Life is better in the mountains was how he tried to lure me in. No, I’m a city girl, at least that’s what I always thought. I love the bustle of the city, the fumes, the packed shops, the overcrowded bars, and coffee shops.
My husband’s Scottish, and has always hankered for a light drizzle, a distant misty peak, and a good peat bog. It’s taken him n….. years to persuade me to venture higher than 50 metres altitude.
An Intro to the ‘high life’
At first we started with a package holiday ski trip to Austria.
Hated it! Cold, wet, hard work, and spent the whole week in a sweaty vest and salopettes (think shiny dungarees with embarrassingly placed braces). Fortunately, I then moved on to the portable duvet and flowerpot hat, much more sofisticated (sic).
The only highlight was the Après-Ski; watching middle-aged people in similar cringe-worthy outfits attempting to dance in ski boots after knocking back a litre of schnapps each!
Slow down, you move too fast
But….. let’s fast forward another trillion years. It pains me to say it, but he was right all along, again. Life is better in the mountains. Everything moves at a different pace.
It’s taken me a while to get used it, but I’m getting there. Can you believe that almost everywhere in France closes for 2 hours at lunchtime?
By the time I get my act together, do a few star jumps, pound away on the pc for an hour and get a brush through my hair, all the shops are shut. They have slightly erratic reopening times too. Last year I stood outside the bank waiting for it to reopen at 2pm, yes even the banks… at 2.30 pm an amused shop assistant came out to tell me that they’re all closed on Mondays. What??
In the real world
Of course, it’s not all a rural idyll. Life’s hard for many people living in mountainous areas. The economy is mainly agriculturally based with additional income from tourism.
Many villages and hamlets are completely isolated in the winter. Internet connection is poor and power blackouts still happen when heavy snow brings the cables down. Children are often bussed for miles to go to school and many villages have no doctor or medical facilities.
Village Life in Thollon
Here in Thollon we’re incredibly lucky. Our village of around 750 permanent residents, although sitting at over 1000 metres, benefits from 2 tiny supermarkets, a doctor, and a vibrant primary school. In the tourist seasons we even have a cinema. You can see more about Thollon here, and read my regular blog on life in this wonderful corner of France, Letters from Thollon
Winter and Summer
In the winter, the snow plough clears the roads daily and the postmen battle their way here through all kinds of weather.
The 16 ski lifts that cover the Mémises, serving 50 km of ski-runs, ensure that in normal times the village buzzes with activity from the end of December till the end of March.
Turn around twice and the village is full of summer visitors. Many are decked out in hiking gear that’s been in the cupboard under the stairs since 1910, or failing that, new fuschia pink ‘should be stretchy’ but ‘already bagging at the knees’ outfits (yes, that’s me) that would give any meandering Marmotte a heart attack.
Life IS better in the Mountains
Of course, I’m super happy that this year, with the ski lifts closed, I don’t have to do the compulsory throwing yourself downhill on two planks of wood with the Scottish fanatic. It means there’s more time to appreciate the incredible scenery, adapt to a different pace of life, and soak up the peace and tranquillity of mountains and lake.
Postscript 2020/21
While it’s all very well writing a light-hearted piece designed to entertain and amuse, I’d like to say that I’m deeply aware of the impact that the pandemic is having on the livelihoods of those reliant on tourism here in the mountains. Like much of the world, things here are very tough for many, many people at the moment. My writing may sound flippant but at its heart is the desire to keep this little corner of the Haute Savoie, France, uppermost in your minds.
Come and explore for yourselves, when we can all travel again easily. You’ll be very welcome
Wonderful light hearted accounts of life. I love your style and humour, it has most definitely given me a much needed feel for life in the mountains whilst I can’t be there.
Great that your have your own website now, Love it, eye catching and well set out!
Hello Jane, thanks so much for your feedback about the new website. It’s all trial and error at the moment so nice to hear that you’re finding your way around it 💙
It’s an incredibly frustrating time, there are so many people who haven’t been able to get back to second homes or even have a short break away over the past few months. I hope this helps to keep the mountains, the lake, and this stunning scenery alive for you until you come back. Fingers crossed that won’t be too long. ✈🏔🛤☃
Thank you so much for your wonderful letters from Thollon. We have really enjoyed reading them during the pandemic. We are missing Thollon very much and your writing is bringing us much pleasure and enjoyment. And some great ideas for when we can next return, whenever that may be! It really is a paradise on earth (we think). It’s great that you have a new website. Thank you and good luck with your new venture.
Thank you for taking the time to leave such lovely comments, Liz. You’re right, Thollon is such a special place, a hidden gem. There’s certainly plenty of inspiration here as there’s so much to see and do. It’s true what they say, nature is definitely the best therapy.😃 Let’s hope you’re back in the very near future.
We absolutely love your ‘letter from Thollon’ and now your own website. Your wonderful photographs and entertaining stories have cheered us up over the winter, especially since Christmas when it has been so cold we haven’t ventured out much. Four years ago we sold our apartment in Thollon after enjoying holidays there for nearly 30 years. It goes without saying that we still miss it for all the reasons you give for enjoying your new life there. Age and the journey from Scotland were the main reasons for selling but it’s nice to imagine being there through your photographs. Thank you so much Lindsay.
Thank you Margaret. I used to be really surprised by all the people I met who said they’d been coming here for 20/30/40 years but now I know why. I’m so lucky to have discovered Thollon and I hope to enjoy it for a while longer. Whatever happens in the future, it’s a place that will always be in our hearts. I’m glad that you still feel a connection and I hope you’ll continue to follow my stories and enjoy the photos. (Let me know if there’s anything you’d like me to rediscover for you)