Absinthe and Ancelle

Friday we did some quick exploring in Venelles, we had heard that there was a store, called the Liquoristorie which specializes in revival of traditional drinks, sounds good... turns out they have some very interesting beverages on offer.  One of these is absinthe.  Absinthe is made from herbs, and other botanicals, of which Provence abounds.  Absinthe was a very popular drink in the early 1900s, especially in Paris, too popular, as it was eventually banned in 1915 and all sorts of ills were attributed to it.  The Liquoristorie in Venelles,(http://liquoristerie-provence.fr/ ) was one of the first distillers to bring Absinthe back to France.  Like any good banned product there is a bit of ritual involved in the preparation of the drink.  One pours some Absinthe in a glass, balances a perforated "spoon" on the glass, and then drips ice-cold water on a sugar cube which has been placed on the spoon.  When the water hits the absinthe, much like Pernod and Pastis, the liquid turns cloudy white.  Absinthe tastes initially of anise, but is a very complex mix of anise, fennel, thyme and other botanicals...yummy so we bought some.

They also had some very yummy liquors, this one is melon flavoured, and when mixed with a champagne, or other sparkling wine is perfect for summer on the west terrace...hopefully you can stop by for a drink.

The rest of the kit, our spoon, and the fountain (which we did not get, Christine says that a separatory funnel is just fine, and she has lots...I hope she gives them a good wash first)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe

Saturday took us to Ancelle, about 2hrs drive away for a taste of skiing in the Alps.  Below is the town of Gap, located, you guessed it in a valley a.k.a. gap in the mountains.  Gap is the jumping off point for all things skiing, all vehicles have roof racks loaded with skis or Thules hiding skis within.

Here we are at the ski resort in Ancelle, all geared up and ready to go.  Yup all ski accommodation looks very much the same.  This could be Blue Mountain.

about 1/2 way down our first run, we take a break and a photo op.

The clouds were running mid-mountain that day, making the views of the distant peaks difficult to capture, but making some interesting effects on the lift.

Hey...look up in the sky, its a ... mountain.

Next scheduled ski trip is end of Februrary, we will turn right at Gap and head to Briancon and the Serre-Chevalier ski area!