Saturday, July 23, 2022

To Chamonix

 July 15  Friday

We check out of our hotel.  It has been a comfortable, friendly time and I think we're all a little sad to be leaving.  It is also a realization that our time together is more than half over.  There is also the excitement of going to a new place.  On transfer days, we have our own bus rather than public transportation.  Nick manages to nab good seats for us towards the front of the bus.  We drive along the road towards Aosta but veer off towards France.  

We stop at the town of Courmayeur for a break.  Marta warns us that this is a very upscale town so we probably don't want to buy things here.  We have an hour and 15 minutes to wander around, have a cup of coffee or something.  There is really only one main street.  We poke our noses into several of the bakeries and breath in the deliciousness.  The church is open and we go in.  Someone is practicing the organ which adds life and elegance to the experience of being there.  Then we realize that he is warming up for a funeral service that is about to begin.  We exit through a side door.  











Back in the bus for the final leg to Chamonix.  It's only about an hour and the scenery is, of course, beautiful.  Our rooms aren't ready yet when we get to Chamonix so we take our luggage down to a storage room and have lunch at the hotel restaurant.  By the time we're done with lunch, our rooms are ready so we retrieve our luggage and head to our rooms.  This hotel is more of a nice standard chain hotel.  One thing that is interesting about our room is that on one side of the hall entering our room is a bathroom with a tub/shower and 2 sinks.  That's it.  On the other side of the hall is a small room with just the commode.  That's it.  No sink or way to wash your hands without going across the hall and hopefully, no one is in there taking a shower.  Almost a Japanese thing but missed the part about using the commode tank as a sink. 

Now it's time to get oriented in our new spot.  We have a local guide to tell us about the history of her town.  Our hotel is next to the train station which is on one edge of town. The town is long and narrow to fit into the valley.  Across from us is a nice shady park with a small hill which is a moraine from an earlier glacier.  The town really started its boom in the mid 1800's when British adventure clubs discovered it and came to explore and climb the mountains.  Mont Blanc towers over the town and is the highest peak in the Alps.  It is amazing to see pictures of those early mountaineers and their equipment.  In the 1800s when more tourists were coming, more people were getting lost in the mountains.  The locals formed a mountain guide system and required that people attempting the summits take a local guide with them.  We visited their office where they have a topographical model of the valley.  The main street is lined with restaurants and souvenir shops.  Many of the old hotels have been turned into condominiums now.  There are a few that are being restored.  











Of course there is a river that runs through the town.  When crossing one of the many bridges, the temperature drops about 10 degrees from the proximity of the cold water rushing past.  As is so common in European cities, there are flower boxes everywhere filled with bright spots of cheer.   












On each side of the town there are cable cars.  One side is up to the 3,842 m (12,605 ft)  Auguille du Midi, which is the closest I'm ever getting to the summit of Mont Blanc. This is the highest cable car in Europe. The other side is to the summit of Le Brévent at a mere 2525 m.  We will be exploring both of these in the coming days.  

We will be eating dinner in a different local restaurant each of the 3 nights here, still with a set menu to choose from.  We are seated back in the back of the restaurant tonight which was a bit disappointing as there are so many outdoor restaurants with beautiful views.  But, the food and company are good.  Suki comes up with alliteration names for all of us.  She gives herself Sexy Suki.  Hmmmmm.  I'm Gregarious Ginger.  Naughty Nick.  He doesn't like that one much.  But he has been joking with people quite a lot. Should have been Knowledgeable Nick Our guide is Marvelous Mamacita Marta.  I don't think the names will really stick.  

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