Hiking at Mont Mussy

Spring has spring, and what says springtime and childhood more than kites? With the regular winds in the Geneva area, we thought it would be a great idea to get Sam a kite. He also thought it was a great idea, and was keen to head out to the fields surrounding Collex to try it out with Aaron. He was a natural, and was holding the string within minutes. He still talks about his green kite even though it has been weeks since he has had it out.

Sam and kite

Sam in the pea field

Before we headed to Geneva, many colleagues who had had the pleasure of living in the area shared their favourite little corners with us. One colleague told us about 'the best pies', available from a farm with no electricity on a hill above Divonne-les-bains, France. Thanks to the internet (what did we do before?) we figured out that the pies were likely from the 'Farm at Mont Mussey'. We tried to get this famous pie a few times. The first attempt, we learned you couldn't just buy a pie (what were we thinking!) and that we would need to e

ither order ahead, or better yet, make a reservation and have lunch.

It took us weeks to get a reservation, as the amount of food that can be prepared without electrical appliances is limited, and because it is popular. But we finally managed to book a spot and headed up with friends Julie, Darren and their kids. Mont Mussey has a number of hiking trails, so we decided to work up an appetite prior to wolfin

g down what promised to be delicious grub based on the smell. Unfortunately, we are still learning that a 45 minute hike actually takes over 1 and a half hours with toddlers in tow. It didn't help that there wasn't anything to look at - not a single vista. We didn't make it to the 'end' before we just decided to turn back. We did, however, find some interesting orange slugs on the trail.

On the trail to...nowhere?

Ooooh....slug!

If the hike wasn't impressive, the food made up for it. Delicious homemade homefries, salad with perfectly fried lardons, and of course, the pie! They had apple, strawberry-rhubarbe and blueberry that day. Between us we sampled them all. They were all fabulous, but the apple was the best.

Excited to finally taste the pie

The restaurant also had a great big lawn for the kids to run around on while we ate. They sat us in the 'outbuilding' still under construction (as we had reserved an outdoor table but then it started to rain'. The walls were primed drywall, the floors were bare, there was no finishing anywhere and the furniture was basic. In many ways it made me feel like I was back in the Ottawa Valley at one of my Dad's friends' places eating something delicious cooked over a wood stove. A very pleasant experience. We will definitely go back, although maybe not to hike.

Hiking wasn't enough exercise for Sam - burning off the pie on the lawn of the restaurant