Sunburnt in the Swiss Riviera

Alors! it's been an eventful few days.

First up, it was mountain biking in Chamonix. There we were, gung ho expats, willing to give everything a shot. Two mountain bikes were thrust at us, we were bundled into the cable car, and then the ski lift, taking us upto La Tour. From there it was downhill all the way... figuratively speaking of course. By the time we got down to where we started, I was scraped, bruised, shaken and my butt hurt so badly, that I thought I would have to walk for the rest of my life! This was nothing however, for we still had a 6km bike ride to town to return the bikes (also through a dirt track), at the end of which I thought I had a serious shot at the Tour de France!

The experience however was awesome. The views, the air, the sheer thrill of careening down mountain tracks on the bikes, the sense of accomplishment at getting through it all... a repeat experience is definitely warranted.

Next, it was recovering from the sunburn that came with the abovementioned spectacular experience. At about Day 3 after Chamonix, I looked at myself at the mirror and gasped in horror. I looked like Voldemort, the entire surface of my face had dried up and was pulling up into a perpetual facelift. P rushed me to the nearest pharmacy, enduring my hysterics en route. The pharmacist gave me a skin cream and a paternal finger wag... apparently the sun rays in the mountains require extra strength SPF protection. Who wudda thought, born and bred Indian, with a stint in the desert heat of Dubai. Go figure.

After the 50th time of having to answer YES to "Will you still love me if I look like this forever?", P decided it was time to get me out of the house. We got on the train to Montreaux on the last day of the jazz festival. I've got this to say about the place.. "BLEEPING FANTASTIC!" We walked around the waterfront, ambled in and out of the various curio shops, caught a quick ride in one of the boats available to rent. They call it the Swiss Riviera; the views are simply breathtaking. The Rambling Wheels performed in the Park. They have a Beatles meets the Jonas Brothers vibe, more pop than jazz, I thought, but it all sounded good. We closed it all out with beer and the best hot dogs in town.

With eight to (optimistically) ten weeks of summer still to go, I can safely say that I'm having the time of my life!