It’s been a couple of weeks since we had the Christmas and new year cheer that had everyone in a celebratory mood of spending the holidays with family and friends. Sadly, I’m one of those that didn’t have a great Christmas break, it ended in a blur. It’s actually the first time in my adult life that I haven’t had a jolly Christmas which was not totally my fault but more of the consequences of the poor choices I made in the previous year. I had somehow convinced myself that travelling alone wasn’t worth the hassle and would rather do it with someone which ended up in shambles.
On a brighter note, this year I’m taking no prisoners and I shall be making the most of the four seasons the earth presents, my recent travel serendipity is an attestation. I have had to travel out of town for an appointment I was so upset about but I had scheduled it long in advance and it did quite take a lot of effort to eventually secure one so I was not going diminish my hard work. Also, even though it seemed unexciting for me it could be worth it later, it was very important that this trip was not associated with the intentions surrounding the appointment and it would be extremely unfair to detest a place just because I had associated it with a particular experience. So, I did a quick google search a day to my trip, lo and behold there was another life waiting to be discovered somewhere.
Coordinating the travel was not an easy process as this beautiful Alpine was far from the city. Also, due to COVID-19 and weather conditions, only a few buses were operating on that route, I couldn’t rent a car either as I was nervous about what could happen if there was a snowstorm or any unexpected event. As the universe would have it, after multiple calls to the hotels and transportation companies, I was able to secure a one way bus ticket to the most beautiful Alpine wonderland. The journey was about six hours in total from the city and I had downloaded some movies to watch on the way to keep me company. We had not done an hour journey before I started seeing the mountains, the view was so magical and unbelievable, I immediately put my device away and basked myself in this beauty. I watched and watched until it became dark, while I was on the bus I discovered that I would need to take another bus to the Chateau I had booked which was right where I needed to be. The driver while telling me I would have to wait another hour to get a bus to take me there, he did mention I could stay at the place we were given I could get another hotel. I let him know that I was willing to take my chances, while settle for the second best when I can have the best. He wished me goodluck and we parted ways.
I found a coffee shop very close to the bus station of my next trip, so I decided to get some warmth, it was freezing cold. When the bus finally arrived, the driver mentioned he would be stopping ten minutes from the Chateau and asked if I was willing to proceed, I told him that was fine hoping I would get a taxi using my Uber app. I finally got to my bus stop after an hour long drive, only then I realised that the ski village didn’t have any taxi service. It had now began to snow, so I pulled up the map and it was exactly ten minute walk so I started to walk, the walk was lonely and scary as I couldn’t see anyone else, it was dark and snowing.
I finally arrived at the hotel, all covered in snow looking like a lost puppy, the guest service was very kind to me. Helped me with my jacket, handed me a shawl and gave me a warm drink while I waited to be checked in. They later mentioned they gave me one of the best rooms given the hassle I had been through. At that moment I wasn’t even excited, I was tired and needed to take a warm shower and sleep.
I woke up the following day to the most beautiful view there is, the mountains were initially covered in clouds so there seemed to be different revelations of it. It was a dream and nothing I had been through to get here mattered anymore. I immediately booked my tours and my ski lessons, off I went.
Here comes my travel serendipity – I learned to ski on the most beautiful ski slope, with the most amazing weather and incredible views of the mountain. I had the opportunity of walking on the most amazing lake and experiencing the most impeccable service there is at the Chateau and Ski resort. I met the most friendly people who offered to take my pictures and chat, it was almost like a memo was sent around that I needed to have a great time.
This is how I’ve managed to turn my gruesome experience to an amazing story. Now when I remember this city, I think of all the phenomenal experiences, my initial reason for embarking on the trip will forever be a distant memory. This trip also helped me put my communication skills to use again, a vital skill every solo traveller must possess.
Love and Light 🙂
