One year wedding anniversary.

We made it. What a year. We celebrated the day with a hike, a relaxing afternoon, and one of the most delicious and plentiful dinners we've ever had in our lives. We decided to dine at this famous, shee-shee restaurant in a neighboring town that's situated on the lake. It was quite ritzy which made us uncomfortable as soon as we were greeted by the Valet, two front door greeters, the hostess, plus the line of men and women who greeted us as we walked to the table. Can we say excessive? As we were looking at the menu, I remarked that mine did not include the prices...how mysterious of them. Darin then tells me that his does. We assumed they give the priced menu to the men and not to the women...tres sexist. This place was crazy...1) we were escorted to the bathroom each time we were in need of relief, 2) they brought over a little table in order to have a place to put my bag (!!!). And the food did not stop arriving at our table. An appetizer, three dishes, and then the selection of French cheeses. Oy. Next...three servings of dessert. A plate of mini desserts which we thought was the pre-dessert, but no. Then we get the pre-dessert. Darin wanted to cry knowing that more was coming our way. THEN they bring over the dessert tray for us to choose as many desserts as we wanted. We were so sick by that time so we each chose the smallest thing we could spot on the tray. C'etait tres bon experience but there was way too much food. Next time I go, if ever, I'm fasting the week before.

Friday night, we stayed in a gite...they're mountain huts where a family lives and maintains during the summer months. You sleep on a mattress and eat a homecooked dinner and breakfast for about 25 Euros. Most sporty folks stay at gites during mid-hike or before they summit Mont Blanc or do crazy things like that. Friday night was my first experience in a gite. We hike up a steep fire trail for about an hour and a half...in the rain...no, we weren't barefoot and it wasn't snowing like those stories your folks used to tell you. We're drenched by the time we arrive and tres stinky. We change into less stinky clothes and relax until it's dinnertime. While we're sitting there eating our salad and vegetarian tartiflette dish (scalloped potatoes drenched in cheese sans little pieces of pork), a group of shee-shee Annecyians drive up to the gite, in their 4x4s, and enter the place donning leather jackets, high heels, makeup...you get the picture. Darin and I are sitting there in shorts, t-shirts, and socks, looking like we just walked up a fire trail in the rain for an hour and a half. I disliked this group as soon as they arrived. The manager of the gite tells us that the manager before him, who left 5 years ago, used to allow shee-shee Annecyians to drive up to the gite and enjoy a nice fondue dinner. We're in hiking shoes and they're in loafers and high heels. This new manager is trying to stop these groups from coming up there, even though it's business for him, and trying to get more hikers. I was so annoyed with them that I wanted to puncture their tires so that they would have to hike down the mountain, in the dark. Darin just wouldn't allow it...party pooper.