Au revoir, Megève and the French Alps

Love how chefs are the rock stars of France. In Megève, the Michelin-star holders in town were given their own flags, like this one of Julien Gatillon, who is chef at Le 1920 within the Mont d'Arbois Resort up the hill from town, in the old Rothchild chalet-turned-5-star-hotel. Have I mentioned that, as well as receiving his first well-earned star over the winter and overseeing the food in the five resort restaurants AND running the VIP food provision for the International Show Jumping that was going on in Megève last week, he's only 28? Oh, and also friendly and approachable – none of this, 'I'm too good to talk to you' stuff. Expect he will go far, as our meal evidenced.

As ever, am racing to catch up with life, but am including a picture of the amuse bouche we had at Le 1920 as yet another teaser. Maybe you'll just have to go yourself and find out how good it is! Or read my 'real' review in easyJet Traveller magazine's November issue...

Favourite things about this visit to the Alps? Aside from the food and the amazing walks we took, on which we saw an eagle and a red squirrel but sadly no marmotts, it is the glaciers. In winter, they're entirely obscured by all the snow on top of them, but in summer you can really see their textures and colors. It's the texture though, that I find so appealing, and I'm not even sure why. They're like broken pieces of candy but, also, like thick crème caramels. Yes, I know they're hard as rocks really, but to look at, you can see other things going on. I need to speak to a glacier expert and find out why some bits of them are blue, some black, some white... The one here is the Bossons glacier just outside of Chamonix.

Tomorrow I leave for Port Townsend, Washington, but I leave you with this final picture of the mountains beyond the trees. I think it might be my fav from this trip.

 Au revoir, Megève! You were amazing.