Tuesday, March 15, 2011

France Ski Trip Day 3: Orientation

Finally got to sleep in today.  According to the weather report, the skiing gods dumped 20cm of fresh powder on the slopes (~8 inches).  Unfortunately, we were not skiing today and were just getting our gear and the lift tickets.  Morning "showers" were more like a spray down of the whole bathroom.  The tub did not have any shower curtain so if you were going to spray yourself you were probably getting every wall of the bathroom wet.  I eventually honed my technique to where I would hunker down in the tub with some bath water in it, to keep warm, and give myself a quick shower to lather up.  Same goes for getting the shampoo out of my hair.  It was an experience to say the least.

Our daily grocery shop included things for lunch and dinner before heading out to see what rental prices were like.  Slope-side rental prices were actually quite reasonable and they had some great gear to offer.  I think I ended up paying about $25 per day of rentals which were just the skis and poles since own boots. While we eventually settled on the slope-side rental near our condo, we decided to check out shops down in Meribel-proper as we kept calling it.


Besides the rental shops there was a bakery, butcher, cheese/wine shop, and plenty of bars and restaurants.  Wine was cheap, the cheeses were excellent, and you can't go wrong with the pastry selection.  What puzzled me was the price for tourist souvenirs.  Entering one shop I see magnets for 6 Euro....this comes to about $8.50 for a magnet.  I decide to pass today and shop around later in the week but c'mon...I still think those prices were a little steep.

Photo Credit: Me

We find the public pool and fitness building and check out the hours of operation.  We decide on our break day that relaxing in the pool would be a great way to unwind and loosen the muscles.  While there was also an outdoor spa, it was part of a hotel complex that was not public...sad face

Heated Spa, Not Allowed Inside
Photo Credit: R. Bradley
After cooking dinner we settle down to some reading and then put on the movie Despicable Me which was pretty good although I felt the plot was rushed.

First day of skiing is tomorrow on my rented Dynastar CONTACT CROSS + PX12 FLUID
Skis!

Photo Credit: Me
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