love Stowe. it is a destination for small is fond of winter getaways. Not too far from home, we can go there to spend a few days and enjoy. as two years ago .
I'm in love with Vermont. for many reasons.
The start was made on a beautiful sunny day, but one of the coldest of winter so far. After clearing customs, we got escorted to Jeffersonville by the police (we still do not know if it was to be nice because they believed they had the wrong path or to verify that we were all right place stated). In fact, we just wanted to make a detour to stop at Smugglers' Notch . Johnny went to completely freeze the nose and fingers, while I spent the afternoon at the ski lodge to relax and enjoy the holiday starts. Well installed near a window, I wrote a lot. I composed and finished writing the contents of a lecture that I give that I have in mind for a long time on toys and games made by hand, and the symbol of the doll.
At the close of the resort, we headed to Stowe. In speed it has found a small hotel room, it was done Waxer johnny skis, and drink a beer in the lobby of Spruce Peak where, what a coincidence, the day of our arrival, there were projection premiere of Legend of Aahhh's . Johnny was very happy, but too intimidated to go take a picture with Greg Stomp. It was fun as arriving.
We then returned to the "home". The Innsbruck Inn has a beautiful rustic charm with all the authenticity of a large Swiss chalet. The room was very big and clean, with private entrance on the balcony. Everything was quiet and we ended the evening in the hot tub and sauna, before going to sleep after some reading newspapers on the corner. I would have liked to go skating on their small skating rink, I have abstained because the temperature dipped to around -35 ° C for night. And so, after a bagel in the breakfast room, we had to ask the very nice gentleman from Innsbruck our big boost Your Ride to be restarted.
We did not go very far because, in order to try almost all hotel rooms below $ 100 Stowe (and there is!), We just crossed side at Northern Lights Lodge to "check in". To summarize the experience was not great. The room was small, the heater not work really, the internet does not work in rooms and a loud band has monopolized the pool the hot tub and sauna all night, not to mention the noise in the rooms at night. But hey.
During the day, Johnny went to brave the cold again in the super fine Mount Mansfield. I think he loves the ski resort of Stowe, super modern infrastructure, runways worked, nice staff and the day was beautiful and sunny although it was cold. I went for a walk in the village.
The village of Stowe is beautiful! All along the road to the ski resort, Mountain Road, which winds up high through all the hotels, restaurants and ski shops, a completely free shuttle goes every half hour and led me directly to the village. So I was visiting a few shops, starting with the Variety store at the entrance of the village that combines the souvenirs, toys, candy and vintage clown and a few jokes and catch, very fun to visit. I continued with the Shaw's Genral Store and I spent a very long time in the building of Stowe merchantile to taste samples of various jams, pickles and tapenade, but especially in the bookstore on the ground floor ... The most beautiful sélectuon children's book that I have data show there! Not only is the radius of children's books by authors from Vermont is really given, but each book is wonderful. In the best children's books of quality that I saw. And the book section for kids claissiques contenanit all the best of all Dr. Seuss to the finest editions of Alice in Wonderland and a beautiful edition that I almost bought tales Grims. Before joining Johnny for dinner at Piecasso , I stopped at Stowe Fabric & Yarn because it's a nice little shop full of treasures too.
The next day, after a lunch of typical hotel where the only available fruit raisins are really dry (and where I really had to make soy milk for at least able to eat cereal), we changed hotels to go to Mountaineer we had already tried a few years ago. This hotel is quite nice with a large and beautiful lobby with a large fireplace, pool and sauna. Unfortunately, the large whirlpool bath (which was one reason why we went there) was off that day ... At least the room was nice and clean and we had negotiated a good price well below what they advertise on the net. After depositing our stuff to the room and tried to decide what was the day I decided to take my courage in both hands and go for a trekking cross-country alone as much as Johnny returns alpine skiing.
So Johnny drops me at the end of the morning Trapp Family Lodge , the field of the Von Trapp family who inspired the movie Sound of Music. Since I like this movie and its story, which I read at least two biographies on the true story of this family and the place is beautiful, I really had to go back while I was at Stowe . The ski resort is great over there! This is the first station of the cross-country skiing in North America, they even make artificial snow for the slopes at the entrance and around the forest conditions are really perfect. After putting on my boots, skis, mittens and neck warmers, I looked at the trail map and decided to redo the route we had done the magic last time I go to log cabin in the mountains far go there for dinner. So, rising 6.5 km non-stop, with a goal of good hot soup in the middle of the forest and a rapid return gently back down to the station. It was perfect, she can take the time to mount any single (albeit very demanding), the almost silent to listen to and watch the birds and animal tracks and arrive at the shelter where the two soups were vegetarian (I took that to barley and mushrooms) with a good hot cider around a bonfire!
way back, I went to the bakery of Von Trapp.
I found quite good to have succeeded this expedition and I was very excited when Johnny came pick me up late afternoon for dinner with his father and brother who had joined us there. I think my enthusiasm was contagious as it is returned to the same route the next day!
Yeah, I did 26 km cross-country skiing in 2 days. And after that second ride, it is with a twinge of sadness that I and we realized that Johnny was the end of the holidays and it was time to go home. So the holidays have ended with a ride far too long since we got lost on the way back because of a road closed for the winter where we nearly got stuck.
is always a bit sad after the holidays ...
