Chalet near Kids' Club
View from 2700m
Playground
What's this, Mummy? It's snow!
Bench a bit cold, Mummy!
Apartment we stayedOur first ski holiday with Daniel and his two teenager sisters wasn't as bad as I anticipated. Skiing with a baby - utterly madness, it's the words my parents put over the phone when I told them we were going to skiing this Christmas. We are probably not the ones to allow parenthood to get in the way of going on holiday, but we are definitely not the extreme ones like one of my colleague who skied with his baby strapped on his back. He said 'you have to be completely confident that you would never fall...' I thought it's nuts to ski with baby on your back as he/she might get hypothermia. apart from this, I told him that I just consider myself as intermediate skier, so skiing with baby on the back was out of question.
Departure on Saturday( two weeks ago) was a bit shock. Our flight was 8.30 am, The driving to the Gatewick airport only took 45 minutes from Terry Mum's, where we stayed over for Friday night. We were up at 4am thinking we'd have plenty of time at the airport browsing the shops... . However when we got in the check-in hall, we found that the First Choice Check-In queue was lined up outside the building. I was amazed so many peopel were going ski this time of the year considering it was the first week of the season, normally most resorts were not expecting good snow. Daniel was definitely not the only baby going ski though. I did saw other people having their baby tucked in their rucksack on Daddy's back.
Alpe d'Heuz proved to be all-rounders skiing resort, it is youthful with so many sporting facilities on offer yet it was family-friendly resort on many respects. First Choice's Kids club wasn't bad at all with English Nannies and English nursery routines. There were quite a few kids in their creche that week and Daniel was the youngest baby there. Originally we expected Daniel wouldn't settle in there and we expected to take in turn to look after Daniel at the apartment. However, Daniel seemed to be ok with them first day, he did cry on drop-off in the morning but staff said he was ok after 30 minutes. So we went on taking him there everyday as we paid full-day care in advance anyway. Every morning we dropped Daniel 9.30-10ish together and in the afternoon I finished off skiing earlier to pick up Daniel 3pm ish on my own. so i end up skiing virtually everyday apart from one afternoon I picked up Daniel just after lunch. First couple days I felt so-much guilty about tucking Daniel in the Childcare that I stormed off one afternoon (felt bad about it later, it probably to do with my PMS). Terry persuaded me that Daniel would be better-off at Kids Club as there are plenty toys and other children there and they have a routine for him, otherwise what Daniel would be going to do with me in the apartment whole week, we would be bored. The creche staff took Daniel out for walk in town in pushchair everyday so Daniel got fresh air and ended up having two naps a day ( he only has one nap a day at home). So the rest of week I gradually eased off about childcare issue and didn't feel guilty anymore.
For skiing I enjoyed everyday though I got problem on my left knee (it felt painful each time I try to straighten up the knee) just weeks before our ski holiday. Several years ago I had a bad fall in the shower of a hotel in Wakefield and injured my left knee, It didn't bother me that time. But the knee joint always get worse each time when I want to go ski. One year I went to see the doctor. He said it was tissue damage and i need physio. As we all know there was long waiting list for physio on NHS, so I didn't bothered, I just carried on doing a lot stretch exercises on that joint in gym after my work-out and it healed. But since Daniel, I didn't stretch much the knee and the problem came back again. I must love skiing. I forgot the pain once I was on the slope
4 comments:
Sounds like an adventure to me. I wouldn't even think about taking a baby to ski... I can't even look after myself in the ski field, and I don't like the cold.
Well it's great that you enjoyed the holiday and Daniel loved the day care. It's definitely essential to have such a break from day to day life. We all need to recharge before we are totally run down.
Happy New Year to you and your family! Hope 2008 brings the best to you!
I don't like the cold too, but the cold in French Alpe is pleasant one, it is sunny, crystal blue and crspy. Aple d'Heuz means the Island of Sun. Unlike the cold in Britain, it's wet and grey and mild ( 7-8 C in winter). The temperature at resort level was -2C and -7C at 2700m, and we only wore one T shirt and a thin jumper underneath the ski jacket. Compared to the days when I was in Nanjing in its winter, where I used to need 3 hot water bottles and 3 thick duvets to get sleep, the cold in Frebch Alpe is nothing. I phoned my friend in Beijing today, she said it's -10C in Beijing. Remeber how she complained the coldness in winter in Beijing when she first left Kunming to study in Beijing. SHe used to say the wintery wind in Beijing was like a knife on face. You must have expereinced this sort of cold when you were in Beijing? ;)
My time in Beijing seems like ages ago - well it is. :) I do remember the cold winter there, but it's very warm (and dry) inside the house. In comparison, the winter in Kunming seems more uncomfortable to me because it's so cold inside.
I'm very happy about Sydney weather. It's always sunny, crystal blue and crisp... hehe, maybe I don't need to go to French Alpe after all.
Agree with Kunming winter bit...Yes it is a bit cold indoor in Kunming when it is in winter, that's why my parents get the electrical heater for their home.However it's warm outside in Kunming, and now lots of northern retired people are buying properties in Kunming to stay away the harsh winter. At least they can go out to the park in winter in Kunming...
I know a few freinds from nothern China who came to UK and chosen to live here, they all think they come to a better weather place, but for me, coming from Kunming. I can hardly think the same way.
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