1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #392 - Martigny, Switzerland

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #392

- Martigny, Switzerland

 

(When we discovered that we could visit 2 more countries, namely, Switzerland and Italy, from our base in Chamonix, we made immediate enquiries at the train station. First, Martigny in Switzerland - a pleasant 90min train ride via Vallorcine got us there, out of a frigid Chamonix morning with ice on cars overnight. The landscape sceneries were somewhat different along the way. But Martigny as a town was a bit ordinary - perhaps most were still away on holidays. Still, we got into and out of another European country within 4 hours, without a passport check - that's an experience)

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #391 - Montenvers Mer de Glace glacier and ice cave, Chamonix

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #391

- Montenvers Mer de Glace glacier and ice cave, Chamonix 

 

(To get to this Montenvers glacier, we hopped onto a train just behind Chamonix's main station, which then took 20min to get there. On arrival, the glacier looks stunning with its various shades of blue and white. The star attraction here is an ice cave inside the glacier itself, which sounded crazy at first - aren't glaciers supposed to be moving all the time? True enough, the ice cave, which required over 400 steps to get to it, was almost plastic-like until you put your hand on its wall - totally frozen ice, inside the glacier! So, within a year, I have not only trekked over a glacier in Patagonia - click here: Perito Moreno glacier, but also walked inside a glacier. This receding glacier, the largest in France including its tributaries, once again shows how climate change is impacted it, with the years the glacier receded from in 2003 and 2005 shown prominently, as we walked down the steps)

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #390 - Mont Blanc, French Alps

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #390

- Mont Blanc, French Alps 

 

(That's him, Mont Blanc with the round white top - the highest mountain in the Alps and Western Europe, at 4810m high. To think that the Everest Base Camp that I 'conquered' in Sept - click here: Everest Base Camp - is much higher than Mont Blanc still needs a few seconds to digest. The big highlight here is the Step-into-the-Void glass room, with its glass floor - looking straight down into a 1000m drop under your feet, to churn your tummy. Billed as the "highest attraction in Europe", it requires one to wear a pair of thick linen shoes, step right into the void and smile for the resident cameraman. Including the "Pipe Museum", both add to a great morning experience in thin air in this highest part of the Alps)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour #389 - L' Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix Mont Blanc

1001 Places/Experiences to See or Savour After Remission #389

- L' Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix Mont Blanc

 

(This cablecar ride took us right up to this spot 3842m-high called L Aiguille du Midi, from just 1030m at Chamonix village. This is already higher than Jungfraujoch at 3466m, the other Swiss mountain attraction - click here: Jungfraujoch. It was certainly one of the steepest climbs we have experienced - at one point, the cablecar felt like it was smashing straight into the vertical wall of the mountain, with the steep Bossons glacier right beside us. The view from here is spectacular - another reason why mountain views have captivated us this year, esp after our Everest Base Camp trek - click here: Everest trek. The morning sun today bathe so much of the Alps at this height, with the iconic "rocket tower" of L Aiguille du Midi awaiting us, just a few steps away)