Rocking Around the Christmas Tree. Merry Christmas
Christmas without family .... not very pleasant for us, so the idea was to bring together a team of expatriates and drink together! Much of our knowledge returning for holidays, canada or europe, but remained a merry band: Sweden, China, France, Spain and Mexico, what spice up dinner! Ah yes, a little precision, there was not one but two Lozérien. WHAT? During our second day in Van, we met Matthew, Lozère, who had just arrived, as we do. We had no choice, we became friends :-)
24 to Friday morning we boarded for 4 hours of road to Kamloops, its mountains, its snow and its industrial zone . The city has little value if it is to be located in the middle of the Okanagan region rather barren in places, which is reminiscent of the mesa! Our little nest nestled in the countryside, in a small community between the lake froze and we packed timber.
3 days vacancy in nature, snowball fights, and especially tasting! What? You thought we were going to celebrate Christmas with marbled cheddar? no ... we know it's wrong! Firstly, cheese .... oh but we have our tricks: a good reblochon $ 30 (yes!) And especially Charlotte's brother who flew in from France with a suitcase loaded! Followed by "a big surprise: a foie gras back plusd'un year ago, waiting quietly in the garage Claus Bjorn, our Swedish friend. Note also the chocolate tree, gift from my boss A beautiful :-) Eve, colorful, games (a little werewolf?), in good bottles, and laughter in the kitchen!
Santa Claus also passes in the wilds of Canada .... a little organization and the establishment of Santa claus secret (what is this thing ? each draws a name and must therefore make a gift to someone in the greatest secrecy!), and presto no one has been forgotten! Admire also the beautiful Christmas tree plastic feels nothing at all but made the decoration.
The next day ... December 25, breakfast on the terrace for us, frozen but happy, at home it was 21h. A great idea. Wake difficult for any of them, too hectic ... Charlotte has received a plastic gun, a real gun foam bed that pulls the toughest!
few crunchy later we went for a hike around the lake ... Ira, will not play on the ice? Our Canadian neighbors have not raised so many questions and train seriously in hockey!
More cliche impossible, the hike was gorgeous: snow, sun, holes in the ice (?) and we wrapped up like a crossing of the far north!
The snowball battles were raging!
We finished our Christmas day with a meal from 7am .... hehehe, a drink Canadian salmon around 17h , through the Swedish herring and ending with the English tortilla pancakes and French midnight! A little bit of taboo, of times up and company to complete all ... a beautiful day. The next day, more fear, the lake was ours, release of an ice rink, skating and hop for each curling for others! (You can click images to see bigger!)
Not far from the cottage was a small ski resort, no time of skis, we feasted on "crazy carpet". A first test on the ski slopes, where we brought out nicely, followed by the development of our own tracks, not sad!
Like every day snow that we finally meet at the restaurant Altitude with hot chocolate, tea and turkey sandwich (oh yes, she was pregnant ...:!) The road back has not been without rest, a thick snow accompanied us all along to turn into rain at 20km from Vancouver ... no comment! :-) We hope you had a good holiday, we, we are delighted with our Christmas Canada!
