So you can finally SEE what we've been up to...

Helloooo amis! We have not disappeared, we have just been cursed with spendy internet at former destinations. However, we once more have a freebie computer at our hostel, and are taking the opportunity to show you pictures pictures of our treks thus far. Inevitably, traveler's pictures are more interesting to the traveler than the viewer, so peruse as skimmingly or deeply as you wish. If you're still hungry for more, Heid-Beid has an entirely different assortment on hers.

First is from Provence. We found our lavender fields. Remember when I was a silly vain girl and took off my glasses for a picture-- then subsequently left them by a lavender bush and had to be taken back to the field by our dear French friend Pascal? Voila.


Our best friend!! Denise. Our patisserie magician, and daily planning assistant. We really, really love this woman!


Could we get enough of Denise's eclairs? No. Really, no. Especially when she started giving them to us for free!


During our lavender field day trip, we stopped at a town called Roussillon, with red, red cliffs all around it! Walking through them was like climbing inside a sunset.


On to Chamonix, in the French Alps. This was our daily, all the time view. There were more mountains than sky.


On our way up the the top of Mt. Blanc. What a view!


I wuv you Heidi.


Finally at the very top. So blown away! Right after this is when I dropped my poor pink water-bottle, and almost started an avalanche. Whoops.


That night, after our hostel manager Phil caught me playing guitar in our back-yard garden, he had me come into town and play with his friends at a Canadian pub. It was my first time playing electric, ever-- and I'm not going to lie, I felt crazy cool!!


Next night: before the huge French June 21st party: the Fete de la Musique. All of France hits the town on June 21st to catch the many bands and musicians that line the streets, playing music all night. I caught it in Paris a couple years ago; Chamonix was almost more fun, especially with our wonderful friends that we'd met, traveling from Michigan: Betsy and her mom, Angie. These two made our trip to Chamonix so much better for their company!!


This is Gary: my rock-star producer and electric-guitar-loaner, from the night before. Apparently, he's actually pretty famous in the ski world as a videographer. Word.


Darling Betsy!!


Having ever so much fun... :)


Now on to Switzerland-- we checked out a mountain town called Grindelwald that was a short train away from our home base, Interlaken. My main reason for wanting to see Grindelwald? It's the same name as the bad wizard in Harry Potter 7.


This is from our giant, giant, unexpected hike up to the top of a Swiss Alp to see Heidiland's meadow. We thought Heidiland would be an amble through a town-- hence the jeans and flip flops. It ended up being a six hour hike, that was ALL uphill for 4 of it! My goat friend:


Best part of the day: when Heidi was brushing a few spiders off her arm, and said, "Stupid... spiders... get off my arm... THIS IS MY LAND!!!"


Snuck into a forbidden meadow to do some frolicing. I ignored Heidi's warning: "Greta, it's VERBOTEN! What if we get caught?! We'll probably walk through stinging nettles or something as punishment!" "Heidi. There are no STINGING NETTLES."


Oh, but... then there were stinging nettles. Shiza.


We still made it to the top though. In jeans and flip-flops, I tell you, with nettle feet and blistered heels! How could we not? It was Heidi's mountain!


This is just from today: we went canyoning (waterfall jumping, sliding, climbing, and rapelling) with these crazy gentlemen. It was awesome fun, but my right shoulder actually slipped out of its socket four times. It's back in, but getting pretty sore-- Mom, Ross- other medical people-- is that something I should have checked? We know I have double-jointed shoulders, but don't think it should be QUITE as slippery as all that.



Anyway-- hope you enjoyed-- we definitely are! Thanks for the emails and the comments, we really love getting them. We go to Italy, Cinque Terre, tomorrow. LOVE!

Chamonix: Where I Officially Became a Rockstar

Hey folks.

So sad we can't post pictures this round, because there are some amazing ones, but we're once again pressed for time.

Heidi and I are currently in Chamonix, which is a little French town nestled in a green valley and surrounded on all sides by the French Alps-- Mont Blanc being one of them. We wake up, look out the window of our hostel chalet and see mountain mountain mountains mountains mountains, which are gorgeous!!

Here's a pic just off the internet:



Phil from England is our hostel manager dude, and has been very informal and friendly with us-- dropping us off in town, and making us breakfast, and inviting us out to bars... More on that later...

Have met a mom and daughter from Michigan who are hilarious and great travel buddies. It's just the four of us at the chalet-- lots of eating, touristing, and imbibing together. :) The girl is studying in Paris after this, so we'll get to meet up with her again there during the last week of our vacation!

Yesterday, took a gondola up to the top of the Mt. Blanc, 12,000+ feet. Higher than the paragliders, higher than the clouds-- felt like heaven, honestly.

I accidently dropped my pink water bottle off the top though. Whoops. Caused a small avalanche. It was a good way to go though, if you're a water bottle. RIP water bottle.

Yesterday evening in the garden, us girls were all eating bread, cheese, fruit, and drinking wine, and I was playing guitar for everyone. Phil came out to hang out and listen, and asked me if I wanted to play in town. "What?" I asked.
"Sure, there's a Canadian pub in town-- cool guy named Gary runs it, and they have live music every night. You could play with them."

What.

AND THAT IS WHAT I DID.

AND I PLAYED ELECTRIC. I PLAYED ELECTRIC GUITAR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE IN A PUB IN CHAMONIX, FRANCE.

And everyone liked it! I played "I Need to Find Me a Man Like Captain Jack Sparrow," because it was one the rest of the band could easily ramp up-- oh sorry, did I forget to say the band backed me up?-- and it went well with the electric guitar and throaty vocals. Then tried a cover of "You Say Nothing At All," because the band requested I do one that people know-- that one didn't go off as well-- but then after that, someone just requested a song about Chamonix, so I made one up on the spot, and the band went with that too!

I'll be honest: I felt like a total badass!

There's pictures-- which will definitely be some of the first posted when we get a chance!

Tonight is the Fete de la Musique, which is a party all across France-- musicians of every type and color play out in the streets, and everyone else goes out all night to dance and party. Should be a good time-- the four of us, yes, the mama too, are definitely planning a fun night on the town!!

Tomorrow we go to Interlaken, in Switzerland-- love to all!