Learning how to speak French can be challenging, especially for those who move to France knowing only croissant, un, deux, trois, and merci, like me. Everyone has their own methods to improve their language skills, and mine began with driving. I started…
Tag: Le Grand Bornand
The world’s grumpiest hitchhiker
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: culture, driving, French language, kindness, Le Grand Bornand, strangers
Can you pick the edible mushroom?
Le Grand Bornand recently hosted a mushroom show. There were mushrooms all over the place, including the two pictured above. The toxic varieties often look ridiculously similar to the edible ones. In the photo above, the mushrooms on the left…
How sport is done in the French Alps
There’s no shortage of sporting challenges in the French Alps. There’s the standard snow-related sports in winter, and cycling and running in summer, but some other sports that aren’t quite so obvious. Let’s start with Le Grand Bornand, where families…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: Aravis, Candide Thovex, competition, culture, La Clusaz, Le Grand Bornand, local, Morzine, sport
Just a standard night out in Le Grand Bornand…
Le Grand Bornand is marketed as a family ski resort. They even hold a week-long summertime kids’ festival, and provide all sorts of family entertainment throughout the year. So it’s no surprise there’s only one nightclub in town. Lalu Discotheque…
Vegie burgers hit La Clusaz!
France is many great things, but it is not known for its friendliness towards vegetarians. As a non-meat eater, I’ve been offered fish galore, and even chicken. In La Clusaz and the Aravis area, vegetarian options usually revolve around cheese,…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: culture, food, La Clusaz, Le Grand Bornand, St Jean de Sixt, vegetarian
Ricard jugs and vide greniers
Let’s start with a few statements. 1. Ricard is a popular drink in France. 2. Vide grenier sales (car boot sales or trash and treasures) are popular in France. 3. At least 10% of all stands at a vide grenier…
If Le Grand Bornand were a country…
Did you know that if Le Grand Bornand were a country rather than a village in France, it would have come 25th in the medal tally of the Sochi Winter Olympics? This area breeds champions, and the locals support them…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: competition, Le Grand Bornand, Olympics, skiing, sport, St Jean de Sixt
No autumn in France this year?
Just a few weeks ago, I was in sandals and sun dresses, but last weekend, the weather in St Jean de Sixt got very cold. So cold, in fact, that it snowed heavily. Pictured above is a photo I took…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: Aravis, cat, landscape, Le Grand Bornand, snow, St Jean de Sixt
The lost cemetery of Le Grand Bornand
Here is a cemetery you won’t read about in many places. It’s the cimetière des miliciens, and it has no legal standing. On 24 August 1944, some 76 miliciens were executed in the Vallée du Bouchet after a court martial…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: Aravis, culture, history, landscape, Le Grand Bornand, war sites
Festivals in the French Alps
March isn’t usually a month that you associate with outdoor festivals in either hemisphere of the world, but around these parts, one has just come and gone and another one is on its way. The Radiomeuh Circus festival is on…
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with: Aravis, bands, entertainment, festival, La Clusaz, Le Grand Bornand, music, RadioMeuh
