Road Trip to Megeve

My London friend Lucrecia spends about 6 weeks at her vacation home in Megeve (France, near Geneva) in the summer. She invited me to drive with her to Megeve and then stay to see the sights. I had never travelled on the car ferry from Dover to Calais, so this was an adventure. We stopped in the Champagne region for the night. My room in Le Val Moret was spacious with a nice view. We had a fantastic meal (fresh fish) in the hotel restaurant.

We were tempted to visit some neighboring champagne caves but decided to drive straight to Megeve. We bought groceries / printer ink cartridges at the local Carrefour and ate a light meal at the adjacent Cresendo restaurant. We reached "home" in time to see the town a bit and relax on the balcony.

The next day, we went on a long hike. We started a long ascent in an area known as the Calvaire which has a dozen religious buildings of various sizes. We reached a telecabine that took us up to Le Mont D'Arbois. We enjoyed a very nice lunch on the terrace and then started our hike to the Bettex telecabine. The views of Mount Blanc were incredible and the wildflowers were at their prime. Two telecabine rides later we were back at the Calvaire. I got quite a bit of sunburn that day and our legs were sore for three full days. We rewarded ourselves with a fabulous dinner at Le Cintra in town.

The next day it was raining when we went to Annecy Lake. We ate a charcroute lunch under an awning and walked around the pretty town.

The next day, we drove through the Mount Blanc tunnel to Couermayeur in Italy. We had the requisite pasta & pizza and then explored the town. Mount Blanc was very much a presence but we did not think the Italian side was as pretty as the French side. I admired the slate roofs and the loyal dog statue.

The next day we rested, or at least I rested. Lucrecia had to unpack for the summer and get ready for the next series of guests. You can see Mount Blanc from her home and I could watch paragliders on other mountains. Lucrecia's friend Ann arrived early evening and we walked to dinner in the hotel Ferme de Marie. Here the specialty was lamb, in very generous portions.

On my last day, we went to Yvoire on Lac Leman and had the most wonderful perch I have ever tasted. The lake was beautiful and the town was charming. Lucrecia and Ann drove me to the Geneva airport and assisted me through check-in on my maiden voyage on Easy Jet. Then, Lucrecia was off to Arrivals to pick up her next guest.

KCWC Henley Regatta from Phyllis Court Club

I forgot to take a photo of the beautiful Phyllis Court Club House itself. We were just across the river from the Steward's enclosure and had a great view of the races and other boats travelling up and down the Thames. We enjoyed coffee, then lunch, watched the rowing regatta, and later enjoyed a cream tea. Georgetown beat Dartmouth, and my two neighborbood clubs (Putney Town and Mortlake) also were defeated. The American teams did fairly well on this first racing day which also happened to be our Independence Day!

Lords County Cricket - Middlesex vs. Surrey

Kris's work colleague organised an after-work County Cricket outing at the historic Lord's Cricket Ground (near St John's Wood tube station). The object that looks like a propane bullet in the sky is the media centre. It was a stormy evening, and we spent the pre-match huddled under the champagne bar consuming bottles of £55 champagne. The weather cleared and we took our seats. The ground and pitch covers were removed and play began. It shortly began to pour, the game suspended, and the pitch covered. Eventually the rain stopped, an abbreviated game resumed, and Middlesex won. Note: I witnessed not one, but two wickets felled.

KCWC Heale House Garden

Heale House itself, located on the River Avon, is not open to the public. It looked like it was undergoing extensive renovation but this is only a roof repair.

The red bridge is a copy of the Nikko Bridge. It and the 8-tatami tea house were brought back by Louis Greville when he left the Embassy in Tokyo at the end of the 19th century.

We were free to wander the gardens. I especially enjoyed the "tunnel garden" made of apple trees. There were many other beautiful flowers, including pink Musk roses (left).

Hurlingham Club

Our friends Lucrecia and Kamal took us to the Hurlingham Club to see Vijay and Anand Amritraj play tennis. Unfortunately, they were rained out. Kris was happy to at least see them strolling through the dining room while we were eating lunch. We had a nice time walking around the grounds and along the river - it is difficult to fathom that we are within walking distance of the Putney Bridge tube stop!

Royal Ascot 2007

Royal Ascot is a big deal. First there is the trauma of finding the appropriate dress, HAT, jewelry plus the need to wear heels. This is not Houston where we drive somewhere and walk 10 feet. I had to walk to the bus, stand half-way to Ascot on the train, and walk one mile to Ascot Village. And, then reverse the process at the end. Kris conspired with the other men NOT to wear black-tie but to wear a nice suit instead. Here is the final result:


The next order of business is to make sure you see The Queen!


Then you place at least one bet. We bet on Indian Ink (we liked her name) to Win The Coronation Stakes and we parlayed our £5 bet into £65! We wisely stopped there.


Last but not least, you enjoy the music and the free-flowing champagne, lunch, and high tea in your tent.

KCWC Squerryes Court, Hever Castle, and How Green House

This was a very full (and enjoyable) day. We started with a private guided tour of Squerryes Court in Westerham. This home has been "in the family" for a long, long time which gives it a special character. The home interior was beautiful but no interior photos were allowed (for security reasons). We were told to pay special attention to the exterior brickwork. After lunch we proceeded to Hever Castle.

Hever Castle was the childhood home of Mary and Anne Boleyn but restored by William Waldorf Astor. The Head Gardener guided us through the spectacular gardens, and by a man-made lake, a copy of the Trevi fountain, numerous statues, and many other sights.

The highlight for me was tea at How Green House, the home of Maria (KCWC member). How Green House was featured in Country Life magazine in 1910. Her home and garden are beautiful today, although Maria has serious restoration plans in progress.