Thursday, July 13, 2023
Chamonix, France
We awoke in our Chalet in Chamonix, France, and looked out the window. There, above us, was the massive mountain range of Mont Blanc, the tallest mountain in Western Europe.
Today was a bit cloudy and we were ready for rainy-day contingencies. We rode the bus to downtown Chamonix and made our way to the next recommended cafe. This was “Shouka”, which sounds a little like chocolate. This is a fitting name because they make their own chocolate. Close to the counter, there was a facet. But instead of water pouring out, hot, melted chocolate flowed in a never-ending steam. The walls were covered with chocolate bars and coffee gear and cups.
The faucet of chocolate...
We sat outside in the cool morning air and enjoyed our hot beverages… we had our chocolate cake and ate it too.
Then, as we were walking, it started to rain. I activated light-weight Poncho mode, while Alina and Jonas chose less goofy options.
Since rain and clouds blocked any cable car experiences we could have, we opted for something suited to the drizzly weather. We made a long walk to, “Chemin de Fer du Montenvers”, which is a train that takes you to a glacier.
Since we had a the Mont Blanc multi-pass, taking excursions covered in the pass would justify the cost if we could maximize our experiences.
We rode the train uphill for 20-30 minutes, got off, and made our way to a cable car that would lower us into a large ravine were the glacier was found. We defended to about half the distance, but to get to the glacier, we had to descend on metal stars. Over 800 stair steps.
The glacier is called, “Mer de Glace”, and when they had first constructed the cable car, it was able to transport people to glacier, without any extra steps. But, over time, the glacier melted and descended further and further down into the ravine. So, the French extended the stairs further and further down. You can see signs marking the years that the glacier had been higher up the ravine. Now you had to walk down, down, down to reach it.
As we neared the Glacier, we noticed it was covered with dirt from erosion over time. What made this experience unique, was they drilled a hole into the glacier so people could walk inside!
So, we walked into the glacier. The ice tunnel made the experience cold and wet! We were able to touch it. The light made the ice shine in an amazing blue color. Exhibit posters on the walls educated visitors on the science and history of glaciers. They have to excavate new caves next to the old one, as the glacier moves 15 meters per year.
Inside the cave-like tunnel, they carved out different rooms— one with an ice sofa, another with an ice fireplace, and another spot was an ice bar. There’s even a throne room with two ice thrones.
After an amazing experience, we started our ascend up the ever-extending staircase. By that point, Jonas was voicing his emotions, so it was time for a quick picnic with… you guessed it, sandwiches on the staircase.
Refueling made the last stretch up the staircases a little easier. We noted the signs showing the year and glacier level.
After we got to the top, we took the cable car back to the train station and rode the train down the mountain.
Back in Chamonix, the weather was starting to clear up, revealing a bright blue sky between white fluffy clouds. We decided to take advantage of the pass and got on the train to Argentiere, a village up the valley. We got out, refilled our water bottles at a fountain, and walked across town to the cable car.
The car took us up the step Western slope of the valley to Plan Joran, a mountain destination used for skiing, but in our case, a quick hike. The conductor recommended a 10 minute hike to get a view of the valley, so we headed North.
We walked the trail until we came along a wide ridge overlooking the valley.
We went back to the cable car and rode it back down to Argentiere, where we waited for a bus to take us back to Chamonix.
After a tiring day, we walked downtown, shopped, and went back to our Chalet.
We made a dinner of sausages, chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, hash browns, cucumber, and bread.
We would need our strength for our biggest day in France…
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