We bid farewell to Cogne and boarded a very small 22 passenger bus to transfer to Chamonix, France.
Along the way we stopped in Courmayeur, Italy, a fashionable resort, for a short break. There were a few beautiful scenes and a preview of our next mountain adventure.
Soon afterwards we entered the Mont Blanc Tunnel, which is 7.2 miles long. It was completed in 1965 after 8 years of construction. Inside the tunnel is the border between Italy and France.
Prior to entering, our bus went through heat detecting sensors. In 1999 a truck overheated and exploded in the tunnel, killing 18 people and closing it for 3 years.
Exit/entrance of tunnel.
We arrived in Chamonix around noon and had lunch at our hotel, Mercure Chamonix Centre.
Then we went on a walking field trip with our guide Claire. The city has about 9,000 inhabitants but it can swell to 100,000 during peak seasons, particularly July and August. So glad we are beating the crowds.
We walked along lovely little shops and stopped at the Arve River, which is green due to the sediment in the glacial run off.
Besides the river, behind me is Bossons Glacier, one of the larger glaciers in the Mont Blanc massif. It is around 14,000 ft. high and flows down to 1,500 ft. However, it has changed dramatically in the last 30 years, retreating and diminishing in depth.
Chamonix is the birthplace of mountaineering. It wasn’t until the 1700s that people even became interested in going up into the mountains. In 1760 Horace Benedict de Saussure, a wealthy aristocrat, offered a reward to anyone who could reach the summit of Mt. Blanc. It wasn’t until 1786 that two locals, Dr. Michael Piccard, and Jacques Balmont, a crystal seeker, ascended the summit. The following year Balmont, who had collected the reward, guided Saussure up.
Piccard’s role in the effort was initially downplayed and thus the statue in the square depicts Saussure (right) and Balmont. One of Piccard (elsewhere) was not added until 1986.
Claire also took us to the headquarters of the Association of International Guides. She told us about the rigorous training and certification for guides and emphasis on safety.
It started to rain, and as we were headed back to our hotel, I noticed the clever way this restaurant keeps the rain off of its patrons who want to sit outdoors.
We checked into our hotel and were surprised at the quality of our accommodations. My “single” room is a suite with a sitting room, 2 TVs and a queen bed in a separate space. Oh, and there is a little balcony with a view of the glacier.
Tonight we ate dinner at a local restaurant which is noted for its BBQ. Who knew? The meal was duck with a kind of BBQ sauce. Interesting.
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