not going to italy for the day

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Today we wanted to drive over to Italy to add another country to our growing list and to go to a market in a town called Cuneo. Unfortunately, we were unprepared for a mountain pass road and had to turn around. The road got too slippery and we couldn’t get enough traction to continue. I was perfectly fine with turning around; I want to enjoy the rest of my trip. The ride up there and back was really nice. We got to see some mountains that we didn’t see before. There were a couple places where on the cliff side of the road you could see all these icicles that had formed. It was magnificent.

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It was about this point that we realized that we might have a problem trying to get to Grenoble on Saturday. I pray that we road we want will be open or else we’re screwed. We drove back and headed into Barcelonnette. I knew that we needed to do something because people were a little bummed and I could tell that Josie was worrying about driving next Saturday. She started driving around Barcelonnette trying to find a place to park because she wanted to go find an internet café to see if the road we want is closed. Don’t get me wrong but the weather can possible change between now and then so I didn’t think we needed to go right away and it would solve our problems. After she was driving around for a while and still not parking I asked what she was doing. I suggested that we head up to the ski resort because the lady at the desk said there was ice skating and we could try that.

We came to the conclusion that people really appreciate it when you try to use their language.

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Everyone was still in a bit of a mood and I knew if we didn’t do something fast we’d loose everyone. As we started driving up there people started getting excited about the view. When we got to the top we got out of the car and everyone just kinda stood around. Josie got back in the car and sat there. I suggested that we walk around and see what there was to do. We walked over to the tourist information office and asked about the ice-skating. Apparently they only are open on Sundays. So then we started walking around some more. I thought that there was a restaurant that would could take the lift up to at the top of the mountain even if you weren’t skiing. Everyone started getting more excited when they saw all the slops and the tram. The tram got everyone really excited.

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The ride up in the tram was awesome; it had panoramic views. The pendulum had swung back and now everyone was happy again. Thank God!

When we got to the top we went into the little restaurant. It felt like you were in someone’s house. It was all decorated for Christmas and had a wood fire burning in the fireplace. We all ordered café crème and I got a plate of fries and a ham baguette to share with Josie. While we were sitting there Margeaux was giving us French lessons. The lady was really sweet. I tried asking for the check in French and when I called her over she just started smiling and then she told the correct pronunciation and an easier way to say it. Kyle had his little book of survival words out and was trying some new ones and she just walked by laughing at us. We came to the conclusion that people really appreciate it when you try to use their language. It shows them that you do care and are trying.

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After we ate we took some pictures with the scenery. The three guys took their shirts off of course and posed for some fun pictures. I think they froze. I got a couple really good pictures with the background. Then we went down the mountain. By now everyone had decided that they were all ready to go skiing tomorrow. So they wanted to find a place to rent all the gear they needed.

We found the shop where we can rent skis and snowboards for not too much. We also decided that we should go for two days instead of one. There’s not that much else to do out here and we need to keep busy or else some people might go insane. We went into the town and found an internet café eventually. Josie, Kevin and I bought our train tickets from Geneva to Bern, I hope we got the right ones.

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I ended up buying a pair of sunglasses, because otherwise it would be too bright on the snow snowboarding. I also broke down and bought some ski gloves. I know I’ll be falling and I remember how wet my gloves go in the rain in the Lake District. I had fun walking around Barcelonnette when the stores were actually open. It didn’t feel so empty and deserted.

After we did all the shopping we came back and just hung out. Josie and I talked for a while and then we all watched Top Gun. Good movie, classic. We made dinner in turns again while the movie was playing. It is amazing how one more person and make a place seem so much more crowded. I don’t mind but it’s just interesting. Josie and I cooked sweet and sour chicken with rice again. After the movie I went for a walk outside. It was cold but the moon was shining really brightly and reflecting off the snow on the top of the mountains so it was really pretty. Also, lots of stars were out and really bright. I enjoyed the quiet for a little while.