Our accommodation was just outside the main town of Chamonix in the Les Bossons area. A quieter area only 10-15mins bus ride to town centre. Once there about 4pm we were shown the ropes by our host. Imagine our surprise when shown the small sauna and spa outrside in the garden for our use (at no extra cost) . Also we had free use of the washer and dryer (4 loads later our dirty clothes were clean and dry),use of the kitchen at night,breakfast included and even if the room was a little small for 4 of us the big common area outside was put to good use. Large flat screen TV and wifi also.Our host also has his own decorating business and is a carpenter. You could that he had a hand in all the furnishings and furniture. Lots of little details and decorations. But at this stage on Saturday we couldn't make use of any facilities as we had to get to Les Houches to pick up our left luggage at our first hotel. Priority first - shower and clean clothes. Then off to catch the little train to Les Houches. Once there it was an uphill climb to the hotel (yes up again) to retrieve our bags and back down to the train back. Once all this was done it was back to our "home" for a cuppa and rest. Around 7.30pm (stil light) we wandered down the road for dinner. It was a sightly upmarket hotel/restaurant,but they let us have a table on the terrace .We had a great celebration meal in lovely surroundings on a mild summer night. The next day,Sunday,we went into CHamonix to wander around.It was market day with the streets full of stalls out on the pavements.After a few hours, having eaten and bought something to cook for dinner we went back and spent the afternoon being lazy. The spa especially was warm(great) and soothing to the muscles.The sauna a bit too hot. A little nap was also had whilst it rained lightly outside - the first we had encountered. All too soon it was time to cook dinner,repack our bags and get to bed.
The next morning we awoke to drizzle and cloud ,had another great breakfast from our host and finished packing. A Shuttle bus picked us up at the accommodation for transfer to Geneva airport. We arrived at the airport around noon to catch the 14.50 flight to Pisa.Flight time only 50mins. Then airport shuttle bus to the main train station ,in Pisa.Here we negotiated the self-service ticket machines to get tickets for the 4 of us to La Spezia - north of Pisa and jump off point for the Cinque Terre. We didn't forget to validate the tickets in another machine and got on the right train - even with a last minute platform change. After a 1 hr journey we got off at La Spezia,did the ticket thing again to get to Corniglia - one of the five Cinque Towns ad our home for the next 3 nights. Unfortuneately we had a bit of a wait there and what was there but a Maccas to get an ice-cream. Finally onto the next train and a short 20min ride to Corniglia. Then came the hard part .We missed the bus to get up the hill and so walked up the 370 steps,with our luggage,to the town.It was hot and humid and we were glad to finally reach our accommodation at 7.30pm. Thankfully the landlady was waiting with the key and all was well .The 2 bedroom appt was spacious and overlooked the main street (maybe a lane in our terms) - great for people watching. The Italian adventure had begun.
