Chamonix

We decided to stay for a whole 'nother day today and tonight and go walking. We had all bright ideas of getting up early and going off – but of course that didn't really happen. Not that it mattered so much and we are – after all – on holiday.

We planned to get the Brevent cable car up to the first station, Planpraz (1999m) and then walk up to the next cable car station (2525m) and see how that went and then make further plans. We had the worlds most rubbish 'walking' routes map – from the tourist information office (€4) but once we got up to the top (€12 each for a return trip) it was fine – all the routes are well sign posted.

The thing we weren't sure about was exactly how difficult the bits marked on the map as “Dangers” really were. Turns out – at least where we walked – they were rubbish “Dangers” not dangerous at all. Maybe it was a bit narrow or something, but hardly scary stuff!!

Took us about an hour to walk up to the Le Brevent cable car station – it was pretty hard work, 500m up in about 2km of across, with the air a little on the thin side and it was still 26 degrees, despite being so high up (we have a new thermometer – so we now know these things!).

Still, it was a nice walk.

And we saw lots of paragliders.

And the cable car.

And opposite where we were there was Mont Blanc and it's chums.

And yes, I was wearing a really stupid (but free from the Tour Caravan) hat.

Once we got to the second station and had our picnic lunch of baguettes with ham & cheese (what else would it be?) we decided to walk all the way back down to Chamonix. This was really hard on the knees – and Jon was suffering from battered toe syndrome – something so incidental sounding and yet ridiculously painful. I was alright mostly because I didn't bring my walking boots, preferring to bring my Inov8 Flyrocs instead (love those shoes). Marvellous.

We had a stop at about 2000m altitude for a cup of coffee at the retreat (like a cabin thing where you can stay but also they do refreshments and have a toilet and that sort of thing) at Bel-Lachat. Very nice it was too. (You can see it's precarious looking balcony above Jon's head in this photo).

Took us ages to get down to town – nearly 4 hours, but we did lose 1500m in height during that time! Also, it started raining about 1 hour from home – so we got drenched. But, so what? It was still warm, we were still on holiday, and skin is pretty waterproof :) Only down side was that our towels and things were hung up outside the van 'drying'. Not so dry any more!!

Oh, and there were crickets - lots of them - and no, I'm not going to give up being an accountant to become a nature photographer, or any other kind of photographer - I'm just not very good at it :(

Just enjoying a glass of rose wine now – updating the blog words and charging the laptop before we head into town to try and find some internet so I can publish. There is an Irish pub at the end of the road that claims to have free wireless – Jon joked that meant old fashioned radio, I hope it's not that!!!
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And it isn't - currently nursing one beer in "Jekylls Irish Pub" while updating this!! accountant through and through :) Hope everyone is well & enjoying the blog - no idea whether I can keep this up for a whole 7 weeks, but also can't believe that we have been away nearly a week already! Definately getting into the swing of things, and really enjoying it.

My tan is coming along nicely - although we have to alternate driving days because otherwise one arm is definately darker than the other :) These are the only sorts of thing we need to worry about at the moment - and that's brilliant.

Tomorrow we are hoping to go up the Mont Blanc side of the mountains on the cable car, and then we will probably be heading through the Mont Blanc tunnel and into Italy. Who knows what sort of internet we might or might not find there - but all attempts will be made !

One final thing - the only comment I have received so far on the blog is from my sister, Helen, who has to be one of the least frequent internet users I know!! Go Helen I say, and more comments please (or emails) - if only to see that people are reading this and I'm not just blethering away to myself. Although, that would be situation pretty normal, blah, blah, blah ............... OK. I'm stopping now! :)

x

Current Cribbage Score: Jon 1-1 Trish