News and Views

From my kids accomplishments, to my heretical perspective of the world

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Chamonix

May 24th, 2013 · 5 Comments

We took a day trip up into the French Alps today to the lovely little town of Chamonix (sha mo nee). From there we took an aerial tram in two stages to the top of a nearby peak, at almost 13,000 feet elevation. It was very cold, with deep snow on the ground. Unfortunately it was also very cloudy and snowing, so we didn’t get to see much of the purportedly beautiful scenery.
Snowy mountain

This picture is about as good as it got.

Dale, I was breathing hard just climbing a couple of flights of stairs, so that brings home the need to acclimate before we set out on the John Muir Trail.

It cost us over $200 to rent a van for the day, but divided 6 ways it was cheaper and more convenient than taking the train. I am the only one who can drive a manual transmission, and automatics are rare in Europe, so I’m the designated driver. That’s Ok by me.

Tomorrow we take a 5 hour ride on the high speed train to the city of Tours, southwest of Paris.

We are eating very well. The reputation of the French for cooking is well deserved, but we are paying between $20 and $30 per meal, except breakfast, which comes in closer to $10. At least we don’t have to add tip or tax on that – it’s all included in the price.

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5 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Donna // May 25, 2013 at 8:19 am

    That happened to us in Hawaii… cloudy rainy day in Waimea Canyon, blocking all the beautiful views.

    Which side of the road to the French drive on? Stick shift AND left side driving would be pretty challenging. Thank goodness those women have you along!

  • 2 Daryl // May 25, 2013 at 8:42 am

    Fortunately they drive on the right side here. But in Australia and New Zealand I drove a medium sized motor home, with the gear shift on the left too. But it wasn’t too hard to adjust. I just kept reminding myself “Drive on the left side of the road. “

  • 3 Don // May 25, 2013 at 10:16 am

    Bet that would be beautiful if there were no clouds.

    I’ve noticed this theme only loads half the page on Chrome. Maybe it’s time to change it.

  • 4 Daryl // May 25, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    It works fine on Chrome on my phone.

  • 5 Don // May 25, 2013 at 7:30 pm

    Yes and on my phone. It’s only when I go to the comments (which is odd) but yours is the only blog it does it on.

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