The Vaujany Experience Part 17…….I am Hooked!!

I loved every minute of my time in the Alps. I am now totally hooked on the lifestyle within a ski resort and can’t wait to do as many seasons as I can, chasing the winters between the hemispheres. In those 5 short months, I can without a doubt say that I was the happiest I have ever been and I am so grateful for being able to find a lifestyle which is so suited to me. I am incredibly proud of myself and can now look back and see the steep learning curve I have come out the other side of. Teaching myself to ski and becoming a chef, cooking a 6 course meal each night for 28 people within a chalet is an incredible achievement.

I now can truly say that my life has been enriched because of the decision I made to leave Australia and see the world. I now feel, more than any other time in my life, that I could do anything I put my mind to. Life has become all about the next adventure, the next experience and place to explore. I have been so lucky to be able to find one amazing experience after another. I am not sure when my luck will run out but until it does I am going to continue to find amazing people and places to experience. Life is there to be lived and I honestly can’t imagine leading my life any other way at the moment. I am hungry for more and can’t wait to see what is around the next corner for me.

The Vaujany Experience Part 16…….Kick Ski Forever in our Hearts

The Kick Ski team by the end of the season was a tight nit family. We had all been through so much and formed such incredible friendships and bonds, that when it came to say goodbye it was with great sadness. Matt, Sophie and Jack all departed on the 22nd of April and while Darren drove off down the hill and Jack had his last “woop woop!” out the window, I felt as if a part of my family were leaving me. I sat outside Franrick Lodge and cried with Phil and Wendy, trying to take stock of what had just happened. The season was truly coming to an end and I couldn’t quite bring myself to come to terms with it.

Phil and I stayed on until the 27th helping Wendy and Darren with the final closedown of Franrick Lodge. We were the last remaining seasonaires left for the 08/09 season in the village. The Ski Peak crew had all left on the 23rd and only locals remained now. Most of our goodbyes had been said and we now had the whole place to ourselves.

Darren, Wendy, Phil and I all skied for the final time on the 25th of April. The day before the lifts closed. We got on the first lift and rode right to the top of Pic Blanc just one more time. And when it was all over, my heart broke just a little bit as I handed over my beloved skis back to the ski hire boys. They had given me so much over the season. My first pair of skis had taken me to heights I had never reached on foot and had given me the time of my life. So it was with great affection and love that I accepted them back into my life when the ski hire boys returned them to my hands and said to keep them.

Rather fittingly as Phil and I took our final drive out of Vaujany towards Grenoble train station the village was blanketed by snow one last time for us. It has snowed overnight probably for one of the last times of the year and with a dusting of powder covering the mountain and village we said our goodbyes and took our final views of the place which had given us so much and become part of our lives forever.

Sadly Kick Ski will not be in operation next winter. The Global economic crisis has certainly taken its toll on small tourism operators and Kick Ski is just one the latest victims to fall. Some of the team will be returning to Vaujany and working for Ski Peak. I however have decided to chase a new challenge. I am going to go in search of a new resort to experience and some new ski terrain to explore. You will have to stay tuned to hear all about where the next adventure will take place. The job offers have been coming in thick and fast and hopefully ill have made a decision soon.

I can’t wait for winter to arrive and for the fun to begin all over again. Lets face it….If the snow never melted, we would never leave this wonderland!

The Vaujany Experience Part 15……Coming to an End

As April approached and the final few weeks of the season loomed in front of us, we found almost any excuse to party! We had all had the time of our lives over the last 5 months and we all wanted it to end with one massive bang!!

The owner of the Swallow bar was closing up shop at the end of the season and with it being our sole partying destination during the season we felt it deserved a rather large send off, deserving of all the great nights it had given us. Its seven year history within Vaujany would be sorely missed. We had all found a place in our hearts for it and would be sad to see Vince closing its doors.

For the final 2 weeks of the season it seemed we partied almost every night. We could always find an excuse to celebrate! Whether it was the final changeover day, the departure of the final guests, the final Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at the swallow bar! With only the prospect of cleaning to get up for each day and the final stages of closedown to play out we made sure the tedious days events were quickly erased with copious amounts of alcohol and dancing each night, letting the fun times roll on as the season was rolling out.

The Vaujany Experience Part 14…….Springs arrival

We had been spoilt with perfect conditions in January and February. Blessed with beautiful powder days with blue skies and brilliant sunshine most days. The snowfall had been exactly as we wished and skiing conditions couldn’t have been more perfect but as the days of March strode in we knew that our savoured powder days on the mountain were now becoming numbered.

As one season was coming to an end the change was palpable, as spring began to show her imminent arrival. Springs subtlety could be seen everywhere. Snow fell less often and stayed for shorter periods before melting, buds on trees could be seen emerging, marmots were now spotted on the slopes, coming out from there hibernating winter days and the many colours of spring began to paint the white canvas of winter with bright vibrant colours throughout the valleys.

Vaujanys’ locals began to bring their gardens back to life. Ploughing their fields and planting seeds in their vegetable gardens. Daffodils were everywhere and all of a sudden the valley turned a magnificent new green.

While seasonal relationships hearts were cracking with the sound of thawing ice and the onset of spring the mountain all of a sudden seemed to come to life. Waterfalls began to cascade down sheer mountain cliffs all over, which eventually found there way down through the valleys in raging torrents of water. Frozen lakes began to crack and melt and created beautiful pools of blue on the mountain.

The waterfall ‘La Fare’ which had been frozen all winter was beginning to show signs of life again. Each day the trickle of water became larger until eventually the last of the snow and ice melted away leaving La Fare to cascade down and create the loudest constant roar throughout the valley.

And as the snow melted we could see what had laid beneath what we had previously been skiing on or inspecting with a sheet of white snow. Huts and other unanimous objects began to emerge from their heavy layers of snow. And all of a sudden Vaujany felt like a different place. We had enjoyed its winter wonderland feel and now were watching in amazement as it came back to life, leaving us in awe of its beauty and able to explore, observe and witness the changes.

Unfortunately, as you would expect, the skiing conditions were quickly deteriorating on the mountain as the days became warmer and the heat of the midday sun turned all of the runs into tracks of treacherous slush, we had little motivation to get up on the mountain each day. We had become skiing snobs, turning up our noses to the poor conditions, as if the mountain was letting us down somehow. We had been so spoilt with perfect conditions that the slush only annoyed us while skiing. But who was complaining, with so much more to explore in the valley now, we kept ourselves busy with walks and treks out into the wilderness that had previously been accessed on skis.

The Vaujany Experience Part 13…….In My Element

By mid February we had hit half way and instead of talking about how much time we had left on the slopes our thoughts all of a sudden turned to realising we only had 2 full months left. We all of a sudden had that feeling that time was going too quickly and that we didn’t have that much time left. It was like being on a weeks holiday. The best days were always the first 3 days because you felt that you still had the rest of the week ahead of you. But after that thoughts always turn to having to return to normal life and having to pack up and leave. And that is what I found myself thinking about. The day I would have to leave the wonderland that I had found myself in.

I had fallen in love with the lifestyle and I just wanted more and more. I was in my element all of a sudden and I couldn’t bring myself to think about the end because I didn’t want it to. I had this overriding feeling of wanting it to go on forever, to have an endless amount of days to span out in front of me to look forward to…..

And if a jeanie had have appeared into my life during that time and handed me a lantern to wish upon, I would have wished for those days to continue forever…..

As the weeks in February rolled on, I realised I didn’t have a care in the world. I was completely encapsulated within the bubble of Vaujany and my life I had found and created within it. Gliding down a slope on my skies I marvelled at the sight of the Alps around me, the blue skies and life long friends I had made all around me. They were perfect moments. Not a day seemed to go by without one of those moments occurring. I’d stopped worrying about my abilities in my new found role as chef or having to learn how to ski. I could now do it all effortlessly and I was finally carefree and able to enjoy it all.

As I skied the mountain everyday, I came to feel as if I belonged on the mountain, in the grandeur of the Alps and the crisp mountain air. I felt as if it was all meant to be. At last I was living for each day, free as the birds and the clouds that roamed the skies and I had the land of the magnificent French Alps to thank for that.

The Vaujany Experience Part 12…….Welcome to the Kick Ski Big Brother House…..The every changing Kick Ski Family!

We began the season nine strong! Two Aussies, two Welsh, one Grecian and four English. We were an eclectic bunch but by the end of the five months the Kick Ski team would be dwindled down to only seven members. With I being the lone Aussie amongst six other English! Needless to say I have been spending a lot of time with the English and I have to apologise for my ‘Aussie with a hint of added English accent!!’ which my best friend pointed out to me as we spoke on the phone. Much to my horror. You will all have to beat it out of me when I eventually come home!

So as you can see, it’s fairly obvious to see that the Kick Ski team certainly went through some changes over the five months. There were times during the season that we all felt as if there was some sort of curse that had been put on anyone wearing a kick ski polo shirt! As it was, only 3 of the employees made it all the way to end of the season and completed their contracts. And I am proud to say that I was one of them! There were times when we joked that it was like being on Big Brother……”and this week in the Big Brother house, tensions have been high, Tori has left the house leaving her boyfriend Phil behind, with the much anticipated Matt entering the house, livening things up!” It was just mad.

Our company director and owner, Darren from Lincoln in the UK began recruiting back in August 2008. I was the first employed and from then on he added Phil and Tori, a couple living in Lancaster, Sophie a horse mad West Sussex girl, Brad and Fern, a couple from Wales and Paul our Chef and a fellow Aussie. Wendy our chalet manager had already worked for Kick Ski the previous year and was returning for yet another sterling season.

It didn’t take long for the first blow to come. The first housemate to take the hit was, as I have previously written, our chef from Franrick Lodge. Paul exited the Kick Ski ranks on day eight of his five month contract. Unfortunately for Paul his cooking left much to be desired and he just didn’t fit the Kick Ski mould……Enter Kim as chef with Phil and Tori left as the remaining chalet hosts for Franrick Lodge!

The dreaded curse reared its head again on the 5th of January, my Birthday, when Brad our chalet and ski host from our other chalet, La Maitreya broke his ankle on “Le Tunnel” a deadly black run, so named because you have to enter an underground tunnel that cuts through the mountain and spits you out onto a steep mogul field the other side. Fortunately we were able to keep Brad on, he was able to have his ankle operated on in France and avoided being sent back to the UK. It was touch and go for a while, as Fern our chef in La Maitreya had decided to also leave if Brad had to be sent back to the UK for treatment. This was of course mostly out of our control and in the hands of the insurance company. Again tensions in the house were high, as we didn’t know if we would again find ourselves down another chef and two further members. We couldn’t afford to loose anymore staff. Not only were we a chalet host down in Franrick Lodge but we were also now down a chalet host in La Maitreya, due to Brad being out of action with his broken ankle, leaving just Sophie and Fern to run the chalet on their own. This was just what we needed after the manic period of Christmas and New Year weeks. We still hadn’t even felt like we had found our feet yet or begun to settle in and already life in resort was shaping up to be a minefield of disasters, one after the other.

I should probably point out at this stage that as a chalet host your required to be able to drive guests to and from the airport, be able to ski host guests three days a week on the slopes, clean rooms efficiently and help serve during breakfast and dinner services, helping the chef in anyway that is needed. It’s a big job and unfortunately not all the employed chalet hosts fitted all of these criteria. Tori unfortunately didn’t have a drivers licence and couldn’t ski host, which meant she was left to clean the chalet constantly, Brad was now obviously out of action which left Sophie to drive, clean, serve and ski host guests in our other chalet. A massive task for my gutsy, petite, 5 foot roommate. Thus we were all finding things pretty tough. I was still finding my feet within the kitchen and we were all still desperately trying to adjust to the changes happening around us and adapt and cope as best we could.

The blows were coming in quick and thick at this point as Tori decided to leave the Kick Ski Big Brother House on the 10th of January; only five days after Brad had broken his ankle. Unfortunately Tori had found the whole experience very tough and as she was spending most of her time cleaning, which she had not anticipated, she was not a happy camper, thus deciding to leave. This obviously again, made us edgy, as there was the potential that we would also loose Phil, her boyfriend as well. But Phil luckily decided to stay on and became the star chalet host within Franrick Lodge.

Enter the newest member of the team to the house. Matt joined us only a few days before Tori left. Matt, a ski mad Englishman, had just been fired from a team working in Italy (although he forgot to mention the ‘fired bit’ during his interview process) and thus joined our team, just at a time when we all needed some new blood to come and liven things up a bit. We were all in need of a break, totally exhausted and worn out emotionally and physically.

Loosing Tori was obviously a massive blow for us, especially Phil. But we soldiered on and eventually found a rhythm which seemed to work for a while. January was a relatively quiet month on the slopes and there were weeks when La Maitreya wasn’t booked with any guests at all, so we were able to go on a roster system and share the work load and savour some much needed time off. It was utter luxury to have a night off. Fern and I were obviously the luckiest as the two of us could share the cooking duties and all of a sudden I got very used to being able to relax in the evenings and explore the resort during times when I would usually be working in the kitchen.

January went by with us all being able to recuperate and finally find our feet. We skied almost everyday and partied just as much! It seemed that just as the work load decreased we upped the anti in terms of skiing and partying! January turned into a great month, but then came February….

February is notoriously busy on the slopes as it coincides with English and French school holidays and of course the best snow falls. We were back to working really long hard weeks again with both chalets at capacity. To get us through the busy period Darren employed our next newest member of the team; Jack, from Manchester. Another Englishman! Jack came into our lives and fitted into the team perfectly. He didn’t need telling what to do, he just did it. He was our resident comedian all of a sudden. He made us laugh with his many hilarious accent impersonations and jokes. He serenaded us with his guitar skills and made us all try and keep up with his drinking habits, which we all failed at miserably! I guess it’s alright for those of us who are 6 foot giants!!

So there I was, Chef with my three bitches! Phil, Matt and Jack. We all had a great time working together in Franrick Lodge. Dinner services landed up being nights filled with jokes being pulled at one another, tea towel whipping competitions, moments of choreography of silly dances that we would later taken into the swallow bar, and just the usual banter and sing-a-longs to songs which became favourites of the season. By the end of the night we were all tired from laughing so much. It came across too, as the guests always made comment about how well we all seemed to get along and how happy we were all the time. The chalet now had a great vibe and the season finally felt like it should.

And just as we had peaked and really begun to enjoy the season, the next blow came. Darren announced that redundancies would be happening in March due to poor bookings for the end of the season. It had been a tough season in terms of bookings, with the global economic crisis affecting the ski resorts and tour operators really hard. So we went from having too little staff at the beginning of the season, to eventually recovering with Matt and Jack joining the team, to then being told that we needed to reduce the numbers again. Yet more change and this time it could be any of us leaving. For most of the remaining weeks of the season, only one chalet was booked with guests. So the possibility of only needing one chef was quite high. I was seriously worried that it might be me leaving as it would make sense to get rid of a chef’s wage with only one chef needed. I was literally shaking in my boots hoping that my season wasn’t over. I was sure that if one chef had to go, it would be me, as I was sure that Darren wouldn’t make the other chef, Fern redundant. Surely not, as she was one of the original chefs employed and I was just the new recruit, pretending to be a chef!

And so redundancy procedures began. We were each interviewed at random and taken through a series of criteria which was supposed to determine our ability and contributions within the team. Criteria such as work ethic, team spirit, skills base, flexibility etc. To my absolute surprise I was praised during my interview and was apparently excelling at my job within the Alps. It came with even greater surprise that Fern, the other chef and her boyfriend, Brad were the ones to be made redundant.

So there we were, with 6 weeks left of the season to go, I was the sole remaining chef, left to take care of two kitchens and all of the food stocks. Even though Fern and I had worked closely together, each of our kitchens were our own domains. It was a huge task to try and maintain two kitchens and to keep a tab of all the stock that was in each store room. With only 6 weeks left I also had to start getting creative in the kitchen trying to use up all of the stock which had accumulated in the store rooms.

On top of these new responsibilities I was also required to train Sophie as the next in line chef. For the final busy two weeks of the season both chalets were booked to capacity for one last time. So she had to be ready to be able to cater for at least 20 people in a matter of four weeks and I had to get her there! In weeks when Franrick Lodge was empty I had to move locations and work out of La Maitreya’s kitchen, with Sophie shadowing me all the time, learning everything that I was doing. I had to teach her all of my recipes and show her how to find the rhythm of orchestrating a 6 course evening service smoothly as she would be doing it herself soon enough. Sophie was a natural cook thankfully and excelled at it. She certainly had hidden talents lurking under the surface and it was great to see her blossom in her new found role for the final two weeks of the season.

And so as the end of the season rolled in and the final guests finally drove off, those of us left standing by the side of the road, waving goodbye to the guests all took a massive breath of air and exhaled with a sigh of relief that could have been heard from the opposite side of Alpe D’Heuz. We had ridden the many unexpected ups and downs of the season and were grateful to have survived the changes and made it to the end. Phil, Sophie and I, the only original members of the Kick Ski team who had made the pilgrimage to Vaujany back in December had weathered the storm and survived the curse!

And some of us had even flourished in it. Sophie, my roommate and now fellow chef and I, had both begun the season as chalet hosts but would both be leaving with new found career paths. And with Phil and I now ready to take on the responsibility of running our own chalet, all three of us were hooked. We had become hardcore seasonaires who couldn’t wait for the winter to hurray up and return for yet more fun in the Alps! We must be mad!!

The Vaujany Experience Part 11……Social Skiing

For us seasonaires, skiing on the mountain was just as social as being in resort. Of course, there were days when you craved a day of skiing on your own with nothing but your own thoughts, your ipod plugged into your ears and your favourite runs. But the best fun had on the mountain was when we would all ski in a large pack, picking up friends along the way and people dropping off and finding their own paths back to resort. Word would go round in resort, to meet up in the snow park to watch whatever comp was happening that day, or “be on the grid at midday ready to get on the cable car, if you’re not there then you’re going to miss all the fun!”

As seasonaires we all knew the mountain so well and it became our own. We knew the best way to avoid the cues, the quickest drags, the best off piste runs and the best cliff jumps to attempt if you were feeling bold! Each day would be different on the mountain. The people you skied with changed each day, the conditions, the snow and of course where you skied. There were no two days the same, which is what made it so appealing and why you could continue to do it day in day out. There was always somewhere new to explore and as a group we could always count on stumbling along a new route or a new jump to try.

Some days on the mountain also turned into massive drinking sessions in the snow park. When a comp was organised you could guarantee there would be a group of Ski Peak and Kick Ski seasonaires situated with perfect views of the jumps where they could see the best stacks of the day and cheer on the unbelievable tricksters who momentarily swapped snow for air time!

And if the drinking didn’t start on the mountain, it was sure to start directly after back in resort. Lazy afternoons spent sitting in the sun with an après beer or two at Ski Peaks Rissou Hotel was a routine we all fell into. Without much encouragement I must add! It was a great way to hang out and relax before heading back to work for the evening. We would chat about anything and everything and just generally joke around. But mostly we chatted about our day on the mountain or the local gossip that was going around in resort that week.

Good times!

The Vaujany Experience Part 10........A Day in the Life of a Seasonaire

Don’t get me wrong; despite the skiing being our release and while I may have made most of you insanely jealous of my endless days spent skiing, there was also the work side of things. Daily life within a ski resort usually involves a mixture of strict work routines which can never be broken, long work hours spent alongside free time to get out skiing or socialising.

With the exception of my one day off a week, when I would blissfully sleep in and not even look at food if I could help it, my daily routine began at 7am every morning, when my alarm would ring into my ears, abruptly waking me from my much needed sleep. As I woke and looked out my window to the valley below and the surrounding mountains, I would quickly make an assessment of how much snow had fallen overnight thinking of the slopes that day and how good the skiing would be while calculating how long it would take to dig the minibus out of the snow. And after all of that, calculate how long I had in the shower before I had to get dressed and run out the door to the minibus so we could all drive up into the village and arrive at the chalet by 7:30am. Come to think of it, there was way too much thinking going on too early in the morning!! But that was what it was like 6 days a week for 5 months. GO GO GO! From the very minute you woke up until you decided to crawl back into your bed at whatever time you decided to inflict on yourself.

Arriving at the chalet at 7:30am and walking into the kitchen each morning, I automatically turned the oven on straight away and placed the croissants and pain chocolate that had been proving overnight in the oven, ready for the 8am arrival of the guests for their breakfast. I then quickly whipped up a cake ready to go in the oven before 8am, which is when the orders for the breakfast hot option of the day would begin to rattle around in my head. Three more scrambled eggs with smoked salmon, two orders of porridge, one without milk and two more hot waffles, one with chocolate sauce and the other with…..Oh Damn!! I don’t remember! It was chaos most mornings and from 8-9am I pretty much didn’t move from the stove as I cooked eggs in all their varying ways, waffles, pancakes, porridge, grilled mushrooms and so on, for the guests.

After 9am, when all the orders were finished and the other members of staff were clearing the dining room, washing all the dishes and cleaning the guests rooms, I got to work preparing for the meal that night, which usually involved de-boning, stuffing or marinating meats, chopping vegetables, making the desserts and having as much as I could ready to go for when I came off the slopes and got back into the kitchen. I became quite good at having everything super-prepared, which made my life in the kitchen during each dinner service very easy and stress free. I could usually finish all of my prep for the day, and have the afternoon cake out on the dining table by about 10:30am and have cleaned down the kitchen by about 11, which is when the day became my own. I was free to go skiing, back to bed, to the pub or to the pool, sauna, spa or gym to indulge in something other than skiing. Invariably as soon as we all finished our work in the chalet, we would all throw our ski gear on, grab our skis and head straight out onto the mountain for the day. Making the most of each hour on the piste. The day was ours….

And by about 4pm we would pull our tired bodies off the mountain after skiing hard all day and make our way back to the chalet, grab a quick shower and change back into our work clothes ready for the onslaught of the guests to come in from there mammoth day on the slopes. If I had to prepare a childrens dinner then I was usually back in the kitchen by about 4:30-5pm, otherwise I usually didn’t have to start work again until roughly 6pm, for the 7:30pm adults dinner service. I somehow had perfected the art of being able to prepare a 6 course dinner service into just an hour and a half!

Dinner services usually ran with either Wendy or Darren acting as the MC for the evening. Pouring the wine at the dinner table for guests and just generally adding to the atmosphere of the evening, while Phil, Matt and I looked after the kitchen and serving of the courses. At 7:30 guests would come down from their rooms and be greeted with a selection of canapés with wine. This gave the chalet hosts a good opportunity to hear all about the days events on the slopes and to generally just chat and mingle with the guests. Once the guests were seated at the table, we would serve the starter, followed by a quick palate cleanser, which gave me an extra few minutes to plate the main course after I had politely excused myself from the table and ran back into the kitchen, from eating the starter course. The main would be served, followed by a cheese board, which is very French as they prefer to eat cheese before having their sweet dessert. Following dessert Darren or Wendy would offer the guests tea, coffee or liqueurs while Phil, Matt and I got back in the kitchen. The boys got to work cleaning all the dishes and keeping the industrial dishwasher going while I gave the kitchen a thorough cleaning. Equipment, utensils, the hob, surfaces and floor all had to be spotless each night, as you would expect. We would usually be finished by about 9:30-10pm each evening. Which is when we could all relax after yet another days work in the Alps.

As if we hadn’t had enough fun for one day, as if we weren’t all tired enough, most nights we would traipse a path through the snow to Steifs Bar or the Swallow, for a game of pool and a few drinks. Well that’s if we were able to silence the sensible parts of our brains which was usually telling us to go home and get a good nights sleep. But invariably the party would begin and once it had begun, it was hard to drag yourself away and miss out on all the fun! This was when the “Ill sleep in May” statement came flying out of our mouths.

You never quite knew what to expect each time you walked through those bars doors. Some nights it would be dead quiet and you could get away with just having a game or two of pool and a few drinks catching up with friends within the village. But some nights, usually the ones when you least expected it, would turn into massive nights of mayhem and fun. Some of our best nights out were those that happened on the spare of the moment.

One of my most memorable nights out was a Thursday night when Darren, Phil and I decided to go to the swallow bar for a game of pool and a quiet drink and landed up being the only people left in the Bar when Vince, the owner decided to lock us in with him until 3 or 4 in the morning, with drinking games and dancing on tables a plenty. The notorious ‘lock in’ was to be avoided at all costs if you needed to be sober for work the next morning, but sometimes there was just no escaping them. Needless to say I was the laughing stock the next morning while trying to cook pancakes for 20 odd guests! Which is when I would swear to never do it again! But of course there was always a next time….

There were nights I would walk away from the bar and begin the 20 minute walk down the hill from the village back to our staff chalet at 5:30 in the morning knowing that I had to get to bed for at least the hour I could manage. Why did it do it to myself?!!

For some the après (partying) is the best part of the season. And without it your season just wouldn’t be the same but speaking from experience striking a balance between all the aspects of resort life is paramount. The tricky balance between work, skiing and partying is hard to find at times but totally essential for your season to be enjoyable and successful. As the consequences for neglecting or indulging in either of them can be dire.

With the exception of our changeover days on Saturdays and Thursdays when I would do the weekly shop in Grenoble, pretty much everyday existed just as I have described. Us seasonaires became creatures of habit, doing the same thing, day in day out and who could blame us for it! I know you’re all secretly jealous!

The Vaujany Experience Part 9…….”Yes Chef! 5 Minutes Chef!”

If skiing was supposed to be the only challenge I thought I was going to be faced with during the ski season, I was in for the biggest shock of my life! Skiing was a piece of cake, a walk in the park compared to the challenge I was about to be faced with…..

On the same day as we were all enjoying our first day on the slopes in Alpe D’Heuz the appointed Chef for Franrick Lodge (the lodge I worked in) was being fired and driven straight to Geneva airport by Wendy, our Manager. This was obviously a massive blow for all of us. It was the right decision made for the team and the reputation of Kick Ski at the time. I had anticipated its eventuality for many days and was thankful it was still setup week and guests hadn’t arrived yet.

Within that first week of arriving in resort I had become the chef’s sous chef. I was eager to learn from a professional chef. So with my willingness to learn I took interest in the kitchen and was cooking many of the puddings and vegetarian meals on his request. Unfortunately I quickly realised that my eagerness to cook was actually hiding some of his great weaknesses as a chef. Much to my disappointment and amazement, the chef had no idea how to cook cakes or desserts, nor the imagination to come up with enjoyable vegetarian meals, let alone some other very basic elements of cooking. Of course I found this quite worrying and at night, after cleaning all day and spending many many hours awake, I would somehow stay awake until sometimes 3am in the morning trawling through recipe pages on the internet. I could see that we needed a back-up plan, in case of the eventuality that I could foresee becoming a reality. I knew I had to be ready to jump into the role, because finding a chef at this late stage, with guests literally arriving in a matter of days was not an option. I knew I would have to be the one to put my hand up for the job.

So it was no real surprise to me when I learnt that the chef had been fired. And it was in that moment that I knew what I had to do. I chatted with the other chef employed to run the kitchen in our other chalet. I talked to her about the possibility of taking on the role. Thankfully she was full of encouragement and knew that I would be perfect for the position. She had seen my cooking over the last week and had been impressed. She urged me to speak to Darren, our director and owner of the company. But first I wanted to talk it over with the rest of the team to gauge their confidence in my ability. Thankfully, they were also very supportive, so with their backing I went to Darren and said “If you are willing to give me a go, ill do it! Ill step up and become Chef!” I couldn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth. What on earth was I getting myself into? I was supposed to be having an enjoyable season working on the slopes with little to no stress involved. I wanted a job with no responsibility for once, yet here I was completely changing my season forever and beginning a new career path! I knew the amount of work involved and how it would affect my season, but it was a challenge I was willing to accept. I simply couldn’t let the opportunity slip me by. It had only been weeks earlier while I was in Devon that I had looked into becoming a chef. I had decided it was something that I wanted to pursue as a way of continuing to travel around the world. So when the opportunity arose I knew it was meant to be.

So I strapped on an apron and got into ‘MY’ kitchen! I had two days to familiarise myself in my new surroundings and set it up the way I wanted to before the first guests arrived. I didn’t get much time to develop a menu plan that I could feel somewhat confident with, so I was running by the seat of my pants!

I have always loved cooking, it has always come very naturally to me. Being brought up in an Italian family, I had developed a deep love and passion for food. I feel comfortable within a kitchen and I find cooking very relaxing and somehow therapeutic and even now after cooking for five months straight I am lucky enough to still feel like that when I am cooking. I love finding new recipes and playing around with their flavours and ingredients, making them into my own or learning a new skill in the kitchen and mastering a new dish.

So there I was, newly appointed CHEFETTE!! Promoted after only 8 days! My new role meant I had to be responsible for the smooth running of my kitchen, making sure all the staff were fed well and abided by strict food safety and hygiene requirements. My kitchen, storeroom and food stocks were all my responsibility. As was feeding the guests of the 28 person chalet, whom were counting on me to provide beautiful meals for their much anticipated once a year skiing holiday! I had to drive to Grenoble (an hour away) each week to do the weekly shop and menu plan within a strict budget.

On the cooking front, each day I had to provide a hot option as well as the usual continental breakfast spread between 8-9am, have afternoon tea, cakes and biscuits laid out in the dining room ready for the guests arrival off the slopes in the afternoon, before preparing and cooking a 2 course meal for children at 5:30pm and a 6 course evening meal for the adults at 7:30pm. And all of this was done day in day out, 6 days a week! On top of this of course, I had to provide a vegetarian option for each course each night and cater for any dietary requirements for the guests and staff. Consequently I didn’t leave the kitchen for most of December while I was finding my feet; and by my birthday on the 5th of January I had only been able to get up onto the mountain a total of 5 days! It wasn’t turning into the season I had expected, but I was loving it.

I was thoroughly enjoying the experience of cooking and being chef and although I was incredibly stressed and under intense pressure most of the time, it was only because I wanted to be the best that I could be at my new found career. I set myself high standards and wouldn’t allow myself to feel confident until I had perfected a dish. I became very focussed within the kitchen. Often going into my own little zone, trying to orchestrate and time manage the smooth running of 6 courses without a hiccup during the nightly service. At any given time I might have had 3 things going on the stove, 4 trays in the oven to worry about all while I was finalising the last of the canapés ready to go out for guests with their pre-dinner drinks. My head was constantly on overload in the kitchen, I couldn’t for a second let my mind rest. But eventually with time and practice it did calm down and I found a rhythm within the kitchen as I began to understand the ebbs and flows of how to orchestrate such a mammoth task each evening.

At the dinner service the staff and I were expected to sit and eat at the table with the guests throughout the 3 main courses, invariably this meant that I would be sitting with the guests answering their badgering questions of where I had learnt to cook or how I had landed up working in the French Alps all the way from little old town of Melbourne in Australia? All the while all I could think about were the beans boiling on the hob, hoping they were boiling by now, or the leg of lamb roasting in the oven and hoping that it wasn’t overcooking. It’s lucky that I have always been a fast eater because I found myself sitting down; eating the meal very quickly, excusing myself from the table and racing back to the kitchen to start serving the next course. It became an art I eventually landed up perfecting. Each night the menu had to be planned so that I didn’t have to be in the kitchen every minute and I could sit down at the table without having huge pauses between courses while I cooked the next course.

As Chef I had to take full responsibility for everything that came out of the kitchen and with each course I had to introduce the meal to the guests. I would stand at the top of the table once all plates had been laid in front of each and every guest and proudly introduce the dish they were about to tuck into. I always found this incredibly nerve racking. I felt like a fraud! I wasn’t a Chef but here I was pretending to be one. But as the weeks passed, my confidence grew and I was soon receiving standing ovations and wonderful praise from the guests. I would walk back into the kitchen and pinch myself, thinking, this can’t be real! This cant be my life! How did I land up here? This is just crazy! But it was real and I was doing it….somehow!

As I had just spent 7 months living in Italy in the heart of the beautiful Chianti region of Tuscany, and being of Italian/English/Australian heritage, my menu was a mixture of Asian inspired fresh Australian flavours blended with many Italian dishes with hints of English touches also. I cooked my favourite Tuscan pasta, traditional Tuscan chicken liver pate, my Nonna’s tiramisu and tomato bruschetta recipe. My pannacotta with a stunning mixed berry sauce became a common favourite as did the prosciutto with herbs wrapped pork fillet. I blended these dishes with Asian inspired Australian dishes such as 5-spice roasted duck breast with a tangy peach salsa, soy and mirin glazed salmon, or sage and butter pan-seared scallops and exotic fruit jellies with lychee puree. And as I was mostly serving to English guests I added English touches such as mustard mash, apple and rhubarb pie and of course the good old humble crumble!

Luckily I was able to source great produce. I did the weekly shop at a huge cash and carry warehouse called Metro each week. Metro had everything from a great fish mongers, a huge selection of cheeses as you would expect from being in France, as well as great dairy and meat sections. They sourced produce from all over the world, I could even get frozen New Zealand lamb, kangaroo, and any kind of sorbet you could imagine. I tried out some of the more unusual flavours such as violet, cinnamon and basil sorbets as palate cleansers as well as making my own. The fresh produce was brought in from all over the world. Fresh figs from brazil, plums, nectarines and peaches from South America, avocados and melons from Costa Rica and pomegranates and pink grapefruits from Egypt. The selection was fantastic which meant I was free to experiment as much as I liked with my menu whenever I wanted. It was such a contrast from being in Italy where ONLY seasonal produce is available.

So my confidence grew and the staff’s boredom with the same meals week in week out became apparent I began experimenting with new recipes. Researching new recipes and trying new things became a new found past time that I enjoyed and a way for me to continue to push myself. By the end of the season, having cooked for 5 months straight, 6 days a week, you could say my cooking repertoire has somewhat improved!

And with 5 months cooking experience under my belt, I am ready to take on new challenges within the kitchen. Allowing this new found career path to carve a route around the world for me for a while. Who knows, I may become a creature of the winter season, following the snow capped mountains from the northern to southern hemispheres for many years to come! Cooking my way around the world! Bring it on!!

The Vaujany Experience Part 8……Creatures of the Mountain

There were many times during the season when life in resort would become too much, when you would be feeling quite down, fed up or upset by something. It’s hard to explain but within the bubble we were living in, it became very hard to get any perspective on issues, which meant that even the littlest things could get to you easily. And skiing became the only release we had. It was our escape. Once on the mountain, to me, the rest of the world didn’t exist. It was my refuge, where I could allow myself to become consumed in the grandeur of the scenery and the happiness I felt while skiing. I became a creature of the mountain, wanting to spend every waking moment on the slopes.

I remember thinking to myself, day after beautiful day on the slopes that “this is the life!” Skiing everyday and living within a ski resort almost felt like a defiance that a real world actually existed. I found myself feeling guilty that I was able to have so much fun and enjoyment from such a simple thing as skiing. The guilt as I strapped on my boots each day and made my way down the escalator to the cable car about to begin yet another day of wonderful skiing always got to me. At the back of my mind I would think about all the people all over the world working 9-5 office jobs, staring at a computer screen all day while I was spending my days on the slopes skiing with friends and having an absolute ball, resisting the clutches of the real world. What a life!.....

The Vaujany Experience Part 7…...The Great Escape

I could drive to the chalet for work in the morning and look out the window towards the mountain and only see a white blanket of cloud. Literally only being able to see the roof tops in front of me. I would stand at the window in the morning during breakfast service hoping it would clear or break at some point to give me a glimmer of hope that it was only valley cloud and that above it all, a new world existed! So as soon as I got into the cable car and started the ascent, the anticipation and hope quickly building with each meter that we climbed, hoping at any moment to break through the cloud and find a new world above it all. That moment as the cloud started to thin and the blue of the sky began to open up to us was one of the best feelings I experienced each day I went up onto the slopes. Breaking through to sunshine and clear blue skies and finding a new world above it all, was one of the most amazing experiences of the season. And once you are standing on the slopes, feeling as if you are on top of the world, you are instantly transported to a different place. I would stand on top of the mountain looking down towards where I knew our village should be and only see a blanket of fluffy white clouds, simply leaving any work hassles and life in resort behind. I was free to enjoy the beautiful sunshine reflecting off the snow and the joy of skiing.

The Vaujany Experience Part 6…….What are these two planks attached to my legs?

Undoubtedly the greatest thing about working a ski season is the skiing. If it weren’t for the skiing I don’t think any of us mad seasonaires would continue to put ourselves through the torture of the long hours, sleep deprivation and put up with the lousy pay. But the shear exhilaration, THAT thrill and joy as you glide down a piste, feeling the cold wind on your face quickly becomes utterly addictive.

As some of you know, when I arrived in Vaujany at the start of the season I had the huge pressure of having to learn how to ski within a few weeks. As part of my job I had to be able to ski host guests on the slopes 3 days a week, which meant that I had to learn quick!

I had taken some dry ski slope lessons back in Plymouth, but nothing could have prepared me for the actual event of skiing. On our 8th day since arriving in the Alps, after we had spent the previous week working ourselves into the ground, opening up the chalets, we set off to the larger resort, Alpe D’Heuz for our first day out skiing. We were all obviously excited and as we began the windy ascent up to the mammoth resort, I began to feel sick with anticipation. What was I getting myself into? I could feel the pressure of having to master a new skill building within me. I had no choice but to have to learn, and although I wanted to, I still felt that nervous anxiety at the possibility of not being any good at it, or not liking it. My mind was buzzing with thoughts of “What if I can’t do it?” What is I hurt myself, or freeze up with fear?.....my season will be over before it has even begun!”

But despite all of my thoughts and fears, I went into focussed, determined, ‘capable of doing anything Kim mode’, ready to take on the challenge and to apply myself to learn quickly. Darren, the director, had assured me that I would pick it up quickly, although I had no idea how he had qualified that statement! So there I was kitted out in my snow gear with these two planks attached to my boots, about to get onto my first chairlift. The snow was perfect; the conditions perfect, I only hoped that my day would land up being just as perfect.

Watching other skiers, glide and turn effortlessly down the piste, I was instantly transfixed and jealous of how it must feel to be able to ski so beautifully. In that very instant, I was determined to become as good as those skiers, I was going to make it my mission for the season. So off I went, full of determination and a belly full of butterflies! I glided off the chairlift in perfect snow plough formation. Bringing myself to a complete stop at the top of the piste, looking down at what was about to be my first ever run! Of course none of us knew the resort well at that point, so I went in blindly and decided to take my first run on a blue slope (one up from the green beginner runs).

I quickly found out that snow was much more slippery than the plastic on a dry ski slope and that stopping or turning on snow was a lot harder than I had anticipated. As I began my first descent, I built up too much speed and crashed spectacularly about 50 meters later. I landed in the meter deep powder off piste and lost both my skis! I was buried deep in the snow. Eventually I trudged my way out of the powder and made my way back to the piste to try again. Much to my relief my first fear had been conquered; it didn’t hurt to fall over in snow!! And so I clipped back into my skis and tried again and again and again. I eventually made it to the bottom of my first run about 30 minutes later and after about 10-15 more spectacular falls I decided to take myself off to the nursery slope! But I persevered, I wasn’t going to be beaten, giving up was not an option, and besides I was having too much fun to give up!

My day hadn’t been quite the perfect day that I had envisaged but I had learnt a lot. I had quickly developed the beginnings of a burning desire to excel at this new found sport. I learnt that the trick to skiing was to trust your skis; to use your edges and weight correctly.

Soon after that first day skiing in Alpe D’Heuz, my circumstances changed and my role within the team changed, meaning I wouldn’t need to ski host guests any longer. The initial challenge and pressure of having to learn to ski at such a rapid pace was lifted from my shoulders and I was free to learn in my own time. I was able to let my confidence build slowly without having to push myself or bluff my way through ski hosting! I now had an even bigger challenge to master, the kitchen! But more about that later….

On my second day skiing I attempted my first red run, I would have made about 100 snow plough turns on the run but I made it to the bottom and felt the sense of achievement at being able to ski into Alpe D’Heuz from Vaujany. I could now ski anywhere! Even if it was still at a snail speed pace!!

Thankfully, for my 25th Birthday, the kick ski team all pitched in and bought me a private ski lesson with an ESF instructor. I was wrapped! I had got myself to a standard where I was able to easily go down blue runs and was attempting more and more red runs each time I skied. I was still snow ploughing but I was beginning to feel out the technique of parallel turns more and more. I just needed someone to perfect them with me. So along came Pascal, my wonderful instructor, who in 2 hours turned me into a natural skier on snow! It was brilliant; I all of a sudden felt THE feeling of skiing and from that moment on, no one could stop me. I had my weight and stance corrected, I felt natural in my skis and I had discovered edges! From then on, each day out on the mountain, I explored new places and built up confidence on slopes that had become favourites. My speed was slowly picking up and I was learning at a very rapid pace. I simply couldn’t get enough of skiing.

I still remember ‘the moment’ (after I had begun skiing more confidently) of simply facing my skis straight down the piste and letting go! Allowing myself to go as fast as my skis would take me. Allowing the adrenaline to consume my fear and letting the crazy, playfulness of skiing overwhelm me. I threw my arms and poles into the air and simply looked up to the blue sky and in that moment….I was hooked! I had a smile plastered broad across my face and instantly knew that I had found something that I was going to enjoy for the rest of my life. I fell in love with the sense of freedom, the joy of being on the mountain, surrounded by endless beautiful mountain peaks. I loved the playfulness of skiing and being able to share it with like minded people who had all become friends because we all loved skiing.

To me, skiing is reckless, extreme and playful all in one. The extreme conditions and scenery, mixed with the adrenaline rush, speed and recklessness of throwing yourself head first down a mountain on snow is an incredible mixture. It brought out a playfulness in me that I hadn’t felt since I was a child. I loved the sense of freedom from the fluidity and rhythmic feel of gliding endlessly on the snow. Every day was different, the conditions, snow and visibility changed every day, every hour, and of course that only added to the excitement of it for me.

And now my new found passion for skiing seems to be creating a path for me around the world. I simply can’t wait to hit the slopes again, to continue to perfect and learn the never ending amount of techniques and types of skiing. But mostly, of course to continue to have fun existing in a world of endless days spent on the slopes.

The Vaujany Experience. Part 5……”Ill Sleep In May!”

The familiar catch cry sung by all seasonaires, “Ill sleep in May!” became somewhat of a motto we all seemed to live by. The wicked tiredness that seemed to constantly lap at our feet, ready to consume us at any point if we didn’t fight it became a constant struggle. It was something to get used to, as there was no point in complaining about it, as everyone was fighting the same battle, you just got on with it and kept the image of your warm, cosy bed in May at the end of the tunnel alight. Burning the candle at both ends of the stick is inevitable during a ski season, its part of the experience and without it your season would be a fraud.

And now that May is here…thankfully. I am finally able to rest. To sleep until my heart is content with the memories of all the fun times lived, constantly with me. Bliss!

The Vaujany Experience Part 4.......Work, Ski and PARTY!!!!

When it came to night spots within Vaujany, there wasn’t much choice. We had Steif’s bar, Arsen’s café, and Ski Peaks’ the Rissou Hotel for après ski or quiet drinks after work. But our beloved Swallow Bar was the place we all marched off to every Tuesday night. We all filed through its saloon style doors to the university type bar, complete with sticky floors, toilets without locks, pool tables and arcade games! Every Tuesday night there was a band, of varying quality. And nothing would stop us from getting up on the picnic style wooden tables and have a good old boogie to shake out the cobwebs of the previous weeks work. It became our outlet and thankfully all Kick Ski staff had Wednesdays off, which meant that Tuesday nights landed up being rather messy and we were all thankful for the cold yet, sobering walk back down the hill to our staff accommodation in the wee hours of the morning.

The rival English Company in resort was Ski Peak and despite the undercurrent of the rivalry between the two companies, we formed a strong social network and became the ‘English Group’ amongst the Danish, French and Belgium groups within the Village. Part of the fun of Tuesday nights in the Swallow Bar was the guarantee that the Kick Ski crew would meet up with the ‘Ski Peakers ‘and we would all forget what company we worked for and have an awesome night together. We truly made some great friends amongst the ‘Ski Peakers’ and our season would not have been the same without their friendships.

The Vaujany Experience Part 3.......Home for 5 Months

My home away from home for 5 months was the small village of Vaujany. It is situated at the top of a beautiful valley, right next door to the much larger resort, Alpe D’Heuz. It sits at 1250 metres and has some of the best views and landscapes of the Alps, you could ever wish for. I was certainly blown away by the shear grandeur of the mountain ranges which surrounded the village and the quaint, picturesque village, complete with its original old farm buildings still intact, some dating back hundreds of years.

The resort itself is still very French. Retaining that authentic historic feel and small village essence with a true sense of community. You soon get to know the locals and become apart of the background as a seasonaire. I have made some great French friends as well as English friends whom were also working in Vaujany for the season. The rival English Company, called Ski Peak, employed loads of Australians as well, so I never felt alone amongst all the French and English!

The village, had everything you needed, complete with its own escalator system, claiming to be the longest covered escalator in Europe!! There was a great gym and pool too which was a welcome leisurely change from all the skiing and partying. I frequently used the sauna and spa for my aching legs. Or simply went to the gym or pool for a change from skiing.

To reach the slopes, we took the cable car, which could hold 160 people at full capacity. It took us straight up to the slopes in a swift few minutes, travelling from 1250 metres right up to 2800 metres at the second stage of the lift. The skiing in the Alpe D’Heuz/Vaujany area was exceptional. It hosts the longest black run in Europe, ‘Le Sarenne’, and has great open wide pistes. At its highest point, 3330 metres, we could see the tip of Mont Blanc and ski the glacier.

The chalet I worked in was called Franrick Lodge and it had prime position within the resort. Being only a 1 minute walk to the cable car and with spectacular views, facing out to the waterfall, named La Fare, which was obviously frozen during the winter and spectacularly lit up at night time. But as Spring came in, the waterfall started to flow again. Its noisy flow of water, a constant reminder of the changing seasons and the impending doom of the end of the ski season.

Our staff accommodation and other Kick Ski chalet, La Maitreya, were situated 5 minutes drive down the valley, in a small town called Le Perrier. Despite our accommodation being outside of Vaujany, we were thankful to be able to escape the village and hibernate in our very own staff chalet at times. I can honestly say that it is the best staff accommodation I have ever seen. We were well looked after. We had a lovely 3 level chalet, complete with our own balcony with views down the valley towards Allemont, as well as our own kitchen, lounge and spacious bedrooms. I shared the upstairs mezzanine area with Sophie, a lovely, if not messy English girl.

The Vaujany Experience. Part 2……Living within a bubble

Having been back in Tuscany for only 3 weeks, and with the recent ski season feeling so, what’s the word, recent I guess, I am finding the task of writing about it a true struggle. It’s hard to write about such an amazing period of my life so retrospectively already. How do I begin to capture all of the many adventures, phases, ups and downs of the last 5 months? I simply can’t. I am scared I won’t do it justice. The intensity of the lifestyle which I have discovered and fallen in love with cannot be put into words. The limiting use of language cannot begin to help the reader visualise and experience what it is truly like. Only those, whom have experienced the seasonaire lifestyle and lived this intensity through their own eyes, will understand the world which I have found within a ski resort.

Maybe it has something to do with the grandeur that you are surrounded by in the Alps or the extreme alpine conditions which we are subjected to live in which make the experience of a ski season so intense. Maybe you could blame it on the sleep deprivation from partying too hard, the exhaustion of skiing everyday or the long hours spent cooking, cleaning, and pleasing the guests. I think the truth lies in all of the above, mixed in with the strong friendships and bonds which are formed by all seasonaires alike and the knowledge that time doesn’t wait for anyone. Spring will arrive and that these too short 5 months are here to be lived and not simply passed by. You quickly learn to never waste a day. When the fresh powder has fallen, we all drag our weary heads up to the slopes and find a new world above it all.

The Vaujany Experience. Part 1……The Next adventure

I embarked on my next adventure on the 1st of December 2008. I was to begin working as a chalet host within the small village of Vaujany in the French Alps. I was about to join a team of 9, whom I had never met, for the small company of Kick Ski to run their two well appointed chalets in the heart of the Isere region of France. I honestly had no idea what I had got myself into. Not in my wildest dreams could I imagine what was in store for me. Or that I was about to find a lifestyle that I would fall in love with and as you will read, arriving into a ski resort wasn’t going to be the only challenge I would be faced with…..

London…….Part 5. Being a Tourist

In my four days in London, I have to admit, I let the tourist in me come out. Although I was wondering its streets and pavements in the hope of finding its essence, I was drawn into seeing its ‘sights’. I was intrigued by the Tower Bridge, the Big Ben and the Thames. From such a young age, we grow up seeing the Big Ben Clock Tower on the television and hearing about the gates and guards at Buckingham Palace, so I guess it was only natural for me to want to experience London’s sights with my own eyes. Without trying to put you asleep by just rattling off a list of the sights I saw, I will try and find a way in which to describe them, in the light I saw them in.

Without a doubt, one of the best Friday night drinks I have ever had was with Jo and Jacinta at an intimate Jazz bar, just off Carnaby street. The bar was called something about Jazz or All in the Jazz, anyway, something like that. But it was brilliant, it was some of the best live jazz I had ever heard, the atmosphere was relaxed and full of life. It was just great. Sitting there drinking red wine with the girls I found myself understanding exactly why the girls loved London so much.

The next day, I hit the pavement again and decided that I was going to walk along the Thames, exploring the Southbank of London. I found Parliament House and it’s gardens and walked right past as members of Parliament were being interrogated by the many journalists and photographers who had camped out waiting for there arrival that morning. I took in Westminster Abbey, The Big Ben and the London Eye. Walking along the Thames, I watched as the traffic on the river, ploughed away in its chaotic manner. I walked past the Tate Modern and came across Borough Market, just in time for Lunch. I can say without a doubt, that I loved this market more than any other I have experienced. It is a lively hub of activity. It is a food and produce market really where you can absorb so many flavours, and taste some of the worlds delicacies all under the same roof. It was packed, as people stood around trying to decide what on earth to satisfy their hunger with. You could have paella, cooked right in front of you, on the largest pan I had ever seen! Falafel wraps, your choice of roasted meat rolls, almost every type of fudge that you could think of, cheeses, olives, jams, chutneys, juices, ciders and I could go on and on, on and on! I couldn’t believe how much choice there was. Amazing!

I reluctantly left Borough Market and continued along the Thames, eventually climbing the London Tower Bridge and making my way over to a tube station and catching a train to Camden. I had been warned that I would love the Camden markets, so I headed to yet another distinctively different part of London and wondered through the many narrow alleyways of the market stalls. I loved it and instantly felt the vibe of Brunswick Street of Melbourne. Its punk, grunge feel took me straight back to my university days.

The next day, Jo, Sally and I headed back to Borough Market in the search of a good old Saturday morning brunch rendezvous. We tucked into a hot, roast pork roll, topped with sweet apple and cranberry sauce. Delicious! Next stop was Portobello Road Market, which consumed us for hours. I loved it and could have spent hours upon hours exploring all the stores and shops. I am sure I will find myself back there one day soon. That night Jo and I headed to Covent garden to meet Caitlin for dinner in a swanky, buzzing restaurant followed by an essential part of any London experience, the Theatre! The three of us sat and watched as contortionists, acrobatics, and magicians worked there magic in front of us. The show was called La Clique and it was more like a modern day circus show than an actual theatre show, but we all loved it and left feeling as if we had constantly been laughing and sitting on the edge of our seats. It was a real thrill.

On my last full day in London the girls and I all hit Harrods and explored its many levels. I was again overwhelmed by the amount of people, but no where near as much as I was overwhelmed by the grandeur of Harrods. Too much could be said about this world unto itself. So I won’t even start! We then wandered into Hyde park and warmed out hands on some mulled wine. The ice skating seemed appealing but a traditional Sunday roast seemed even more appealing at the time, so we all headed back to Clapham and tucked into a hearty roast dinner followed by a board game or two, to finish off my London adventure.

As I tucked into bed that night, I was too excited to sleep. With the next chapter of my journey about to start I could hardly contain the thoughts that were flying around in my mind. I was apprehensive and excited all in one. Yet again I was excited about the unknown I was about to delve into. I couldn’t wait for the sunrise and consequently didn’t get much sleep that night. I knew deep within me that the next five months of my life were somehow going to change me and ignite a passion within me that I hadn’t known was there. And as I waved and hugged Jo goodbye and made my way to Stanstead Airport to meet the people I would be spending the next five months of my life with, I had a deep sense that my new life was about to begin…..

London…….Part 4. A Wonderland of Everything and Anything

I love how diverse London is. Like Melbourne and many other multicultural cities it has so many different areas, which offer a different vibe, essence, flavour, its own people and inner hum, a different culture, class or status symbol. You feel like you can be transformed into anyone you want to be in each of its differing metropolises.

My senses were on constant overdrive. London is a city where you can get whatever your wildest dreams could think of. All you have to do is imagine it in your mind and you will find it. Your dream pair of shoes, the amazing dish you have been craving to eat, that perfect present that you haven’t been able to find anywhere. It is literally all here, you just have to know where to look.

London…..Part 3. The Land of Opportunity

London seems to be the kind of place where if you stand still for long enough, you can be approached by anyone trying to sell you something, sign you up for a research project or offer you jobs. I was standing outside Topshop waiting for Jo to arrive one afternoon when all of a sudden there was a guy standing in front of me, holding up a camera in front of my face. The first thing he asked me was if I had done any modelling before? “Umm, No!” Next question….., “Are you wearing contacts or are those blue eyes natural?” “Umm, they’re natural! Why?” “You should be a model!” and with that, he thrust a card into my hand and said to call him, and on he went, to find his next wannabe model. And just like that, a new opportunity on your door step. That’s London for you. I wonder how many people actually believe him and call the number!?

There is a buzz about London which seems to sing ‘SUCCESS’. It seems that everyone is trying to make a break, to climb the ladder of career status or turn there 5 digit bank balance into a 6 or 7 digit number overnight. The city simply never sleeps. There is always something to do, always someone to meet or somewhere to be. Everyone is in a hurray and following the tune of their own agenda. Everyone seems to be out for themselves, living life to succeed!

London…..Part 2. One great big Ant Farm!!

I hit the pavements of London the next day with my enthusiasm high and patience restored. I was ready to be consumed by the city and wanted to walk its streets for hours, exploring. The next day, the train system didn’t seem so scary and I made it perfectly to Victoria station and walked towards Buckingham Palace, arriving just in time to watch the Change of Guard, which is where I got my first taste of the kind of tourists I was going to be fighting with throughout my time in London. I vowed at that moment to try and avoid all tour groups and bus loads of tourists and go in search of the Londoner essence. So I kept on walking and made my way through the gardens, past the Ritz Hotel, along Pall Mall Way up to Trafalgar Square. I ducked into the National Museum just before a big down pour of rain was about to explode onto the Square. In my efforts to escape the rain, I wondered through the rooms, past the sunflowers of Van Gogh, The Venus and Mars of Botticelli, Rembrants’ self portrait, and as if I hadn’t seen enough in Florence, more renaissance art from Michelangelo, Titian, Bellini, Raphael and Leonardo Da Vinci.

Next I was off to Leicester Square, in search of theatre show tickets. But couldn’t decide between The Lion King, Les Miserables, and The Phantom of the Opera! Too many choices so I continued to walk on and found myself in China Town, where I devoured some great Sushi and explored some Asian supermarkets. Always a favourite of mine, I find them so fascinating! From there I seemed to wonder along some back streets getting quite lost in Soho, which finally led me to Oxford Street, which I quickly decided again to avoid, so I ducked back into the streets of Soho and found some amazing little narrow alleyways, with some quirky shops and amazing fabric stores. I was drawn back into the pretentious, artistic, designer feel of Soho. I loved the street cafes and boutique stores. It had a community feel about it that I liked. It reminded me of Greville street in Melbourne. I eventually landed up back down in The West End and made my way up to Picadilly Circus. The Christmas lights of Regent Street caught my attention, so I followed the canopy of fairy lights along the rows of shops. I ducked in and out of stores like The National Geographic, and the amazing children toy store, Hamesleys. I bought a T-shirt that I thought said it all, “Find your Freedom!” It was written on the front and I felt it surmised exactly my existence at the time, it had pictures of swallows flying all over it and I loved it! So it became mine. I still love that T-shirt. It reminds me to keep pushing myself to find the next adventure, to keep pursuing the next challenge and above all, it reminds me to never forget that I am free.

Literally, the very next challenge I was faced with, happened 5 minutes later when I was due to meet Jo and some other friends at 5:30 by the tube entrance at Oxford Circus. I can honestly say that this is the one and only time in my life where I have found myself feeling completely overwhelmed by the amount of people surrounding me. I swiftly felt the full power of what a stampede must be like. A human stampede of the business suit variety! This is one moment in my life I would have loved to have become a swallow and flown above it all and watched everyone marching and struggling along, fighting to reach their own individual destinations and freedoms from the masses.

I was trying to reach the North East side of the Oxford Circus intersection and as I walked east along Oxford street I was literally bombarded by a stampede of people all exiting the tube, heading in the opposite direction of me. I simply wanted to walk an extra 10 metres in order to reach the pedestrian crossing to cross the street. I struggled through the masses of people and found myself being pushed along with the barrage of people. I simply couldn’t escape its strength, so instead of fight it any longer, I simply turned and walked in the direction of the stampeding business suits!! I was completely overwhelmed by it. It took me about 10 minutes to finally make my way over to the North East side of Oxford Circus. I felt like I had become a very small insignificant Ant, within a huge Ant Farm. All day I had been completely overwhelmed by the amount of people in London. How could one place have such an enormous population?

London…..Part 1. Heaven in a London Taxi!!

As I boarded the train to London from Devon, I was both excited and apprehensive about what to expect from such a place as London. As many of us love the life within big cities, I am not one of them. And after my seven months in Tuscany and six weeks in Devon, I had well and truly become a country girl; living the simple life, with little stress and hardly any stimulus from the outside world. I was certainly in for a shock when I arrived into Paddington Station at 5:30pm on a Thursday afternoon.

I was staying with Jo, an Australian friend, whom had moved to London and was living in Clapham Junction. She had kindly given me directions on how to get to Clapham Junction station via the tube. So off I went thinking to myself that this cant be that hard to work out, at least everything is in English, how can this be any more difficult than catching trains in Italy or all over Europe. Ill just find a map work out how to get there. But it was!

Can someone please explain to me how on earth so many stations in London don’t have escalators or Lifts! I was desperately trying to carry my 2 suitcases around with me while trying to sort out how to buy tickets, which line I had to be on and which platform I had to find. I headed underground and found the tube system and with it of course a rabbit warren of halls all heading in the direction of too many platforms to choose from. Anyway, after fighting with my luggage along corridors and up and down sets of stairs, I finally made it onto a train which took me to Victoria Station, which is where Jo told me to get off.

On the train, I had stood next to a group of policemen, who were chatting about their superiors rather unprofessionally. On the other side of me, was a man reading a paper, close up to his face and I noticed that he kept glancing over his paper at the policemen and kind of sniggering. I thought it was a bit odd. He kept doing it and then he caught my eye and discreetly pulled out a wallet displaying a secret service badge to me. I still have no idea why he showed me his badge or why on earth a secret service agent would risk getting his badge out on the train in London during peak hour.

When I eventually got off the train I was swept up by the stream of people heading to, well I didn’t know where I was going, I was just going with the flow of people, I had no choice. Then all of a sudden, the secret service guy from the train came up behind me and took one of my bags off me and said he would help me up all the stairs. He didn’t ask where I was going or anything, but just walked next to me and helped. I thanked him and he went off straight away again.

I was disorientated and getting a little agitated by all the people and having no idea how to find my next train. I found a map and stood looking at it for a while trying to match names of places to the directions that Jo had given me, but I couldn’t see any of them, so I went to find another map and then the secret service guy appeared next to me again. This time he asked me where I wanted to go and where I was headed. So I told him Clapham Junction and he looked on the map and said, “Not this one” and pointed in the direction I should head. So I thanked him again and headed for the stairs and looked up to see the torrent of people streaming down the stairs from the street. I just couldn’t believe how many people there were. I stood at the bottom of the stairs waiting for a gap to open up or the stream of people to slow down, but it simply never did. By this point, I was getting so sick of carrying my luggage that I was considering risking dumping it for a while and coming back for it later when I had worked out where I needed to go. But I knew it was a huge risk so I persevered. I somehow got to the top of those stairs and found myself completely lost again. I couldn’t see anything that was making sense. Then the secret service guy appeared yet again. At this point I was beginning to think it was a little weird. He just kept popping up all over the place, finding me again and again to try and help me. He must have been watching me the whole time, following me around for some reason. He pointed down towards the end of the station and said to turn left.

At this point I had no idea whether or not I should trust him and was well and truly sick of fighting through all the people, so instead I headed for the daylight and found myself out on the street. I had decided to take refuge in the capabilities of a Taxi driver and promptly plonked myself into a London Taxi and told him “Clapham Junction Please” I sat back and thought to myself, what an ordeal! To this day I still have no idea what on earth the secret service guy was doing trying to help me or if he really was a secret service agent at all. Who knows, but I will never forget my first tube experience in London, that is for sure.

The Lost Chapters.....

Where do I begin to fill in all the missing chapters of the last 6 months? I guess as good a place as any is beautiful Devon, in the south of England.

As most of you know I left Tuscany in October last year and spent 7 weeks in the UK before I embarked on the most recent of my adventures, a ski season in the French Alps. I had originally planned to travel around the UK and make my way up to Scotland, but when I arrived in Devon and saw how beautiful it was, that idea quickly got thrown out the window. I also needed to stay put for a while, while I convinced the Brits that I should be allowed to have all the same rights as them, as I have dual citizenship with the UK and Australia. And I am happy to report that I did a fairly good job of convincing them, as I am now a fully fledged Brit, complete with UK Passport, National Insurance number, Bank Account and Medical stuff, which have all been handy indeed.

As my father is English, I have a strong family link with the UK, but for some reason, it is a place that I hadn’t thought too much about, in terms of what it would be like or what to expect from spending time there. Maybe I can contribute that to the fact that I had been living with an English family for 7 months in Tuscany and felt as if I knew England intimately due to the many conversations that were had. And because Australia is so linked with the UK maybe I didn’t expect it to be any different from Australia in terms of its culture and nature of people. So I arrived into Bristol airport without any expectations of what I might find and experience.

The first major difference I noticed immediately after landing in Bristol was that familiarity of being amongst English speaking people again. It was such a welcome change to walk back into a country which speaks your language. Everything feels and becomes infinitely easier somehow and that little bit of anxiety that you carry around with you all the time while you’re in a foreign speaking country quickly subsided with a little relief on my behalf. Although my Italian gets me by, it is by no means perfect, so it was so nice to be able to slip back into the ease of English again.

From the view of my aeroplane window, as I flew over the UK heading towards Bristol airport I had a birds eye view over its landscape and couldn’t believe how much the landscape looked just like a patchwork quilt. It seemed as if England was completely made up of small fields all divided by lovely stone or bush hedges. I was very confused, considering 60 million people live in England, I couldn’t work out where everyone lived!!! The amount of countryside and beautiful fields is overwhelming, as is how green and lush it is. There is every shade of green you could ever imagine. You can’t help but be immediately impressed by nature, which I was completely surprised by, as it was one of the things I hadn’t expected.

After arriving into Bristol, my destination was Barnstable in the North of Devon. I had been offered a place to stay with friends I had made at the Villa that Summer. I was so welcomed into their home and life that I immediately felt right at home which I am ever so grateful to them for. Sarah and I had quickly become friends after the few days that we had spent at the Villa and in Spain that summer. I was so looking forward to spending time with her and her family again. Unfortunately her Mum had just been diagnosed with Cancer, so my timely arrival also meant that I cold put my Naturopathic skills to good use again. Sarah’s mum, Chris and I spent a lot of time together and she became the perfect tour guide for me. Taking me on loads of day trips through Exmoor and Devon.

Of the little I was told about what to expect from my time in the UK, I had been told to expect beautiful coastlines, amazing fields and countryside but nothing could have prepared me for the beauty that I found in Devon. I felt completely at home there, I was so surprised to experience that feeling of familiarity, as if I had been there before. I felt completely comfortable and I found it easy to navigate around instantly. Maybe I can contribute that to my family heritage or perhaps a past life!!

Being in Devon during Autumn was just so spectacular. The Moors were a splendour of all colours and driving along the narrow laneways and country roads was an experience straight out of a fairytale scene, with the coloured leaves falling from the canopy of trees with the stream running along the side of the road as you drove along. Just amazing! I spent time travelling along the coastline of some of the best surf beaches the UK have to offer. Willacombe and Croid quickly became favourite destinations, as did Saunton. Willacombe reminded me of the seaside town, Lorne in Victoria, Australia. It had a great vibe and the surf was awesome!

While in the UK I also wanted to get a head start on learning how to ski, so I enrolled myself in for 3 dry ski slope lessons in Plymouth, South of Devon. My ski instructor was brilliant and I was pleased to find that I was apparently a natural! I seemed to pick it up very quickly, which gave me some confidence and put my mind at rest a little as my nerves were mounting at the thought at having to actually try it all for real on snow, and be able to ski host for guests within a few weeks. As long as I could stop, snow plough and turn I was happy for the time being!

While in Plymouth I stayed with Sarah’s sister Nikki and her partner Mike and their adorable dog, Max. Mike and I spent a day at one of his favourite beaches called Bantham, which was just beautiful, with some great surf also. I explored the city of Plymouth while finalising my National Insurance number and stocking up on Ski gear.

As the end of November approached I was becoming increasingly more excited about the ski season ahead. But before I could head out to France I wanted to go and explore London. So I sadly left Devon, with emotional goodbyes to all of my new and much beloved friends, and I headed towards the big smoke!