Our First Guest Blogger!

Good Morning (at least in my current time zone),

In her infinite wisdom, Elizabeth has decided that unlike a ‘traditional’ website, the new gryon.com shall be an interactive and open world to share pictures, memories, and ideas.  Therefore, as a small contribution to the Chalet Martin diaspora, I join you today from Albany, NY as part of a guest blogger series sponsored by Elizabeth and Matt.  For those of you who did not stop by the hostel between August 2007 and May 2009, my name is Patrick Gruber; receptionist, ski technician, tour guide, sommelier, tile maestro, and Elizabeth’s younger brother.

Younger brotherhood is not all it is cracked up to be.  I mean sure; she is smart, funny, artsy (not sporty), and can throw a mean right hook.  But, my quota for modern art museums is around one per year, and I think during our initial 2 month trip through Europe we ended up at around 7 (really one and a half months, but we’ll get to that another time).  Certainly not the worst thing a sibling can drag you to; yet, as we were wandering through a museum of type-face (yes, a museum of font) in Zurich circa 2004, I think we both knew something had to give.  So we spotted a cream brochure for a retreat in the Swiss Alps that offered chocolate and wine tastings with a “feels like home” atmosphere, packed up our bags and hopped on the train.

I am still convinced that the biggest fight we ever had was on the Rue de Villars as we were making our first of many walks from the train station to the hostel.  The shoddy map on the brochure seemed to indicate (to me) that it was the first cut back to the left.  As we all know, that is simply not true.  So, with every ounce of composure I could fake, I followed Elizabeth up the hill to the drive way and promptly swallowed my pride.  As we reached the hostel, the sparse clouds parted and we spotted the Dents du Midi for the first time.  My unfounded anger seemed to fade, and I think we both knew we had made a perfect mistake.  Elizabeth never really left after that fateful day, but who can blame her.

So in the coming weeks and months; I will be sharing some of my memories, nostalgia, tips and tricks, and perhaps even the occasional states-side adventure.  Ideally, my words will help each of you find your voice and courage to share your story about what makes Gryon and the Chalet Martin such a unique part of our collective history and future.  To share your story, leave a comment, sign the guestbook, or contact Elizabeth at info@gryon.com to leave a blog post.

But before we go, if you don’t know me, I am a stats nerd.  The Gryon crowd first realized this when I created a points system and rankings for the winter pool competition.  So, in that spirit, I have devised a quick poll to check in empirically on something that has been distressing me for some time.  (You have to follow the link…I know, I know…I am working on an embed code…but I am new to all this.)

What is the best event in the Gryon-Villars area?

I am penciled in for Christmas.

I hope to see you all there,

Pegasus