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July 27 Chamonix to Colmar
Homeward bound.
We awoke in the presence of divinity. The run was rising over Chamonix and its glaciers and it was just amazing. Like, TOTALLY AMAZING AND HUMBLING AND GROUNDING.
I thought I’d seen it all in the NZ Alps. Wrong.
W-R-O-N-G. Wrong.
I hope the photos below do it justice, because my words are in poor service of their beauty and magnificence. We were just awestruck at the ski terrain, scale, glacial peaks, the amount of mid summer snow…the list goes on.
One thing that struck us both was how obviously far the glaciers had retreated. It was eminently obvious they used to be a lot further down the mountain. I know that some Euro ski bunnies aren’t worried about global warming. Well. They should be afraid. Very, very afraid.
Coffee.
Anyway, Cham is just beautiful, I am coming back with Kate for mountainbiking, bushwalking and such delights.
We passed over the Col de la Forclaz and happened upon Martigny. AMAZING Swiss Alps again. Rhone grapes growing in the most incredibly impossible places. We got to the valley floor and headed for Lake Geneva, which, in the absence of rain, was truly spectacular again.
We flew past Gruyere and its lake and through Bern and Basel and arrived back in Colmar to find it still impossibly humid.
Wankdorf? God, I’m such a child.
Swiss Alps. Eppppppic! Just a string of snow-capped monsters dominating the skyline.
We turn up back in Colmar – steamy again. I knocked out some tuna pasta whilst Mike goes for a ride. I slipped lots of fat in there. Three weeks later, Mike says “Hmmm, I’m still suscpiciously heavy, what do you know about that young Tum?”
“Well,” sayeth I, in my ridiculous New Zulland accent, “I wouldn’t know what’s up with that, eh broo.”
Anyway, that was our last night before we arrived in Frankfurt to sign the car in, sleep in it for the night, to get to airport on the 29th.
So that’s pretty much it!
Hope you’ve enjoyed the report on France – it was frustrating not being able to do it every day or two as I normally do, but as we discovered, Wifi was not as abundant as we thought it would be (a Wifi WEP cracking tool would be most handy).
If all of this tickles your fancy to try your hand at touring the Tour, or just riding in France in general, then check out the totally kick butt 70-page+ guide I wrote to Cycling through France here.
Similar Posts:
- July 26 – Cols du Telegraphe, Galibier and beautiful Chamonix
- July 18 – Swiss Alps to Bedoin, Mont Ventoux Recce
- Update (finally): Colmar-Suisse-France
- Guide to Cycling in France: released
- July 23 – High French Alps transit to Bourg d’Oisans
Comments:
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What an experience to wake up in the morning with that view. That’s my kind of coffee. Foamy, rich and thick. Awesome photos. Thanks for sharing.
liz´s last blog ..September – A Great Month to Visit Corsica
It was pretty good Liz, that’s for sure. That is the life over there. Sunny. Coffee. Warm. Riding.