Chamonix-Mont Blanc

24-07-2016  Chamonix

      
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Sleeping in the mountains is sure a great way to catch some Zzzzs!   We left the windows open and were awakened by birds bringing up the morning sun.   Anne bought breakfast items the day before and threw them together for quite a spread.  Thanks Anne!

Nom nom nom!

We headed straight for the Chamonix cable car after breakfast and were greeted by some amazing weather for a mountain top visit.  This ride was amazing!  We had views of Mont Blanc and all the surrounding mountains.  The car was expensive at 58.50 Euros each, but after the visit, we found that it was most definitely worth it.

At the midway point waiting for the second ride.

Mont Blanc in the background.

All of us standing on the clear window.

Mountaineers making their way across the snow-covered ridges.

On our way down, we stopped at the mid-way cable car change, and decided to hike over to the Mer de Glace.  This is a glacier that is spitting out into the Chamonix-Mont Blanc area and after a 5K or so hike, we saw it.  Wow!  

We hiked down to the glacier and entered an area carved out for a walking path.  This allowed us to see the internal workings of the glacier.  It won’t last forever, so this tunnel is only around for a year or so due to the glaciers’ downhill glide and melt.

Our decent was via a mountain rail back to Chamonix, and as soon as we got there it started raining.  We donned our rain gear and ran a few more errands for the trip tomorrow.   We found little crampon like traction devices for our shoes to buy, as we heard we might need them on the early morning icy patches.  The store had enough for everyone but me, so we will have to find them (hopefully) in another place before the going gets tough.

Dinner was at a local pizza joint with the rain diminishing.  The village was quiet and we took our time eating and planning our early morning departure. Tomorrow’s trek will be a combination of the book’s 1st and 2nd stages.

yup, 4WD!

Paris to Chamonix

23-07-2106  Paris to Chamonix

      
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We finished our day in Paris with a frantic packing of our bags.  More gear was needed at Anne’s parent’s house for the trek, so we headed there for dinner, gear, and a short night’s sleep.  Getting out of Paris was quick and fun in the little Citröen.  The windows were down and we were crammed in the vehicle with 4 large backpacks, plus miscellaneous food from Anne and Thomas’ refrigerator.  

When we arrived at the Cochet residence, it looked much different than the last time that we saw it in 2012.  We had a tour of the construction site in the winter of 2012, and the house was almost finished.  I did not take pictures, since we were short on time and Jean Claude (Anne’s father, the chef) prepared a wonderful dinner of fish, potatoes, vegetables, and two desserts.  He does not speak English, and I do not speak French, so the dinner is always fun with the continuous translation.  

Our couple of hours of sleep went by fast, and we awoke to Anne making eggs and espresso.  We grabbed what we could and hopped in Jean Claude’s van for drive to the train station.  

Early morning train station mayhem.

At the train station, Thomas printed our tickets from the machine and we got on the southbound train to Chamonix.  The ride was quite pleasant, but it seemed that a lady with a baby lied about her seating arrangement, so Thomas had to sit in the area between the cars.  We watched the French countryside go by in a blur since the trains are so fast.

There was a short stop to change trains, so we grabbed some lunch at one of the bakeries.  Once on the train for Chamonix, we whipped up a little sandwich action, French style; Camembert cheese and ham on a wonderful baguette.  Then something funny happened:  when Thomas opened the Camembert, the rind was so stinky that the entire train car knew what we were up to.  The 4 guys behind us were laughing at the smell, and the older woman across from us held a handkerchief to he nose in disgust.  Even though she was French, she decided to change cars.  We just “Out-Frenched” the train!  Go us!

When we arrived in Chamonix we were greeted with giant steep mountains which blew our minds.  The air was cool and I could see glaciers and waterfalls.  I could not believe how different it was, and Paris just a 4 hour train ride away.  We walked over to the hotel, got our keys, and headed out for dinner.

Looking for our hotel in Chamonix

Flowers like this were everywhere.  The river below was flowing super fast.

Me and Anne sporting our new glasses!

Dinner was at a nice restaurant for Katherine’s birthday just a short walk from the hotel.  Of course, we had some tasty French food and took our time, as is the custom.  Thomas and Anne had the staff bring Katherine a fake, large birthday cake with sparklers and had Merengue music blasting, and the entire restaurant clapped for her.  Suffice it to say, Katherine was not amused.

Happy birthday, Day 1