Chamonix Activity Report: 16th July 2012

My first fall happened in Les Praz just past the golf course, they are repairing the roads there and a man was directing the traffic. He held up his hand for me to stop and waved at the traffic on the other side of the road to continue, I carefully unclipped my right foot before braking... then tried to put my left foot down and crashed to the ground as it was still attached to the pedal. The oncoming lorry did well to swerve around me at the last minute, all the workmen downed tools to see what had happened and the traffic man loomed over me grinning like one of the PG Tips chimps as he asked if I needed any help.

Never mind I thought, lesson learned, that'll teach me to be more careful next time. 15 minutes later I'm pedalling merrily through Argentiere with the sun on my skin and the wind in my hair, my little accident long since forgotten - until the traffic in front of me stopped suddenly and my choices were limited to ride into the back of the car in front or brake and topple over. I went for the tactical topple as I thought it might hurt less than a face full of rear windscreen, I was probably right as all I incurred was a bruised elbow and a scraped knee. My dignity was seriously injured though when the traffic started again and I was left flapping around on the road like a goldfish as I tried to unclip my feet from the pedals, all the cars had to slowly drive around me which gave them all plenty of time to roll down their windows and have a good gawp on the way past.

That was Thursday and I've since been using work and weather as excuses not to get the bike out again even though the weather this weekend was nowhere near as bad as expected; the weather this week is forecast to be lovely though and my next mission is to vanquish the Vaudagne hill and cycle to Lac du Passy for a swim (I've got vague notions of entering a triathlon this summer and need to practice swimming in open water). So, if you see someone out on a bike over the next couple of days looking a bit panicky and wobbling all over the place as they practice the pedal palava, please be patient and give them a bit of space. Me and my fellow beginner bikers would be most grateful!

After all that stress I needed a drink and some emotional support, so I headed off to Le Vert where one of my friend's was having her birthday party. I was still light and summery when we arrived at 7pm so we chilled out on the terrace with a couple of glasses of rosé before we headed inside for dinner. Because we were a big group they had put together a set menu for us; starters were either a ham terrine or stuffed aubergine, I had the aubergine which came with Mediterranean vegetables, crunchy cous-cous topping and a creamy herb sauce; it was really nicely cooked and the favours and textures went really well together, I'd have enjoyed it as a main course if it came with some potatoes or rice. My friend somehow ended up with both starters, he ordered the ham as he claims not to like aubergine (tastes "furry" apparently) but after having eaten both he actually said that they were all really good and that given the choice again he wouldn't know which one he preferred. We then had the choice of either rabbit with tomato and olive couscous, chicken and nut couscous, or vegetable terrine with quinoa and tofu - I went for the veggie option. The veggies were all cooked nicely and the tofu had a really nice smoky flavour, but the quinoa was quite bland and a bit soggy, I think it had been cooked a little too long. It can't be easy cooking for such a large group though and everything else was good, the meat eaters all enjoyed their chicken and rabbit dishes. I may also be biased as it was served with lots of peas, which are my least favourite vegetable. The meal was good value at 15€ per head, with dessert available for an extra charge. Le Vert is popular with groups, I know a few people who have booked it out for private parties and they are closed next Saturday for a wedding function. However, they are open again on Sunday with an 8-piece funk band "Eden Heights" and a special paella night - check out their Facebook page for more info!

If minimal non-commercial house music is more your thing then you'll be pleased to hear that DJ Manu "Moskito" Moskavic is back at South Bar tonight after a quick gallivant round the European festival scene. His Monday night parties were one of the best things about last winter (except for all that snow of course) and he'll be playing tonight and next Monday, so get down to the Sud and see what it's all about - open until 2am, free entry and Happy Hour promos from 9:30-11pm, what else would you be doing with your Monday night?

Keep an eye on our What's On Calendar for all upcoming events in the Chamonix valley.