When I last checked with you we were in La Fouly in a valley just over the border in Switzerland. Now I am very pleased to say that 6 days later we are sitting in a B&B cum hotel in the valley in France where the town of Chamonix is. Yes we have completed the Tour and are very proud of ourselves. We came down off the mountain tops in style by taking the cable car down from Le Brevant mtn (2526m) into the township of Chamonix. And yes if you are wondering we walked the whole way up to the top.For the last 3 days of walking we saw the majesty of Mont Blanc from far and near (at Le Brevant). As it was sunny it was spectacular scenery. In fact,during the whole of our walk(11days) we did not have any rain at all. And this afternoon (4/9) at 7pm it is raining at our B&B.
Anyway back to Switzerland.Day 8 of our walk we traversed through the little villages on the valley floor. Quaint houses - big and small,old and new,and lots of flowers both in the gardens and the window boxes were a delight to see.After a coiuple of little breaks around midday we started the hike up to the town of Champex Lac (1466M). We stayed in a little appt with a mini kitchen ,so we "cooked" up a 3 course meal to avoid the exhorbitant restaurant prices of Switzerland. The 4 of dined on cheese and bread ,packet soup with pasta thru it,salad and a a packet rice with sausages thru it,and lastly ice-cream. As you may have guessed by the town name ,it is built around a lake which we could view from our terrace.Very nice. Next day was once again in Switzerland and the first part of the day saw us going upward to a area called Alp Bovine(1987m) from which we could see mountain views around 180 degrees and down into valleys below. Near a refuge/cafe we ran into 2 black bulls,with big bells around their necks having a "mexican" standoff with horns locked.Then as usual a downward track saw us going down a small village called Trient(1279m) - our last swiss stop. Our hotel did not look much on the outside but once inside was quite modern. A great tasting lasagne was part of the 3 course dinner provided. This vallage also had a pretty pink church which dominated the scene.Of course the next day saw us trek out of the village and upwards to the Col de Balme(2191m). This was the border between Switzerland and France and a refuge/cafe here was manned by a cranky old woman. Solme germans told us their guidebook told them this was a distinctly unfriendly place - never a truer word written. This high point also saw us viewing Mont Blanc again for the first time in days and we would continueto do so until the finish.Majestic sight in the bright sun.Onwards and down to the area of Tre-le-Champ and a little Gite(refuge) in the area. It was manned by a very busy man single handed,and we were spoilt with a lovely french themed dinner.We visited the town down the road here and indulged in the french pastries for afternoon tea.Yummy.The next day was a short one kilometre wise - approx 8km,but tough because of the terrain. After walking up and stopping for lunch at a vantage point we pressed on to the difficult stage. We came to some almost sheer ascents. This part involved a slow up traversing a ladder system of about 10-12 ladders, It was ladder rung by ladder rung up and not looking down until a lesser gradient terrain was reached. Then a slow trek up to a refuge perched on cliffs around 2 mountain lakes - Lac Blanc Refuge (2352m). We arrived about 1.30pm to find hordes of day trippers ,who had hiked or cable cared up from th valley below,eating and drinking.We spent the afternoon,admiring the view,drinking,chatting and walking around the lakes until we could access our dorm area and the showers at 5pm. Everything for thr refuge is helicoptered in and despite that we had a great dinner provided - soup,beef in red wine and pasta and a dessert. Also a light b/fast the next morning. Lights out at 9pm meant an early bed in our mixed dorm - 10 beds. So onto our last hiking day. After b/fast we started as usual going down but only to around 1875m and then up,up and up to Le Brevant(2526m). It was somewhat difficult with another 2 ladders to be climbed at one stage for a steep ascent. It also was a hotter day and so it was very pleasing to reach the top and the point at which the cable car could be accessed. A trip of only about 10mins down by cable car saved us a hot dusty long walk of several hours down to Chamonix. Down in the town we quickly found the tourist info and got the directions to our accommodation. A bus ride of 10-15mins saw us arrive at our wonderful place of rest after our adventure around the Alps.
