Croissants and Crampons: A relaxing weekend chez les Chamossets

This weekend I was lucky enough to be welcomed by the Chamossets (Marie-Anne, Hervé and their son Roch) at their home in St. Gervais, a 15 minute train ride from Cluses. I was thoroughly spoiled during my visit; French wine, a wonderful dinner of fondue, and the opportunity to meet some very interesting and lovely people! The Chamosset nest is a beautiful space for relaxing, being creative, and simply enjoying the company of others, and with snow falling lazily outside for the entire weekend, there was no better place to be than inside by the fire. Both Marie Anne and Hervé are artists, so I also got to spend some time doodling to my hearts content with an amazing array of pencil crayons, inks, watercolours and markers.

After feasting on fondue Saturday night, we did wander out for a walk in the ever-snowy Contamines (a little bit further up in the mountains) on Sunday. A beautiful park designed for enjoying the outdoors (walking, cross-country skiing, dog sledding), it was magical with a fresh coat of powder and relatively mild winter temperatures. At the end of the park we stumbled across a small Catholic chapel, Notre-Dame de la Gorge, a small church resplendent among the natural beauty of the forest. The chapel was originally built for the spiritual reflection of travelers passing through the valley to and from Italy, and became a central part of the community over the years. It still remains open to the public, as hikers and skiers alike stopped in during our visit to pay their respects, or simply enjoy the ornate Baroque-style architecture of the chapel.