The Alps, I knew they would be gorgeous, but I was not prepared for their majesty! We were just driving along (8 hour bus ride...) plain non descript scenery on either side, when we went into a tunnel... A magic tunnel, becuase when we came out the other side... Amazing views of the Alps, with every bend in the road the sights got more wonderful. I can't think of anywhere I've been that is as beautiful. Sure Yellowstone is breath-taking too, maybe because I've been there 3 times it has lost some wonder, and Alaska lost some points because of the awful cruise ship my family was on. Oh, the Badlands in South Dakota, now they were amazing when I saw them (hauntingly beautiful in the drizzle). Ok, so I have a list of natural wonders that the Alps most definetly rank near the top (maybe the top, but now I can't decide).
Anyway, I have pictures (which I'll try to load today) and some video from the top of the Aiguille Du Midi, which is one of the tallest peaks in the Alps (some of the group was afraid of heights, they weren't thrilled with the cable car ride). The ride up was a fast 8 minutes to the first terrace, then a few more minutes got us all the way up. The ride was smooth, except when passing the towers that hold the cables running up the mountain. I don't think my words (or my pictures) do the Alps justice... You'll have to go see them for yourself.
The Mer de Glace was also on our itenerary (there were 12 of us who decided not to ski). The glacier is a twenty minute train ride up and a 350 step flight of stairs down just to get to it. Once you get to the glacier you don't just walk up to it, you walk into it! Every year they carve a tunnel into the glacier for visitors to walk through (they have to recarve every year because the glacier moves). You do not know the color blue (bleu since I'm in France) until you have seen a glacier. Seriously amazing colors... Now I have seen glaciers in Alaska and thought, no big deal I've seen them before... But, I hadn't been inside a glacier, that was the kicker. Plus the Alpine valley was amazing even without the glacier. We were rushed because the last train back to Chamonix was at 4:30 and we got to the glacier at 4 o'clock, so we only had a few minutes inside. At 4:15 we were told we had to go back to the station for the train... Think about this for a minute, go back and reread the second sentence of this paragraph, I'll wait.............. Yeah, it says 350 step flight of stairs down, which ultimately means 350 step flight of stairs up... And we only had 15 minutes in which to it, I think it just about did everyone in... There were 2 museums at the Mer de Glace, which because of our time crunch we didn't get to do (or the gift shop)... I'm sure they would've been interesting, but I wasn't in charge of our schedule...
Okay, working in backwards order again, that was Saturday, but we got to Chamonix Friday, so you might be wondering what Friday was like... Let's start with the 4 am get on the bus call... It was early, I mean early... We left the Abbey and drove, and drove, and drove... I thought we were going to drive all the way back to the states (seriously my flight took the same amount of time)... After 8 1/2 hours we finally got to Chamonix. The skiers got kitted out in ski or snowboard gear and headed to the slopes for some lessons. Those of us who didn't fancy breaking bones got to explore the town. I wandered around till I saw a sign for the Musee de Cristal... Now being a rock-hound and lover of natural beauty my interest was piqued, so I followed the signs pointing the way... The museum had stunning crystals from all over the world, with many pulled directly from Mont Blanc (which of course makes sense, since it is right there). The crowning jewel (pun intended) of the collection was the "Cristal de Napoleon", a huge single clear crystal point. I was around four ft in diameter and just as tall (maybe bigger/smaller, I'm bad with guessing size)... The museum was well worth the 4.50euro student ticket, even the 6euro adult price was reasonable. I only wish they allowed photos... After kicking around the museum for an hour I still had 3 hours till we were supposed to meet up for dinner. I spent the time browsing the numerous gift shops and stores in Chamonix. I went into a little grocery store and found popcorn!!! Now, maybe this doesn't sound like a such a big deal, but considering I hadn't found any (not even at the movie theater), I was thrilled. So, popcorn in hand I continued my day, bought a scarf and some postcards, and a pin to add to my collection... Interestingly, the farther from the center of town, the more expensive the souvenirs got... The first store I went into had the pin for 5euro, thinking I could find a better deal elsewhere I held out. Each store I went into got progressively more expensive, with the last store offering the same exact pin for 15euro... Needless to say, I went back to the first shop (which was right by the bus, so it wasn;t like I had to backtrack)... Our Friday dinner was included in the price of the trip. We dined at Le Monchu, which serves traditional fondue... Cheese and meat... I don;t eat cheese or meat... An email had been sent ahead letting the restaurant know that there were vegetarians and a vegan in the group, but I think it didn't translate well... Anyway, after Gabe explained the situation an alternative was provided... Lemme go back, cause even for a non meat eater this was interesting. We started with a salad topped with cheese, ham, and apple slices. Next we were served a baked potato (with no condiments)... Then the fondue came, a pot of melty cheese over a fire and a plate of raw meat... To cook the meat a blazing hot stone was set on the table and you placed the slices on the stone to cook (they were thin, the rock was hot... it didn't take long). I was served a pumpkin soup while everyone else played chef. Dessert was an egg custard, and for me a lemon sorbet. After getting things settled, I was taken care of, and I enjoyed the experience even without cooking up a dead animal at the table (but I digress)... Dinner took two hours, which is not unusual in France (most of Europe for that matter). After dinner, it was back on the bus to our hotel in Annecy. Annecy has been dubbed "The Venice of France", of course it was so late when we arrived that I didn't get to find out why. It is around 1 1/2 hours from Chamonix to Annecy, so we got in at nearly 11... Most everyone went straight to bed, some showered first, and a few found the closest bar... We had breakfast at 9 in the hotel and got on the bus at 10 on Saturday to go back to Chamonix (so we got there around noon), and that is why we were so rushed at the Mer de Glace... Despite the time crunch Chamonix was beautiful and the trip was well worth the money (so future students make sure you sign up)... And despite the long bus ride (with overly loud movies, I have sensitive ears (thank goodness for earplugs)) too.
Photos of the weekend are coming I promise, just have to get on it...
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