JACK OF ALL TRADES

OK - even big boys get upset when they get a splinter.  Jack decided to try to pilfer a piece of wood from the Matterhorn Museum Zermatlantis today as a free souvenir.  

Unfortunately, it kind of stung hidden beneath the first layer of skin on his right hand.  When we got back to Chalet Ulysse, he had to "come clean", with the help of a bucket of soapy water. 

Jack has had quite the week already, seasoned traveler that he is.  Yesterday he raced off to ski school in big sister Sophia's boots (but kept his own skis).  Committed father Rob sacrificed a fairly good ski day with master guide Andres in order to secure new boots for both Sophia and Jack, and then track Jack down in ski school on another part of the mountain.  It was all fairly successful, but the adults didn't see Rob all day on the slopes.

This morning in the confusion created by the windy weather, Jack nearly missed his start time.  Rob and I raced him down to the school and Rob took him downstairs to gear him up.  I took a call from Andres on Rob's phone near the gondola, only to miss Rob and Jack coming back up from the storage room.  Because they were late, they raced off to the drop off spot.  I found out later that Rob got Jack on the bus - but not his boots!  So Rob jumped on the next bus with the boots, but no phone, and I was left upstairs dreading having to tell Kirstin and Suzy that I somehow ended up with Rob's phone and he was disconnected trying to connect Jack with a teacher who was thought to be somewhere Rob would never figure out on his phone!

Alas, it all worked out, and Rob and I even enjoyed a few coffees in the nearby Hotel Berghoff restaurant.  Turned some stress into total relaxation.

But back to Jack.  He got done with ski school today at 3 pm and told his Dad he had no food - only hot chocolate!  Language barrier?  Forgetful instructor?  Too much fun on the slopes?  Couldn't be that - Jack said he didn't even ski!  Well, with the weather that wasn't too surprising, but the no food thing was troubling.

Enter Kirstin.  Straight to the ski school to inquire about the day.  Staff was very nice and responsive, and immediately checked into how the day was spent.  Calls to instructors and dining hall staff led to the discovery that not only did JOAT (Jack of all trades) have one helping of pomes frites and chicken - he actually had two!  and lots of ketchup!  "He was so hungry!"  When confronted with this new information while sharing pizza and a banana float sundae with his Dad at the nearest Zermatt restaurant (Rob raced him there immediately fearing hunger pangs) - JOAT said "oh yeah".  Pretty good stuff.

JOAT (Jack Of All Trades) with his pizza and the toy he was rewarded with for all of his pain and suffering.

thar' she blows...

so we woke up staring at this beauty (and there are at least 8 distinct vantage points from Chalet Ulysse where you can enjoy a view like this on a day like today - we picked the right spot to stay for our week in Zermatt...)

only to realize there may be no skiing today!  High winds lead to lift closures lead to avalanche risks etc etc - and so we've been reconciling the contrast of the beautiful scenery with the dangers present, all leading to "no skiing for us" today... and then we remember we're in Zermatt, Switzerland - so we quickly get over any feelings of self-pity.  One look at the Matterhorn - and it's hard to feel sorry about anything.  Not to mention the luxury of the chalet we chose, the character of this village, and the company we're able to enjoy this week.  How lucky we are!  But here is the map at the gondola that started all of our emotional adjustments....

I don't think you can see this very well, but lot of red X's, in fact red X's on nearly everything.  And the message board on top tells you how fast the wind is blowing - 140 km/hour at the worst location!  So we're going to maximize the day in Zermatt.  It's funny - but I think we kind of felt guilty telling our masterful guide Andres that we weren't going to at least try something on the slopes today!

Romain's Candied Fruitcake!

With our expectations high (based on the cakes that have greeted us after skiing each day so far), we were delighted to find this wonderful creation awaiting us this afternoon.  To a person, no one in our group "likes" fruitcake.  However, Romain de-bunked the myth that fruit cake can't be really, really good.  He and Erica have yet to disappoint.

The cake itself was moist, flavorful, and perfectly, casually balanced on the inside - not overloaded - with candied fruit bits.  No nuts was a good choice for our group.  The cake was perfectly baked with a delicious crust on all sides (probably my favorite part of the cake) and then dusted on top with powdered sugar before being beautifully covered with multi-colored candied fruit bits.

So now our entire 12 person group LOVES FRUITCAKE.  And steak tartare.  And curried scallops.  And duck meat.  It goes on and on - "our Chef" Romain here at Chalet Ulysse can make any dish a true delight.