A snowy day and sad goodbyes

Today it snowed so heavily, we have never seen anything like it in all the 13 years that we have been coming here. The ski lifts and ski runs up the mountains were all closed so there was no skiing, the super efficient snow ploughs could not keep up with clearing the roads, and the snow just kept coming down in big fluffy flakes and did not stop. 

It was a sad day as Bianca and Kevin were leaving today, and their lovely holiday had come to an end. We went outside in the falling snow and did a mini photo shoot which was fun and we got some great photos. We had to get them to the station by lunch time and as the hired car with winter tyres was proving utterly useless in the snow, Gavin got our chains out the store room and put them on the tyres of the hired car, and that made such a difference. Chains were very necessary today!

I have added an extra of the train as it was arriving at the station before Bianca and Kevin boarded it. I am very sure that in similar conditions in the UK the trains would not be running. Here life goes on as normal, people are out and about, buses still manage to adhere to their timetables as do the trains.

Storm Eleanor has been quite something across all of Europe. A skier died when a tree fell on him, people drowned in Spain after being swept away by big waves, and for the first time, Dutch authorities shut all five of its major sea barriers. Even the Eiffel Tower was closed due to strong winds, as were parks due to falling trees. In Switzerland, strong winds blew a train off its tracks and record winds of 195km/h were recorded near Lucerne. Many flights were cancelled. I hope we get home safely tomorrow, as we leave early in the morning.