Wednesday, August 11, 2010

An Interlude And The Most Effective Hangover Cure In The World

Some of you may have noticed that I have not been around much lately, first of all the computer problems rumble on, we have taken the offending PC, (which is only two months old) back to the vendor, they insist that windows seven is compatible and are repairing it.....?  We will see, we want to buy a Mac but we have tons of software, which will not be compatible with a Mac we will have to replace everything at great expense, anyway it is under review.

  In the meantime we are sharing the laptop, which is challenging as we both need the computer to work, as a result my blog has suffered, I have been going through withdrawal symptoms and can only blog when MG is occupied, dashing on when he is in the shower, or has nipped out for wine, at the moment I think he is cooking Spaghetti Carbonara so I am finally able to do a post.


 
 The View, From C&G's Chalet


We have also had a brief interlude, we swapped one mountain range for another and went to visit some good friends of ours who have a ski chalet in the French Alps, of course we did not go skiing, in the Summer season the Alps have a short season for outdoor pursuits.  What a fabulous time we had, there were nine adults, one child, one small smooth haired fox terrier and one giant poodle.  We drank an awful lot I think from lunchtime till very late at night there was always a  bottle of wine on the go, I woke up with a hangover every morning.  Claire and Giles were always busy in the kitchen, rustling up wonderful food.

Claire And Giles Working Hard In The Kitchen

There were a bunch of other people there who also own chalets we met them in one of the local bars, what a great group, most of them are very sporty and we are talking extreme!  They are all great skiers who play hard and work hard.  Giles organised a white water rafting trip, for twenty of us, somewhere in between glasses of wine I found myself agreeing to go!  I have never done it before, but my motto in life is try everything once.


Very early in the morning we set off, I was nursing one hell of a hangover, I was  not the only one, we got to base camp where we had to change into full body wet suits, including life jackets and helmets, little wet suit socks and horror of horrors little jelly shoes!  I was starting to get nervous but seeing everyone looking like strange frogman caused much hilarity, we were divided into three boats, when we got into the boats a quick safety lesson (My adrenalin was starting to pump) and off we went, at first I was quite tense but soon started to relax as the guide (a complete nutter) filled us with confidence and made us laugh and when I was splashed with the cold water and we are talking cold (thank God for the wetsuits) an amazing thing happened my hangover started to dissipate.

Our Guide, a complete nutter but loads of fun!

 Claire and I could not stop giggling, we went in tons of times but by that time we felt like seasoned pro's thanks to our wonderful guides confidence building exercises. (the trip lasted for two hours).  the only thing I had not counted on was a brief stop in a beautiful gorge we all scrambled up a steep bank and people started to jump off a high rock six meters to be precise into the gorge in a spot where the water was very deep, what option did I have?  I could not cop out I had to jump....hangover completely cured, (normally I swear by lots of water and a BLT sandwich washed down with a large Bloody Mary, but this was much more effective, a miracle cure!) I floated upriver in extremely cold water, thank God for the wetsuit my uncovered hands were freezing. The only injury sustained, two broken nails.  A great time was had by all and here's the thing, I would do it again.

The next day we trundled back home but the party was not over two friends and one giant poodle followed us, they stopped off In Arles overnight, whilst we continued homeward bound, they were going to join us the next day.

 The Arena, Nimes

 
 Sculpture Of A Bullfighter, Nimes



The Arena, Close Up's

 On route back we stopped of in Nimes for lunch, Nimes is one of my favourite places I love the vibe in Nimes slightly rough round the edges but with a huge amount of character, narrow streets with a mix of run down properties sitting next to imposing done up properties.  Nimes is an old Roman town and has an arena which is used for concerts, events and the odd bullfight.  Nimes had an ancient industry for dying cloth indigo and  is the birthplace of denim which literally means 'Of Nimes'.

It is now very up and coming and they are spending a fortune doing it up, so the traffic system is a bit difficult to negotiate at present.  Some fabulous restaurants are springing up we always stop off at 'Le Cheval Blanc' an excellent winebar with a fine menu it has a wonderful interior with vaulted ceilings and some fabulous artwork hanging on it's walls  and it is situated just opposite the Arena.

Wine Bar, Le Cheval Blanc

I read an article in the Sunday Times about another restaurant called 'Le Lisita' also overlooking the Arena (article here). I will definitely be checking this out, next time we are passing through.

Le Lisita

We returned home safe and sound, managed to get a few jobs done before our friends and their giant poodle arrived, once they arrived, we had more fun and more drinking.  Pepo is the name of our friends giant poodle he is only eleven months old, he is an entire male as is Crusoe, at first they did not get on, in The Alps it was a bit touch and go, lot's of snarling and gnashing of teeth but by the the end of their visit Crusoe and Pepo were the best of friends.






Our friends have now gone, we are slowly getting back to normal, drying out is high on the agenda, until the next time....

12 comments:

  1. Hi Dash - what a fabulous adventure you had & by the sounds of it, a great group of friends to share it with...always a good combination! I think we are driving up through Nimes on our trip to France in a few weeks but probably won't have time to stop to check out your recommendations...maybe on the way back though...we are staying first I think in a place near Vacquieres before a few days near Uzes...not sure how far that is from where you are? Thanks for all the tips - not sure about the one for a hangover though!....best wishes x

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  2. It sounds like a wonderful adventure! And your photos are lovely - I would love to go there for a visit!

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  3. Lovely photos and my husband always says,"a cold swim is brilliant for curing hangovers" xx

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  4. Dear Dash, that looks fantastic! The Actor is always going on about white water rafting but we've never found anywhere to go. I would feel exactly the same as you and be reticent about it but if I was in a group I would be too embarrassed to cop out.

    I normally go for the same hangover cure as you. I have jumped in a few heated swimming pools but never cold water!

    Gorgeous pictures as ever. Did you use Hipstamatic? I've been to Nimes and loved it. I REALLY want to go on holiday now. I think we are going to borrow our friends place in France again... I will let you know xx

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  5. Ah, they do look like the best of friends. I could watch two dogs play all day, and frequently do, come to think of it.

    By the way, I highly recommend a Mac. Just the best things ever!

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  6. Hey Dash
    Sounds like you had a wonderful time.. I wish I lived a bit closer to all those fabulous europeans delights... Nimes looks wonderful.. think i can handle a vacation that way..

    Well laughed about your jump.. I did the same thing as a teenager.. and for the same reasons... didn't break anything but retrieving the swimsuit was an issue..

    Looks like Crusoe had a great time too.. xxx Julie

    OH.. by the way.. I had the same dilemma with buying a mac.. interestingly enough.. I am having all sorts of problems with the mac now... safari crashes.. everything crashes.. the mouse freezes... the list goes on.. and to be quite honest i'm not thrilled with the user interfaces.. but hey maybe that is as I have worked on pc's since.. well.. too long.. haha... good luck with your decision..

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  7. Sounds like a great way to dispel a hangover - but one that I shall pass on, methinks!

    Glad to read that you have had such a great time.

    Re computer - I use open office which is FREE, on the mac. In fact, I have bought no software for the mac other than free download programs.

    *stokes terrified white cat mysteriously - I don't own a white cat, hence the terror and the mystery* You will soon be one of us MAC people....:-)

    Ali x

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  8. What a lovely summer holiday in French Alps. I'm not that sporty and prefer hiking over other more strenuous activities, but now I want to go rafting!

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  9. Cool adventure.

    I came a cross to your blog and I like the article.

    Lols. I think it was all about beer hangover. But if you want to visit and read my site just click my name.
    Thanks

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  10. What a super adventure!
    I've always been too frightened to try white water rafting...I look at the river racing by under my windows when it is in flood in the winter and shudder!

    I'm glad Crusoe made friends...drink and dogfights don't mix!

    Now you tell me that Nimes is getting tarted up...it's almost a pity. I liked its' shabbyness.

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  11. stumbled on your blog ... concerning your hangover cure, yes, cold water, by (i think) restricting the blood vessels) helps with headaches same effect as tylenol or similar anti inflammatory medicine ...thus the 'ice bag' over the head in old movies.

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  12. DHM is an extract from vine tea that has been used to cure hangovers, and recently, its been scientifically supported to reduce hangover symptoms. It’s in Detoxicated, along with other natural ingredients that combat hangovers. Visit the website to learn more! Anti hangover

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