After three months of living, working and recreating in the European Alps, I arrived back in Canada yesterday. The place I rented in Chamonix was an 18m2 shoe box. When the fold-out bed was folded out, the apartment became practically non-navigable. And when the one big window was open (it opened inwards on a side-ways hinge), the chances of smashing your head and collapsing on to the bed or floor were about 100%.
Oh, and did I mention that the 18m2 apartment was more expensive then a 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom place in Canmore?? But it worked great even though it was expensive and packed with three wings and a ton of climbing gear. On days off when I didn’t have a climbing partner, I’d make some coffee on the micro-burner in the micro-kitchen, and head off to the Brevent or the Midi for some flying. I didn’t have a car so I biked or took public transport everywhere. After one night back at the Canmore Chalet, I feel lost in all the space. A good reminder that you don’t need a huge shoe-box!
