Adventure at Chamonix Mont-Blanc

Last week (3rd week of March) it was very tiring with lot of work and also the next week was promising to be a lengthy one. Now you will have to agree that I’m really busy. So decided to do some outing in a big way so that I feel bit relaxed. On Saturday finished my lunch early (let me call its as brunch) and wanted to go to Gares (railway station in French). After the hearty meal my legs were not willing to move out of my apartment, they were pulling me to sleep (which I’m blessed with at any time and any place I can sleep, not in meeting I need to admit). I wanted to go out at any cost this weekend so proceeded to Gares.

In the Gares I went and enquired as how we go to Mont-Blanc, in Chamonix. Mont-Blanc is the Alps range which borders Italy, Swiss & France. It’s the highest peak in Europe with lot of glaciers. Chamonix offers excellent option for all those who have some or little adventure spirit in them. Ok let me talk about this place in detail later. Then went to the booking person in Gares and asked him how to reach Mont-Blanc. He said we will have to take a train which is at 8.15am the next day and would reach the place by 1.30 pm after changing 3 trains, and way back he informed us that we have a direct bus. I was happy to hear on the return journey, but wanted to reach early. Asked him to check on the earliest connection. He said there is one at 6.05am leave Grenoble and reach Annecy at 7.41 from there at 7.57 take the second train to St.Gerrais and reach les Bains at 9.35 and at 9.52 take a train to Chamonix at 10.32 hrs. I was very happy to see the schedule. So 3 of us decided to go, and was checking on the fares. The booking clerk told us it could cost 168 Euros. Then I saw there some board on discounts, I asked him what is that about. He told me that there is a Rhone-Alps travel card (that’s the district I’m in France). If you buy that get you get 50% reduction for travel made on weekends and holidays & 25% on weekdays, and it was valid for 3 people including the person who holds this for a period of one year. Oh my God it’s a steal, so we went ahead and bought a ticket including a 40 Euro discount card, which costs us only 124 Euros. Then happily went home after doing some shopping in C&A with big discounts. After reaching home I watched 2 latest Tamil movies. I need to admit that I hardly see movies in India but here I’m totally spoiled, I almost watch 2-3 movies a weekend. There is an Srilankan store who gives us all latest movies in VCD @ 1.5 Euros per movie. This is a nice time pass. The next day we were supposed to take a train at 6am, before that I should get my photo fixed on the ID provided to me on the discount card.

On Sunday I left early, leaving behind the other two to come join me at 5.50. I went there early to the railway station to get my id fixed with photo. When I went to the tram stop I discovered that on Sundays we have the first one at 5.50 am to reach Gares. So rushed back to the apartment and made a call to a taxi and we all 3 left together. Then happily we got into the train at the right time and was eagerly awaiting to get down at Annacy (remember this train is going to Geneva in Swiss). From there we will have to take another train and reach St.Gerrais and then by another train to reach Chamonix. We were like waiting for our stop to arrive, and did not come till 7.55. We were passing a very big lake and it was very beautiful and the train had to pass thru a lot of tunnels. It was really a sight worth watching. But we were like little worried as the train was traveling without any stop. And the train was approaching a station I quickly went the map in the train and checked what the destination we were approaching the station. To my shock it was the station before the final destination. I was little worried as the final station was a different county (swiss), which is not in Schengen states, and to top all this I was not carrying my passport. There are a very high chances that we would be deported if we reach Geneva in Swiss and we will be in deep trouble. So decided to hop off at this station. Good we did that; otherwise we would have invited serious trouble, that doesn’t mean that we did not have any now after getting down here. There was a lot in store when we got down here. This place is a remote station in the border of France & Swiss, on the France side. When we got down and enquired with the ticket inspector we were informed that we were traveling in the wrong compartment. Actually this train, which originated in our place goes to two destinations. Here in Europe I need to tell u one train goes to 3 places. That’s is how our next train was. We where in utter shock not knowing what to do. I’m normally very careful about this as I have traveled in lot of trains like this in Europe earlier, where in one train going to many places. Some how I over looked this and it passed my notice. So we enquired from him as how we reach from that place-Belegrade to our final destination. We were told that the next train is at 11am and would reach Chamonix by 1.30 only after changing another train. 3 Hrs in that station is a big time. You know after all bomb blast in Madrid and bomb scare in France trains we can expect the worst thing ahead of us in the next 3 hrs. We went to the only bar in the station and picked up the long coffee and sat there and spent our next one hour. After we decided to come out and explore it there are any other option available. Here is our trouble starts. Police intercept us and ask about whom we are and our details. 2 of us did not have passports and luckly we have our company ID, since it’s a famous company with a brand, we are saved. Then we explained them what trouble we are undergoing and they end up with a smile. This we have to do atleast 2 more times. In the mean time we saw what all destination out train would reach, then we discovered that our train and another train, which was about to leave, have the same end point. So one of the person was pushing us to go ahead and go by this autobus and atleast reach another destination, so that it will be a kind of change of place. But exploring further later after reaching out final destination we discovered that it was on the totally in the direction opposite we were supposed to reach. That destination is close to the Italy border. My God, I was insisting that we only go by the plan what was suggested at 8am and was denying to look at other options. In a way it was good. Otherwise we would have landed in another corner of France and would have invited more trouble. Then at 11am our train came. It had 8 coached and of them 2 were attached to another 2 which was already in the platform and then the next 2 goes to Geneva, next 2 to another place were we planned to take an en-route and the first 2 to our second stop before our final destination. Oh my goodness one train can go to so many places … no wonder why we are here. The train finally left for our second destination. This train went past the swiss border and was also into one swiss station. It legal to travel inside swiss with a valid ticket to another location in France. If u get down then you are caught and sent back, depending on u r luck. So we just sat in the train waiting for it to come into the France range. After leaving another 2 coached there in that station we came back in France with 4 coaches with 2 coached heading to the destination we are supposed to go. And finally we arrive at our second point. From there we took another train to Chamonix. This train is very special. This is called Mont-Blanc express and this goes to Swiss Alps. If u a resident of that region you need not buy a ticket to travel by this train it seems. The travel is free. Its like traveling in the mini train that takes us to Ooty from Mettupalayam. The train is multi colored with France and Swiss flag and the train is well decorated. We had a nice ride on a smooth, comfortable train through spectacular snow clad Alpine scenery. Along the line there are a number of stations with easy access to tourist sites such as the Mer de Glace and Aiguille du Midi.. From the French station of St Gervais with a steep climb to the Chamonix valley. After running the length of the valley, they pass through the Montroc Tunnel to a high point near le Buet in the Vallorcine valley. The excitement continues above a stunning precipice towards the Trient valley. Another tunnel marks the beginning of the final descent into the Rhône valley and the town of Martigny. After all this adventure here we are at Chamonix.

Chamonix

The town of Chamonix Mt-Blanc is 1042m (3,396 ft) above sea level at the foot of the Mt-Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe at 4807m (15,770 ft). The resident population of the valley is about 10,000. The seasonal workers and tourists can add another 100,000 on any given day in a winter high season week and 130,000 in the summer. This is very similar to Garmisch in Germany, which I had been to with a similar experience earlier some 3 years back during my visit to Germany. Garmisch is in Germany Alps which borders 4 countries, they are Germany, Italy, Austria and Swiss. Then we did not want to waster time and rush to the cable car station to explore the beauty of this region. Then the Discover the beautiful region of the Mt Blanc and the Valley du Trient was done by using another train + cable car + a long walk in the mountains. The Montenvers Train departs from it's own station next to the main station in Chamonix. This old funicular climbs a steep track to a stunning vantage point above the Mer de Glace. From here, views of Les Grandes Jorasses and the Les Drus are exceptional. From the top station at Montenvers walk down to the glacier and into an ice grotto. This is the most exciting experience. As we reached the glacier it was very slippery. This valley is very scenic and equally a very difficult terrain to walk in the snow. This is called the Sea of ice. Really as the name goes we didn’t find any snow. We saw some ice caves and ice cubes, no snow. It makes very difficult to walk without the right kind of shoe or gear. We enjoyed the ice cave they have spread some carpets so that its easy for us to walk in the glaciers. Then after a visit to the caves we came out and there a beautiful spread of ice and glacier. They have marked the area and was clearly mentioned that we enter that area at our own risk. We decided to take a walk and a few places we had a fall, I went on back in one place since it was very difficult to walk. It’s not snow or ice .. it’s a glacier so u can’t walk on that. In some places people have put some snow so that we could walk on them and get into big caves. I tried getting into one cave I was close to only 10% of it inside. Suddenly we discovered that some snowfall was making a fresh blocking the entrance. So I rushed out and did not want to take a risk. Only very few people go to that area so it was worth taking the risk. The color of the glacier is one that requires a special mention. Its sky blue color and it will give a special kind of reflection if you travel there in the morning early. After visiting all this we came back and the rain started. Luckly we have an excellent bus driver who had put on some nice French Jazz. We enjoyed our way back to Grenoble also. My only disappointment was I wanted to take ski but could not do that due to lack of time. Any it ended well except a few hitches. That’s ok.