Chamonix

Sunday 7 July

Today was one of those memorable "highlight of the trip" days!


Mont Blanc and Bossons Glacier from Chamonix

We woke to brilliant sunshine and from my window, looking towards Le Brevent mountain area I could see the cable cars already in action, taking hikers to the high ski slopes - grassy meadows at this time of year.  The sky was full of paragliders - what a sight!

View of the Brevent from my hotel window - chairlift up and leap off the top!
 

Maree and Mel were not keen on the cable car ride to Aiguille du Midi (3842metres) and I must admit it is pretty scary and the effects of the altitude can be rather unpleasant.

The cable car goes to the top of the Aiguille du Midi - an almost vertical rise.

However there are many other excursions from Chamonix and we opted for the little red rack rail train which chugs up the mountains to Le Montenvers (1913metres) at the edge of the glacier called La Mer de Glace, one of Europe's largest. The train began operating in 1908 - steam power back then. After breakfast in town we walked to the station and it was all aboard the little red train.  The journey up takes 20 minutes, at first through the forest and then the views open out spectacularly with Chamonix directly below and mountains as far as the eye can see.

Le Montenvers Station

 La Mer de Glace and the surrounding scenery is quite simply breathtaking, with high peaks towering over the wide river of ice which swoops down below the Montenvers station and hotel.  The peaks are aiguilles (needles) so they seem to pierce the sky with jagged majesty (easy to get carried away here!).  The highest is 4205 metres - almost as high as Mont Blanc. Around Montenvers the slopes are covered in a carpet of green and a profusion of pretty wildflowers.  Across the valley there are huge waterfalls carrying the melting snow to the valley floor. The trees are fully of birds chirping and singing. Talk about idyllic!

La Mer de Glace and the Grands Jorasses (4205m)

Many of the passengers on the train disappeared along the hiking trails that criss-cross the slopes.  A beautiful walk would be the path that leads back down to Chamonix through the forest.  One could spend weeks here exploring the trails and in the summer the area caters to a huge range of outdoor activities.

Maree on the trail with Montenvers Hotel and Aiguille Verte (4122m)

We walked a little way along one of the trails which are quite rough and unobtrusive but well sign-posted.  The Glacorium is fascinating and gives a history of La Mer de Glace and a lot of information about glaciers in general with multimedia displays. It is interesting to learn that the glacier is currently at the same level as it was in the Middle Ages ( 7 km long and 200 metres deep) and that the effects of global warming on the ice flow  have been occurring in cycles for thousands of years.  The hotel is a sturdy looking stone building which dates from 1880 and is very rustic inside.  From the restaurant terrace there are stupendous views and we noticed that a wedding reception was to be held there later in the day. Hard to beat!

La Mer de Glace from above the station.

 



After a couple of pleasant hours of strolling about, sitting in the sun and sipping coffee on a terrace overlooking the glacier, we caught the train back down to Chamonix.  This time I was lucky to get a window seat and Maree was lucky to be able to sit as far as possible from the sight of the steep drop to the valley below and enjoy the cool forest views.

 Looking down on Chamonix from the train

Next stop was a restaurant and a late lunch sitting outdoors with a view over the town to Mt Blanc. Many of the restaurants serve traditional Savoyard dishes such as tartiflette and raclette using reblochon cheese (I wish we could get it in Australia!) and local wines such as Creppy," a nice fresh vin blanc with a hint of almond "(I am quoting the waiter, haha).

 Beautiful Chamonix and icy River Arve

 

A spot of shopping was next on the agenda for today and one is certainly spoilt for choice in Chamonix - if you are in the market for sporting gear or pretty souvenirs that is.  Of course there are the usual high end shops - it is after all a premier ski resort - nevertheless it is very pleasant to stroll through the streets and take in the sights.  Later in the evening we ventured to the other end of town where the shops give way to holiday apartments and homes with beautiful gardens.  The mountains still have quite a lot of snow but judging by the huge volume of water flowing in the river Arve which roars through the town, it is melting rapidly. We were in bed before sundown tonight - sensory overload taking its toll!