We’ve lost count of which day of lockdown we’re on here in our valley and we know that for many of you things might be starting to get a bit tough! So what can we do in these hard times other than watch Netflix and raid our own drinks cupboards…? Here are a few suggestions. And don’t forget to scroll to the end for handy links and essentials services.
Online Exercise Classes
Yes, online exercise classes are fast becoming a thing here in our valley! If you’re finding being stuck at home is making you lose motivation to get up and move around, online classes are perfect. Emily Ruth Yoga (book online HERE), Pilates teacher Georgie Kennington and fitness gurus Buzz Performance are all offering live online classes at the moment. More recently, the lovely Nicole of Strength and Serenity Yoga has started teaching classes online, too, including prenatal yoga, and Mountain Rehab are offering FREE online Pilates classes. All you need to do is book in and connect to enjoy a live fitness class from the comfort of your own home. This is also great news for people who have taken and enjoyed a few classes over here but live elsewhere, now you can tune in from all over the world.
Don’t forget to look out for lots of other local trainers, like Morzine Fitness and Project Performance, posting short workout videos that you can do at home in your own time.
Do some Distance Learning
Now’s your chance to learn the skill you’ve always wanted to learn, or finally learn French! If work’s always left you too busy to put time aside for education, why not use this time for yourself and get learning? Alpine French School are still running classes via Zoom and have lots of distance learning options available, you can find out more here. They’ve also written this useful blog of free language learning tips that you can get stuck into here.
Local French immersive holiday providers F&C Experience have also written this handy blog on how to improve your French during the lockdown period.
And why not take it a bit further and do an online marketing / painting / sewing course? The internet is full of ways to learn, whether you’re just watching a YouTube tutorial or investing in a course to move your career along.
Order In
Enjoy food from some of your favourite restaurants AND support local businesses? We’re in. There’s a handful of local eateries who are still offering take away or delivery services which is ace. Bar le National in Saint Jean d’Aulps is open five days a week for take aways and delivery, and they’re still running their two-for-one pizza deal on Tuesdays!
Bon Appetit are also delivering gourmet frozen meals if you’re in the Samoëns area, while the wonderful Restaurant La Biskatcha in Les Gets is open for take-away and delivery every lunch time, meaning you can can still enjoy a great value, three course plat du jour! Find out more over on their Facebook Page.
If you’re in Morzine Hotel Neige & Roc in the Prodains area is offering up a delicious selection of takeaway pizza, homemade cakes and other tasty delights, and Ô Chalet in Morzine is also offering takeaway burgers Wednesday – Sunday. YUM.
And don’t worry, if you forgot to stock up on booze at the supermarket, you can get some delivered and support local business! Local micro-brewery, Ibex, is offering a delivery service on their tasty craft brews, while Morzine-based wine distributors, The Chef’s Cellar, will deliver you some fine bottles of wine!
The power of the internet is amazing in times like these. Photo: Kari Shea / Unsplash
Continue your Property Hunt
Did you know that if you’re looking for a property in Morzine and the surrounding area, your estate agent is likely still working from home and available to help you out with anything property related? Alpine Property can even take you on a virtual tour of your dream home. Century 21 Call Home, Morzine Immobilier and many more remain available to offer advice and help you start your property search. Furthermore, if you’ve already bought a property and are thinking about decorating, our friends at R&S Interior Collection and Shep&Kyles are still able to work away on projects, despite not being able to visit sites.
Get Stuck in to some Admin
Got some French life admin to do? No worries. You’ve got all the time in the world to get stuck into it. There are lots of people on the end of the phone or an email to help with your French admin and tasks at the moment, like Carrie of Lexico Translations, Alpine French School, First Aide Language and Alpine Admin Solutions.
Arts and crafts. Fun for you, fun for your kids. Photo: Vladimir Proskurovskiy / Unsplash
Keeping it Fun for Kids
Finding it hard being alone all day with your kids? No worries, the internet is also packed with fun stuff for kids to do, that doesn’t just mean plonking them in front of a screen. Joe Wicks AKA The Body coach is doing daily live videos specifically to keep kids moving around and staying active, while a bit closer to home, Alice from MADHouse has uploaded some dance classes for absolutely all ages to Vimeo, and they’re going down a storm. And if your kids are a bit older, make sure you check out Lisa of R&S Chalet Collection’s Facebook Page, LEGO Isolation Challenge, where she sets a scene every day that kids have to make out of LEGO and then share pictures of. Hours of fun.
And of course if your kids still have school work to do, why not organise them a little extra lesson help with a tutor via Skype? There are plenty of local tutors working in the area to choose from.
And if all that fails, you can always start a crafty project. Or start making videos and turn your kids into future YouTube stars.
Do the Nash Pub Quiz from Home!
Thanks to the powers of the internet, Bar le National are still running their weekly Thursday night quiz online AND they’re still open five days a week for take-aways and deliveries, so you can still feel a bit like you’re going for dinner. Follow them on Facebook for updates. Will, who usually runs the Aubergade pub quiz, has taken it online every Monday if you reckon you can do two a week!
Watch Netflix… with your Buddies
Don’t worry everyone, you can still have movie nights with your mates! Google Chrome has just released Netflix Party, an extension which allows you to sync your Netflix stream with multiple people so you can all watch, pause, fast-forward and rewind on the same feed. Genius.
Play Online Games with Friends
Now’s the time to experiment with those games and apps you previously thought were for nerds, because it turns out online gaming is a great way of socialising when you can’t leave the house. And it’s not all just shooting guns and stuff (see how well versed we are in this?), you can play loads of different games with mates, like Cluedo, Chess, Scrabble, and the list goes on.
Now’s the time to start gardening! Photo: Markus Spiske / Unsplash
Write a Quarantine Jobs List
You know the kind of jobs we mean. The jobs that never get done, like cleaning the tops of the kitchen cupboards, unblocking the slightly blocked sink in the bathroom, sorting out the garage, painting the skirting boards (because you bought the paint four years ago but haven’t got round to opening it)… or even some more fun jobs, like waxing all your skis, organising your wardrobe or doing some gardening. All great things to get done at a time when there’s literally nothing else to do.
Take Advantage of More Stuff on the Internet
Podcasts, books, apps, audiobooks… all these resources are residing on the internet and a lot of them are free or very cheap. Apple books often offers free books (or mega cheap ones) that you can download to your phone; you can get stuck into a free trial of a meditation or fitness app; and of course, podcasts are always free, plus there’s one to suit everyone. You can even start listening to Serial while you paint the skirting boards.
We’ve posted a useful link of places that are still open in Les Gets. Photo: V Ducrettet / Les Gets Office de Tourisme
Other Handy Businesses Still Running:
You can find a list of all the shops and services open in Les Gets, as well as loads of other useful information HERE. And you can find the same for Morzine HERE. You can also find out more about closures in Morzine HERE.
Taxi Morzine: if you need urgent transport and are without a car.
Skiidy Gonzalez / Getaway Vans : Again, if you need urgent transport to the Airport, you have a plane ticket and a valid reason to travel.
Delbard Morzine: Is open Tuesday – Friday from 9am- 12pm. You can only pay by card and only five people are allowed in the shop at one time so you may have a little bit of a wait to get in.
Veto Famille Taninges: Is open Monday to Friday from 3:00pm – 6:30pm for urgent appointments and important vaccines only. Please make sure you call or email beforehand to arrange an appointment.
Pharmacies
Pharmacie du Bourg by the Morzine Mairie is still open from Monday – Friday from 8:30am – 12:30pm and 2:30pm – 7:30pm, and Sunday 9:00am – 12:30pm and 3:00pm – 7:00pm. They are also offering a prescription delivery service, and you can call them on: 04 50 79 00 40
La Grande Pharamacie (on Route de la Plagne) is open Monday – Friday from 8:30 – 12:30 and 2:30pm – 7:30pm. You can also arrange deliveries via contact@pharmaciemorzine.com
Pharmacie Avoriaz is open Monday – Friday from 11:00am – 12:30pm and 5:00pm – 6:30pm. They’re available to call on 04 50 74 01 41.
Pharmacie des Gets is open Monday – Friday from 9:00am – 12:15pm and 3:15pm – 6:30pm. And Saturdays from 2:00pm – 5:00pm.
There are still some useful services operating in Morzine. Photo: Oliver Godbold / Morzine Office de Tourisme
Medical centres:
Morzine Medical Centre is offering consultations via Skype or FaceTime for anything urgent, and you can make an appointment by calling +33 4 50 75 99 17 for Morzine and +33 4 50 74 05 42 for Avoriaz.
The Les Gets Medical Centre is open daily and also offering digital consultations. Call +33 4 50 75 80 70 to make an appointment.
If you have symptoms of COVID-19 please make sure you stay at home and call the medical centre for advice.
Supermarkets
Find the full list local food shops, including boulangeries, HERE.
Epicerie Montriond is open every day from 8:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 7:00pm
Carrefour Saint Jean is open Monday – Saturday from 9:00am – 12:00pm and 3:00pm – 7:00pm
Carrefour Morzine is open 8:30am – 12:30pm and 3:00pm – 7:30pm
Carrefour Express in Saint Jean is also open Monday – Friday from 8:00am – 12:30pm and 3:00pm – 6:30pm, and Sunday 8:00am – 12:30pm
*Carrefour Drive and delivery services are still running but are likely to be a bit delayed.
Casino Morzine is open Monday – Saturday from 8:00am – 12:30pm and 3:00pm – 7:30pm
Don’t forget, most local farms are still running, so if you have a farm shop near you you can still shop there and support local producers. Find out where your closest farm shop is, along with their opening hours, HERE.
Info about Les Gets supermarkets is all HERE and further info about Morzine supermarkets HERE.
We hope that’s given you some isolation inspiration. If you live locally and you can provide a product or service to people while being stuck in the house, that’s still legally allowed or completely essential, let us know.
