Mountain Air

I am convinced that mountain air is good for my soul. And when this mountain air is combined with skiing, sledging, good food, sun, blue skies and friendship, then it is especially good for my soul. This weekend a group of us from church went to the saastal region for a winter trip! We stayed in Saas-Grund, but spent our days in Saas-Fee. We stayed at Atlas apartments which turned out to be a perfect place; comfortable, affordable, in a good location and perfect for a big group. We could do our own cooking and eat all our meals together which made for a busy kitchen and happy chatter!

I had heard many people rave about skiing in Saas-Fee, and on Saturday I was able to check it out for myself, and now I will be one of those people raving about skiing in Saas-Fee. Wide open ski runs, excellent snow, and breath-taking views... I was in my element. To get to 3500m, we took a series of cable cars and the alpine metro. I continue to be amazed at the engineering feats that have been accomplished to make skiing in all these places possible - oh look, there is a mountain, and lots of rock, and a glacier, oh well, lets just build a series of cable cars and the "alpine metro" - and goodness me, is it worth it! I will admit that I did feel the altitude and was definitely more tired than normal... so we skied for a little bit at 3500m and then had lunch in a revolving restaurant (let me remind you once more, we were at 3500m... just getting the food up here every day must be a challenge - good thing they have those cable cars and the alpine metro!) before making our way lower down the mountain to finish off the ski day.

Today I swopped my skies for a sledge, and enjoyed a 5km route down the mountain, which we did twice. Now this is a fun activity! Fun, exhilarating and quite fast at times, it is a great way to enjoy the mountain views and play in the snow :)

More than 21kms

I frequently have "this can't be my life" moments, and this past weekend was full of them! I went to Paris to run a half-marathon with my sweet friend Kate, and everything about our 28hours or so in Paris was wonderful. Kate and I first met in Lausanne late January 2012, and instantly a special bond was formed. We have a very European friendship - I have taken trips to Padova and Toulouse, and now Paris, to be with Kate and each time I feel like we pick up right where we left off! She is a remarkable young woman - courageous, fun-loving, authentic, generous and kind-hearted and time with her is always a gift.

My journey started on Saturday morning with the train journey - just under 4 hours direct from Lausanne to Paris, all quite convenient really. I arrived around lunch time and successfully navigated the metro and found my way to the hotel. Shortly after that Kate arrived and we immediately went to fetch our race numbers - let the fun begin! After this we spent some time enjoying the Notre Dame, Champs-élysées, Arc de Triomph and of course macaroons at Laduree - when in Paris! We had dinner at a fantastic Italian restaurant and carbo loaded on the most delicious pasta and pizza. 

Sunday we awoke to blue skies, sunshine and "warm" temperatures - ideal running conditions! After a good breakfast and a "bonne chance" (good luck) wish from the hotel staff we headed to the start of the race. We went straight to our starting area as we wanted to start at the front of our block. The race officially began at 10:00, but as there were 30 000+ runners, the start was staggered and we ended up beginning just before 11:00. During the wait time we enjoyed some communal warm up sessions and the vibe was fantastic. There is something uniting and inspiring about being a part of a mass sporting event. We had a good run and finished in 2h7min - a time were both happy with! After a quick stop at the hotel, we headed to the Eiffel Tower and enjoyed a crêpe before going our seperate ways... I enjoyed the most decadent double choc chip cookie from Millies at the Gare-de-Lyon train station (if you ever find yourself there - make sure you make a stop at Millies!) before settling on the train for the journey home with an amusing and enlightening book on French parenting (more on that in another blog post). 

This trip was much more than a half-marathon - it was a testament to personal growth and development. There were times in my not so distant past that I was so scared of the unknown, so anxious and fearful to venture to new places in the city I had lived in my whole life. An unhealthy need to be in control and to know exactly what was going to happen dominated my life. And now, I happily ventured off to Paris by myself and figured it all out as I went along! I'm really grateful for this change!