Skiing in the Vosges, Part 2

Day two in the Vosges, and we had planned to get up at 7am and head to the nearby ski area of La Bresse - Hohneck, where there is floodlit morning skiing.  But yesterday was very long, and instead it is nearly 10am when we get to the first car park, and it is full.  Things don't look good as we drive into a second car park and there is no room for a van, we have to fight through traffic to get out again and are directed down the hill... eventually we find a space, but with so many cars here I'm envisaging massive queues for lift passes and the lifts themselves.  In fact though we get up the mountain without difficulty, to find ourselves in a proper ski area with something like seven chairs, some of them proper express lifts.  Once more the skiing is very good, Dan has found his snowboard mojo and a fine time is had... it is strange that there are no Brits here, instead the pistes are packed with French weekenders, many clearly with little idea what they are doing.

La Bresse - Hohneck.

Back into Gérardmer for the evening, we have a little wander around the town, past the lake, checking out restaurants as we go - they all seem pretty full.  We manage to reserve a table for the second service at Le Bistrot de la Perle, and after a beer at the bar next door we sit down to a really excellent meal.  I get the feeling you could stay here for a week, enjoying fine food at a different restaurant every night.  For tonight, the three course set menu is enough for me... feeling a bit more awake than last night too, so we check out the local disco.  Sadly it's a bit of a disappointment, while we hang around until midnight there are only a few people in and the 80s room is roped off.  We later hear some revellers returning to the campervan park in the early hours, so maybe we just got the timing wrong.

Toboggan!

Sunday morning, and we have time to get back to Gérardmer for a morning on the slopes.  Seems a bit small after La Bresse, but still good and surprisingly quiet.  We get lunch up on the mountain, what else in Alsace-Lorraine but Quiche Lorraine all round.  And then it is time to head back to England - two hours or so each at the wheel and we're back at the chunnel, then after some more driving and a train, I am back home by 10.30pm UK time.  Well, that all worked remarkably well... a fine two and a half days of skiing, good company and excellent food, and no messing around with airports or sitting on a coach all night.  In fact, transport and accommodation came to around £120 per person, bargain!

The Lac de Gérardmer

Photos to go with this post can be found here.