I stopped as soon as it did the first 'hop'. I think it does less damage if you put diesel in a petrol car.

Ally

Bandit,
You're quite right (as usual!). I've checked in my French dictionary and diesel is 'gazole' not gazola.

I also discovered that 'gaz' is medical for 'wind' :shock: in my dictionary, as well as the gas in my drink. Maybe we should all stay safely this side of the channel, where at least we all speak our own variety of English? :lol:

Ally

Well,
We are going out to Moutiers (3 Valleys) on the day train from St Pancras, and back on the night train Feb half term. We did the same last year. As far as I know you have to book it direct because all the tour operators seem to only allow you to book day/day or night/night.

It was very uncomfortable sitting up all night, but there is the usual buffet car you can walk to and talk to the bar staff in the middle of the night. And you do get the extra Saturday on the slopes when there's hardly anyone else there. It was no worse than a long aeroplane flight over night.

And straight after that we have another 5 hour train journey during the day to get back home in time for school on Monday. It is a good thing I like trains!

I don't know why they cancelled the snow train, because there was a huge rush to get the half-term tickets. It seems lots of people want to go on the train now. Coming back last year was very strange. They didn't check the passports at Moutiers, but they put a man on the train who checked them later. The more experienced travellers had all brought pillows and blankets etc. and they went to sleep.

Ally

Hi Ian,
Yes, my daughter did enjoy Monaco very much thanks. I think she's also going to have a look at Antibes. I did have a look on the interent to see if she could get to St Tropez from Nice, but it looked awfully complicated and a very long way, because there isn't a direct train.

Tomorrow is Bastille day, so she hasn't got any French lessons, and there should be plenty of street parties and fireworks.

I knew petrol was essence, but not that diesel was gazola. I know gaz is the bubbly stuff in my mineral water.

Are you swatting up on your French, or you might end up with bubbles in your petrol tank?

And Hi to everyone else, and I hope you all have a marvellous summer holiday, wherever you're going.

Ally

Thanks very much Ian, that's very kind of you. Unfortunately my daughter is flying back on Saturday, after 2 weeks out there. The offer of food would have been very gratefully received (assuming you could have rustled up a vegetarian burnt offering). She was supposed to have been on self-catering, because of all her food intolerance problems, but there was a misunderstanding, and then when that was cleared up her French hostess went on about how clean her kitchen was and wanted to watch my daughter cooking in her kitchen!

So, as a result of that, my daughter has been living on pringles, oat bars, peaches and chocolate for the last week, and eating in the street or on the beach. I don't think she's had a proper meal since she left home. She's very excited today because they're off on a day trip to Monte Carlo/Monaco, home to the mythical country of Genovia (Princess Diaries books).

Have fun in Cannes. It sounds like a great place. My daughter says it has English type shops like Accessorize (however you spell it) where she bought new fancy flip flops and sun glasses. I'm sure your daughter will have a great time.

Ally

Ian,
Are you really going to Cannes? My daughter is currently in Nice, for a French language school holiday. She says the beach at Nice is horrible and pebbly, but she went to Cannes for the day and she says the beaches at Cannes are nice and sandy and Cannes is a much better place - more fancy shops and restaurants etc.

Ally

Caron-a,
We went to Obergurgl a few years ago. It was great. We stayed in the hotel Crystal, right opposite the gondola at the entrance to the village. Which hotel are you staying in?

Ally

I just wrote a long message about our holiday, and the website swallowed it instead of posting it up!

Summary is we have booked for Feb half-term (13th) to P & V apartment in Courchevel on Eurostar ski train. Train tickets became available on Tuesday, but were expensive, £300 each return. Apartment was 1000 euros for 4 people.

Ally