I’m continuing my travel reviews from our USA holiday last summer. After spending time exploring the tourist sites in Seattle town centre, we headed east
About 30 miles east from downtown Seattle is Snoqualmie Falls. Famous as the backdrop for the Twin Peaks TV series, the waterfall has had different characters when dad and I visited
Today, I’m continuing my reviews from our holiday in Seattle last summer. Like any large city, the city centre feels busy even though Seattle has amazing views of nature even from the middle of town
However, at times, it’s nice to be able to escape the hurly burly and one of dad’s favourite quiet spots is at the eastern end of East Madison Street. If you’re driving east, turn left onto Lake Washington Boulevard East, where the Washington Park arboretum can be found. As you drive north, the Japanese Gardens will be on your left. There is free parking
A year ago, I got the chance to raise money for charity and also become a parachute jumper like dad. Despite his fear of heights, dad had done a tandem jump on holiday in Cleveland but he couldn’t take me with him on the jump
However, he spotted an advert raising money for Action for Children. They were offering teddy bears the chance to jump off Winchester Cathedral for charity
It started off as a slightly gray day but it was the breeze which was more concerning for us intrepid jumpers. To be fair, the event organiser, Kim used her own teddy for the test jump to make sure it was safe
I just wanted to share a quick tribute to ski hat bear. He would fit over dad’s ski helmet, making it easy for the rest of dad’s ski party to follow him when he was leading the group
Sadly, ski hat bear flew off dad’s helmet somewhere on the Sarenne run in Alpe d’Huez. Despite everyone in the ski group looking for him for the rest of the holiday, he was never found
I like to believe that he was found by a friendly snowcat driver and now spends his evenings looking out of the front of the snowcat cab going up and down pistes
Ski hat bear, you are gone but not forgotten
It’s Patchy Bear and Ski Bear here. We hope you’ve enjoyed our guest reviews from Les Gets in France. Just a few final thoughts about skiing
Skiing is a unique holiday though it’s not to everyone’s taste. However, dad and we love it for its combination of great views, clean mountain air, exercise and seeing new countries
The snow conditions can vary and while skiing in the middle of winter gives the best probability of good snow, it’s no guarantee. For example, this year has seen the best snow at the end of season. The best skiing conditions are straight after a dump of fresh snow. To that end, if you have a fresh dump of snow, get out and ski in it as you never know when the next fresh snow day will come. This especially applies if you love skiing fresh powder off-piste
Similarly, with the sun, you never know when you will next be able to sit outdoors just in your t shirt, surrounded by snow but basking in the sun. So, take advantage when the conditions are sunny Continue reading
Patchy Bear and Ski Bear here. We’re guest reviewing about our recent holiday to Les Gets in France. In this video, see if you can spot the ninja skier (dad) before he emerges
It’s Patchy Bear and Ski Bear here. Today, we see dad on the ski slope. He seems to be doing so well til the end of the video when he gets video-bombed by a much better skier! Hehe
Patchy Bear and Ski Bear here. Today, we’re sharing a funny video from our recent holiday to Les Gets in France. Using a video of dad in the snow park, we’re showing how not to go over a ski jump. The jumper’s weight should be further forward in order to land on your skis. Make sure to have the sound on to hear dad’s cry of ‘arrgh’ as he flies over the jump, ever so slightly out if control! Hehe
Greetings from Ski Bear and Patchy Bear standing in for uncle Teddy on our ski trip to Les Gets on France
Skiing is one of those few times that you can stuff your face with fewer feelings of guilt. With all the exercise on the pistes, you can afford to eat a few calories. To that end, the food in this Savoyard region does have its hearty dishes like tartiflette and raclette, where they give you a whole block of cheese on your table and a heated to melt it onto whole potatoes and cured meats
It’s Ski Bear and Patchy Bear here, standing in for uncle Teddy at the French ski resort of Les Gets
Dad’s sister booked their short ski break to Les Gets. The short transfer time from Geneva made Les Gets ideal for a short break, enabling them to ski for half a day on their day of arrival
Dad’s sister made all the arrangements. Dad’s family love to plan holidays with nothing left to chance. With resources like Google Maps and review websites available, it’s becoming much easier to find out a lot about the places and things that you book. Of course reviews have have to be read with a discerning eye as there are fake ones out there but mostly, they do help
As dad and sis aren’t spring chickens any more, top of their requirement for ski accommodation is proximity to the slopes. Les Gets has few truly ski in ski out places, so sis chose Hotel Regina
Hotel Regina is located centrally with a 50m walk to the main Chavanne ski lift area where a chair lift and bubble gondola depart. An escalator makes it easy to get up from the road level to the lift level. The free bus and petit train service to the Mont Chery ski area also leave from here
Teddy Rambles 