Adventures in Alps and Paris

We just got home from skiing about a week ago and I had a blast. I was totally surprised about how big all the ski resorts were. I thought Les Trois Vallee was going to be double the size of Squaw Valley, but it was over fifty times Squaw Valleys. My mom and dad said all the ski resorts were big and the one we went to first was the single biggest of all the ski resorts in the world. I then thought they would all be that big but they weren’t. They were all enormous, at least ten Squaw Valleys. There was one run that could take you half a day to get down. The lifts were definitely the newest technology. They had conveyor belts to take you to where you need to stand to get on the lift. We met up with some of my mom and dads friends who knew the mountain and they showed us around. The views were simply amazing. At one of the resorts we went to my mom said, “This may be the most beautiful place I have ever been.” Of all the things I was looking forward to when we left this was what I wanted to do most.

When we went from place to place, we saw some of the most famous resorts in the world. First we went to Val D’Isre and Tigne, then Chamonix, after that Cormayeur, and finally Zermatt. My favorite place was Val D’Isre and Tigne. I did not like the Trois Valle as much as all the other ones because it was too big, and it would take five years of skiing at that mountain to actually know where most of the lifts were.

Paris was as I expected, a city completely filled with art and historic objects. My grandmother was at hand to maintain the pace relatively fast. My grandma hates the cold and it was below zero the whole time we were there. I did expect to see many of the greatest works of art ever, but I did not expect to see it snow in Paris. I decided who I like enough to be my favorite artist, and it is Van Gogh. Of all the masters of impressionism Van Gogh is at the top of my list of favorites. I like his style. I knew the second I saw the room at the Musee Dorse filled with only Van Gogh’s that he was my favorite artist. You can see him drawing some jagged lines but also smooth straight ones. It is like a fox weaving in and out of forest trees. The background makes the main scene seem more real. Every day scenes can be made into amazing works of art. Simple things can be more than they seem. I saw a painting by him (Van Gogh) that was of a vase full of flowers. The flowers symbolized the cycle of life; some of the flowers were drooping, a few were sticking strait up, some were dead, and others were left as seed.

The Eiffel Tower was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I have never been on something so high in my life except on my dad’s shoulders (he is about 2000 feet tall). From the top, you could see all of Paris and that includes the Arc de Triumph, Napoleon’s (the short dead dude) tomb, and every thing Paris has, so to think that the Eiffel Tower was supposed to be there for only two years. It is a good thing the government did keep it up. My biggest question is why the government would build something as expensive as the Eiffel tower instead of giving it to charity. I was really disappointed because it was so cold you did not want to go outside to take pictures, but I thought I may never have another chance, and if I do get back to the Tower, it won’t be for a long time. So I took a bunch of pictures as fast as I could and rushed back inside.

The coolest part of our trip may have been the last week. We went to 4 different ski resorts in three different countries. In one day we went to and ate in 3 different countries: in France for breakfast we ate a croissant, for lunch we ate pasta in Italy, and for dinner fondue in Switzerland. How is that for cool? At one of the resorts in France (Chamonix I think) we skied on a glacier. We had to hire a guide so we did not fall in a crevice. I was hoping my brother and sister had some bad luck, but unfortunately they did not fall in any crevices. We were all suited up in harnesses just in case we fell in. My favorite country we saw is by far and away Switzerland. Switzerland is clean, everything is brand new, they have good ideas, the coolest technology, and last but not least, the chocolate is delicioso.

You can not find more enjoyable transportation than here in Europe. Not only were we all looking forward to skiing in the Alps but the train ride to the fabulous resorts. When you are on the train you are able to sit back and relax. I think instead of fighting the war bush should use the tax money to make transportation by train like it is here in Europe.

I love it hear in Gaeta. The only place I would rather be is home but I feel like it is sort of home. I am very confused, because first my mom and dad rip me away from my friends in California so we make friends here and they rip us away here. We are all saying we don’t want to leave Gaeta to cruise. Time is going by so fast I can not believe it.