Ma vie quotidien en Chambery

Just a few pictures of my everyday life in Chambery...1) A herd..er, gaggle (?) of geese...which just sauntered into the centre of town, while I was having coffee with friend...they were accompanied by a shepherd-esque fellow, dressed entirely in black and a dog, which leapt around barking to keep them in line. Not sure if they were on their way to foie gras...or were just taking a stroll through downtown chambery. 2) Sarah and Nicola enjoying a cheap and yummy lunch--turkish kebabs..mmm! greasy roasted pork and purple cabbage and white sauce on a bready sort of pita. 3) Easily the most creative way yet to wear a black suit that I've seen yet. With pink skin. 4) the fruits of my labour after a morning at the market...fresh pommes de reine, peches, gruyere cheese ( ten times the flavour of the best you've ever had, and then divide the price by three), smoked saucisson avec noix, and finally, some pain speigle--hearty rye bread after weeks of that flitty fluffy french white bread. Not complaining, though. 5) Fontaine des elephants 6) The lovely parc at night...walking home from the cinema 7) liz and nicola showing their appreciation for the massive loaves of bread at the "Foire de Savoie', an agricultural fair in Chambery

a saved-up conglomerate of events and awesomeness

(I apologize: the text and images are in no particular order. From a trip to switerland, about mid-September).
Image no.1 The lovely cliff we (Anita Krebs, Sarah and Brandon Hutchison and I) bravely climbed. Well, it required bravery on my part, as Sarah so eloquently put it, I'm more accustomed to painting the cliffs, rather than climbing them. It actually was technically climbing--its called via ferrata ('iron way'). Difficult concept to explain, but roughly, the climber has a harness and two carabeener clips, one of which is always attached to a cable which runs all the way up the cliff. There are iron footholds all the way up, so its not SO physically taxing to do... the challenge is motivating yourself to continue moving upwards when you are hanging off a rock face that runs STRAIGHT up. The promise of chocolat noir and Anita's encouraging words, like gentle cattle prods were key motivators for me. The other mountains picture and the turtle-head helmets-picture were also from our Via Ferrata day in Leysin, Switzerland.
The cloudy grey city is Geneve. Do I sound unimpressed? Actually, I really did enjoy it, despite the wild downpours. I had travelled with my Canadian friend Elizabeth, my Bermudian friend Nicola and her sister Katie, and we shamelessly spent most of the day eating! Image: 3 happy girls, post cappucinos and lucsious little gateaus chocolats at the AUER Cafe et Chocolatier. Its sort of cool, you sit down and order drinks from the proprietrice and then you just snatch a plate of desserts ...it could be from a table at which is seated a few well-manicured and elegantly coiffed dames; or perhaps from two business-men in the latest victor and rolf spectacles, conducting a pretentious-looking meeting over espresso.
The lusicous Couch (capitalized on purpose). I just love it. Maureen Krebs clearly has a spot-on instinct for design.
Last picture--a yummy aperitif in the Krebs backyard before a truly deliciously memorable meal...what could be nicer than rose and sunshine among friends?