French Alps Adventure

Well my research that led me to Chamonix led to excellent results.  As I've said many times, my luck in traveling is the best.  So when I was told it might be too cloudy to see the mountains I told each person that it would be beautiful sunny weather...and indeed it was.

 Arriving late afternoon I was exhausted but my desire to explore had me checking into the hotel and heading out immediately, camera in hand.

The train trip, 3 hours, seemed to pass quickly, it was foggy part of the way so I didn't see all the mountains on the way there.  I arrived at Geneve central station (as it is spelled locally), and easily found the train I was connecting to, taking me to the airport where I would get my transfer to Chamonix, a 90 minute drive.  

I sat in the front of the shuttle van, to avoid motion sickness and had a very nice chat with the driver, a Romanian who left a career in banking in romania to live in this beautiful resort town and snowboard every chance he gets.  The town reminded me of our mountain towns.  This man was very interesting to chat with, he told me some about Romania, and even more about energy work and crystals. I do love these chance meetings along my way.

I was a bit worried about the hotel, it was a Mercure, and I'd had a horrible experience at the Mercure in Paris.  I told the reception lady that when I checked in and she very kindly upgraded my room, and it was lovely!  And what a view!  And newly remodeled, perfect.  Worlds above the very terrible hotel in Paris.

I dropped off my luggage and headed out and wandered...and wandered.  I walked much further than I'd planned and eventually found the restaurant that my driver had recommended.  It was dark out by then, and I just trusted someone there could direct me back to my hotel.  It was warm and inviting and a wonderful place to relax after another long day.  

I was disappointed to find out that I couldn't have the fondue, that is only for two people.  The owner assured me that the specialty they offered, bread covered with a wine cheese sauce was even better.  Grudgingly I ordered that and it was divine!  Very filling and extremely unhealthy, but so French, or Alp-sy or something...Fitting for the cold rainy night.  I asked directions to my hotel, which was much closer than I'd thought, packed up my camera well, and headed out for the wet walk back.  Exhausted, and thrilled to be in a nice quiet room, I fell asleep quite early.  I still wasn't on the right time.  I woke up most of the night and didn't mind looking out as the rain turned to snow, coating everything in glistening white.

The room was so hot I finally opened up my balcony door, and from my bed I could watch the snow fall all night.  Finally I fell asleep quite well in the cold and knew that I would wake up to a winter wonderland, and indeed I did!

The sky was blue, the magnificent mountains white.  All of that with snow covered trees, made for views of the French alps I had expected.  The mountains around that valley are massive, and I continue to hold the opinion that the Alps are the most beautiful place I've seen in the world!  

A full day there, time to get started.  I headed out to walk to the Aguille d'Midi cable car, very famous and spectacular.  The new man at the hotel gave me directions and said it was a 7 minute walk...well after 30 minutes, uphill, on a main mountain road where construction was forcing me to actually walk in the road, I turned around.  I got to a realtor business and kindly asked them to call a taxi.  The cost was exorbitant, but that was the only choice at that point.  I arrived at the cable car and the line wasn't too long.  There were two choices, to go to the first stop, or all the way to the top which I estimated at close to 12,000 feet.  I decided that the first stop would be enough for me, and I don't regret that decision at all.  It was magnificent from where I stopped, my photos are breathtaking!  Apparently Chamonix is known for extreme sports and I would say, for me, that cable car ride was indeed an extreme sport!  Brave me wandered and then talked to a girl there alone.  She was from Australia and was going to paraglide down, a 20-40 minute experience depending on weather.  Extreme indeed...perhaps on my next trip!  :-)

I walked back to the hotel, asked directions and got a much better route and enjoyed the leisurely stroll through town to my hotel.  The town was bustling, even though it is between seasons, summer is over, ski season has not yet begun.  I had also researched other places to see in the alps.  The train to switzerland is closed for repairs, so I decided to venture out of town...felt brave again, and took the train to Argentierre and then a bus to Vannocine.  Perhaps my spelling is not correct, but both villages were quiet, nothing to do and little to see.  By this time, in the late afternoon, it was dark and cloudy, and I was a bit nervous in the bus on the icy mountain roads.  I got off in the second town with a 40 minute wait until the return bus.  I'd imagined wandering and photographing.  Well, the station where is been dropped off was far from anything and I took a few photos and then sat on a wet bench for most of the time waiting for the return bus.  Not a great plan, but I had seen more of the French alps.  And i was not alone, a darling little cat was following me and meowing.  I'd petted him a couple of times and decided not to go on the main road because he might get hit by a car.  So I sat on the bench, he hopped up and snuggled into my lap purring.  And there I was, in a very deserted location in the French Alps, cold and dark outside,  with a kitty snuggled up on my lap.  I guess there are worse ways to spend a half hour!  

Shortly before the bus was due to arrive some young men came up, with one of those beautiful white golden retrievers I want to take home someday.  The cat left...and the journey to return to chamonix began shortly.  The morning had been the highlight, but the afternoon was at least a different experience.  I chatted with a nice young man whose father as a ski instructor in another town, he said he had had enough skiing for the rest of his life, give him beaches and swimming and sailing!  Lovely young man, on his way to Chamonix to party with friend's, he told me like 'Saturday Night Fever'.  Cute.

I returned hungry so walked around town and decided on a place at had been packed at lunch.  I had a tarfeletta, well probably the spelling isn't right, another cheesy casserole dish, this one with potatoes and bacon.  The bacon here is not like our bacon, it is more similar to what is known as Canadian bacon to us.  Absolutely delicious.

(a note...I am writing this on the train from Paris to Amsterdam and we just stopped in the middle of nowhere...apparently a train ahead of us broke down so we will be sitting here at least an hour waiting...not how I would like to spend the time, but how glad I am that my flight isn't leaving until tomorrow morning, I try not to plan close deadlines, this is the perfect example of why not!  We are almost to Brussels, oh I was wishing I'd had time to plan a quick visit to Bruges. Then we go to Rotterdam and finally Amsterdam.  I'd hoped to shop for cheese there but now the store I hoped to visit will be closed.  Oh well, next visit.  It is so interesting here, when announcements are made, English is the third language announcements are given in, so everyone was gasping before I knew what had happened.  I guess this could be worse, at least we are not on the broken train and not out in the cold dark weather.  And so we wait...)

Back to Chamonix...I slept for a few hours and then spent another night waking up often and not sleeping much.  At least I was able to watch the snow fall thanks to the light outside my balcony.  The weather was so nice when I was there, just as I'd predicted, sunny and beautiful in the day, new snow falling at night to wake up to.  

The next morning I was picked up by the transfer service for my ride back to Geneva.  I planned a lot of time, so arrived with over two hours before my train left.  The shuttle dropped me at the airport, time to get another of the delicious Swiss chocolate tarts I'd had on the way there.  The airport is in France and switzerland, an interesting thing.  Then I got the train to the city center.

 I had time to see a few sights, so thought about putting my luggage in storage but then had another idea.  I went outside and got a taxi.  The driver only spoke French and swiss, but successfully I managed to ask how much it would cost for a 30 minute tour of lake Geneva and the old town.  

I actually have fun with the challenge of communicating in other languages.  How to say 30 minutes?  Well I took French about 50 years ago so I remember how to count to ten, sort of...so I 'parle-d' what I thought was 10...10 et 10 et 10 and pointed to my watch and said minutes, got it...Trente minutes...now lac lemon (geneva) easy, I'd read that name and now old town, a bit harder...I showed my hand low and said young then to me and said old, he laughed and got it...40 euros and he put my luggage in his very nice car and we were off on the short tour...so glad I did it, it is a city, but with some nice buildings, old and charming.  40 minutes went quickly, chatting and laughing, and soon I was back at the station, ready to head to Paris on the 3 hour train ride.  Time for a stop at the toilette...a dollar to go in!  Then all was well as I walked to the platform the train was leaving from...until I got there and there were signs and arrows because of construction, signs that led out of the station, around the block, into another entrance, down long corridors and finally to the train just in time!  Always, always, head to trains quite early, surprises may be there that can't be anticipated!  

(my train is now moving, backward to Lille, where we will take a different route, still expected to be an hour late to our destinations...problem solved.)

The ride to paris...Cows, cows and more cows...sheep and even two donkeys...Meadows, rolling hills, mountains, rocks and dense trees, small country homes and stately homes, old and new...all of this makes up the countryside scenery on my journey from Paris to Geneve and back.  The pleasure of train travel in Europe, at least on this clear day.  Paris bound...

(current train stopped again...rain on the windows, no announcement as to what is happening now...uh oh, everything shut off...can't be a good thing...10 minutes passed and we are reversing directions again!  Now headed back to Brussels, to arrive an hour and 15 minutes late, fingers crossed the rest of the trip proceeds without delay!...wait...we are stopped again, perhaps I'm correct in assuming we don't know what is going on!...moving now, but to be honest I'm so confused, I'm not sure which direction we are headed, but no announcement so I will assume still towards Brussels...). More to follow...