June 18th, 2012 Chamonix and nearby areas. France

 

This photo taken from our room can explain how it all goes.

The top of the closest hill covered in trees is the first stop on the gondola, which is 2317m. You have a choice of just going this far or go onto the next stage. At the top of the trees you change gondolas for the second ride right to the top of Aiguille Du Midi 3842m high. This point is the pointed mountain just right of the trees. So you swing up from the top of the trees over to the pointed mountain. This ride almost goes straight up the rock face. Poor Pete didn't like it at all, but he did it. Just to the right of the pointed peck, the snowy mountain is Mt Blanc. 4807m high. 100ft higher than the top of Mt Cook. It doesn't look as high but it is further in the distance. 

These next four photos were taken of Chamonix township after we arrived yesterday.

Was Ga in Chamonix

How about this for a red poppy. Growing in the garden of the hotel. It would be at lest 6inches wide.


Getting back to our trip up the mountain. When we woke this morning the weather didn't look the best to go up the mountain. The clouds had come in then a bit of sun started to get through so decided to go up anyway at 9.30am. Wrong move by the time we reached the top the cloud moved in fast , just our luck as you will see from the photos. And wouldn't you know it after we got down off the mountain all the clouds went and
turned out a beautiful sunny day. Mt Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps and western Europe.

This is the cable car we went on. They say that they can get 600 people up the mountain every hour. We reckon that they must hold at least 50/60 people at once.

They sure pack them in. PT's hat in the foreground. Couldn't show his face and looking at the floor. He was white.

Photos looks dark as the sun hadn't reached the valley . That's the township down there and we are only half way up.

This is just before the top of the second stage. Town right below, first stage at the green tree bit in the middle. Its a long way down. PT couldn't look. Not very clear as taken through glass of the gondola.

Nearly at the top. At this stage we were going nearly straight up the face of the mountain rock.

Phew, we are now at the top. There are several levels you can climb up higher to several look out platforms. As you can see the clouds had come over.

Do we know these people up in the clouds. PT managed a very false smile. He found it very hard.

One of the platforms for looking out. Note the icicles hanging off the roof. It was 0 deg. up here
.

You can just see some people on the ridge going for a hike. There is a lot of sport up here for those that want it. Rock climbing, tramping, Abseiling or just admiring the view.

A cave I went into. Pete not with me at this stage. Just sitting in a safe place waiting for me to walk round exploring, hanging over the railings taking photos etc.

Looking down on one of the platforms

Looking down over the railing into the steep rock formation. Just as well Pete can't see me.

Just another platform.

After a couple of hours and some hot mushroom soup we made our descend down.Then looked back to see the clouds clearing and the sun appearing.

A town called La Clausz between Chamonix and Lake Annecy. So we weren't far from where we had been a week earlier.

Went back to the hotel to get our breath back and get over our altitude dizzies. We then thought, not going to sit round the hotel for the afternoon so took off in the car to see some of smaller towns in the mountains off the main roads. We were going high up and over mountains, through valleys with small townships and through narrow gorges.Very pretty up in the mountains, lovely countryside

Above and below some townships we went through up in the mountains. At one stage we were driving so high up in the mountains that just a few metres there were patches of snow on the side of the hills. When we looked back the valleys were so far down.

We had a good day. Nice time in Chamonix in this 'flash' hotel and set off tomorrow leaving France for the last time, driving through Switzerland again, into Italy at Lake Maggiore for two nights where we have an Apmnt. We are going to be driving over the Simplonpass down to the lake.