Catching Up With Friends in Chamonix

Bonjour Bloggers, 

Well we have broken the 10,000 views on the blog and the different people that we speak to now and then say how fabulous it is and what a great record of our adventure it will be for us both, which we are sure it will be.

We left our little site at Lake Orta, Italy,  in torrential rain and drove the 157 miles to Chamonix back in France and it rained the whole way with no sign of stopping.  The only time we got a rest from the rain was as we drove through the many tunnels on the motorway towards one of the most famous tunnels, Mont Blanc, and at over 10 km long it would give the wipers a rest also!!! 

A little way before the tunnel the diesel light decided to come on and we both said oh we will get some at the next station but it never came and we just had to keep going towards the tunnel with no services in sight, then the next thing we were at the toll booth to go through the tunnel and the van was beeping & flashing orange text to me saying LOW FUEL, LOW FUEL.  There was no option but to go through so we paid our one-way toll of €57 and proceeded, all I could think of was how much would it be to get recovered from the middle of the Mont Blanc tunnel, I hate to think, but once about half way through it begins to descend slightly so we managed to coast some of the way and while we were coasting had a quick look on the sat-nav which showed a petrol station just the other side in Chamonix (thank god).  As we came out after what seemed like a lifetime it was clear blue skies and no rain and the view of the mountains and Chamonix town below was amazing.

We had arranged to meet up with a good old friend of ours, Big Jim (who really does make us look like midgets!!), who we become friends with back in 2006 when we did our kitesurfing course together in Biscarrosse, France.  Jim now lives in Chamonix and has his own ski & bike rental business so we said we would give him a call once we had arrived.  Before we left Italy we had looked for a place to stay but there aren’t any open all year campsites at all but a few of our books said that you could park at an “aire” in a lift station car park called Grepon which apparently had water and waste in one corner and was usually full of motorhomes.  We headed for the Grepon car park after getting some well needed diesel but as we pulled into the entrance it had a lovely pair of new shiny height barriers set at 2 metres high so not a chance for us and looking at the car park no one else either!  A little further up into town we found a coach park and parked there while we rang Jim and explained our situation, without a minutes delay he said wait there I am on my way, and said don’t worry there are other better places to stay.  Well with that he pulled up by the van and stepped out, it was so good to see him after all this time (about 4 years),  I went to shake his hand but he insisted on a man hug then a welcoming kiss for Julie.  So after a quick catch up it was a simple follow me from Jim and we took off into Chamonix Town.  We had also earlier arranged to meet up with Jonathan & Sam another couple who live and work in Chamonix who we met about four Christmasses ago while kitesurfing at Kite Junkies in Egypt, but the weird bit is they also knew Jim and when Chamonix came up in a conversation at Kite Junkies the penny dropped that the Jim they knew was the same one, what a small world it is sometimes.  So as it was lunchtime Jim found us a spot to park up with a couple of other vans and then gave us a quick walk round the town on the way to meet Jonathan & Sam for lunch.  It was so nice to see them also, it’s been too long really but we all have busy lives and it was nice of Jon to take time out of his busy carpentry business to come and meet us for lunch as he had said to us over lunch that he is so so busy with work on the books for best part of next year!  

It was so nice to catch up with them all over a lovely lunch and a beer (which Jim insisted on treating us to) with Julie chatting away to Sam about our adventures, kiting & holidays and then us boys talking building, biking & anything snow related!!!  When we were in Meribel at the beginning of our trip we were meant to come to Chamonix and visit but once we got settled one thing led to another and we never made it so we both said we must make sure we fit in a visit on our way back home so it has worked out really well and they have forgiven us for being 11 months late!! 

After lunch Jim took us to his shop “Echo Base Ski et Surf” which was a little further up the valley in Les Praz, it’s a cracking shop on split levels with a basement which doubles up as storage and a workshop with tons of equipment for rental i.e. boots, skis & snowboards but at the time we were there it was in change over mode between seasons as he does mountain bike hire and preparation during the summer months so there was a bit of both in the shop.

So after that we said where do you live then Jim, with that he walked literally 10 steps through a set of gates beside the shop and said look it’s not a big place (one thing with Jim is that he says it exactly how it is) and he stepped toward this amazing wooden two storey chalet and said welcome to Shrek’s House and with that pulled the enormous key out from his secret spot and opened the four inch thick arched wooden door.  

What an amazing, totally different place to live, we both fell in love with the place it really did have something about it.  Julie and I said the commute to work must be horrific to which he replied “some days I have to put my shoes on”.  After a cuppa and more stories we went and picked the van up and followed Jim to where he thought best for us to park up for the night which was a great spot just by Jon & Sam’s place and their local bar where we had all arranged to meet up for a few drinks.  It had a great view Mont Blanc and the Bosson glacier.  We had a little chill out and a change of clothes then with that a knock at the door, it was Jon & Sam picking us up to go to their local which was lovely and as you walked in there was the open fire burning away and bar surrounded by English builders talking amongst themselves but Jon soon introduced us to them, then Jim turned up and we all just simply chatted the night away and exchanged stories and also we got to find out a lot more about Chamonix.

The Bosson Glacier

The next morning we took the motorhome up to Jim’s shop/house as there was a car park right there and we had offered to give Jim a hand in the shop to get it into winter mode but before getting to work in the shop Jim took us both on a lovely little walk through his back garden which is basically the whole valley, pointing out along the way all the couloirs that he drops into and boards down back into the resort amongst the trees.  It’ s one of those places that you just have to keep taking a second glance at because it is simply stunning with Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the European union, standing at 4810 metres high which for you old school is 15,780 feet.  

Mont Blanc is the small rounded peak furthest away in this picture

So after a brief tour we set to work in the shop which involved getting loads of skis up from the basement and sorted into the racking systems in the shop in some sort of order and getting the fitting benches in place etc etc which took best part of the day but what was nice was that Jon & Sam had invited us all over for dinner at their place along with one of their friends Jo. 

Jon & Sam’s house is beautiful, it was an empty shell and they have both turned the inside into a lovely apartment and with Jon being a skilled carpenter and builder and Sam a painter/decorator they have both done a fantastic job (Sam’s not a bad cook either!) the dinner and home made biscuits were amazing.  

That night we camped in the car park next to Jim’s house with stunning views of the mountains all around.

The next day the sun was out so Jim took a day off from the shop and took us on a long walk along the valley to Argentiere, on the way we climbed quite steeply up some of the trails and even across some of the runs.  

We got breathtaking views of the whole area including some of Chamonix’s most famous peaks such as the Dru and the Aiguille (meaning needle) du Midi.  There is a cable car that takes you from the centre of Chamonix up to the Aiguille Du Midi which is a 20 minute ride and takes you to point where you are perched at a height of 3,842m and offers you views of the French, Swiss & Italian Alps.  It is open in the summer months and again in the Winter season but as now is classed as inter-season (between seasons) it isn’t open, mind you looking at images on Google I am not sure Julie would have liked it!!  

The Dru

The Aiguille Du Midi with it's lift station perched on top

On the way back we followed the lower riverside trails back to Jim’s.  On route I heard a noise I know only too well (but haven’t heard for a while!), it was a concrete breaker on a machine and with that there it was mid-river breaking a large piece of granite that was blocking the flow of the river.  

When we got back we popped into town for a quick drink to replace lost fluids before heading back for dinner cooked by Jim, a yummy giant steak & vegetable pasty and so simple so it’s now on our to-do list.  We sat in Jim’s place, eating, drinking & chatting and felt so relaxed, at home & chilled out it was another great evening and we again stayed in the car park next to Jim’s.  

It was great to see Chamonix which is actually a town and much bigger than what we are used to in a ski resort, it is one of the oldest ski resorts in France and is known as the “Gateway to the European cascades” due to it’s proximity to Switzerland and Italy and it was the site of the first ever Winter Olympics back in 1924.

The next day we decided to head off to a place called Samoens only about 30 miles away to an open all year alpine site as we needed to get the van back on hook up and didn’t want to stop Jim getting ready for the upcoming busy season. Before we left we did a bit of work in the shop again which involved me getting back on the tools and in return Jim kindly gave our snowboards a quick look over and wax ready for Meribel.

We really enjoyed “catching up with friends in Chamonix” so after another man hug and a kiss for Julie we said our goodbyes but hope to maybe catch up in Meribel at some point before we head home.

Au revoir for now.

J&J

x

Getting Reacclimatised!!

Hi Everyone,

So after two days and a bit of cabin fever the rain did eventually stop and Julie managed to get the washing rinsed & dried, what a great idea the “Vanussi Magic 150” was but Julie wishes we had discovered it during the summer months as I don’t think we will get the opportunity to use it much more now.

The campsite we are on is right on the shores of Lake Orta and is deserted so again we have a nice little spot right on the waters edge.  It’s a really nice little place especially when the sun is out, but like anywhere not so appealing when it is pouring with rain!  

 Very picturesque 

 But not so picturesque in the rain & low cloud!!

Lake Orta itself is very beautiful and I suppose what we imagined Lake Garda to be like but obviously on a much smaller scale.  The village of Orta San Giulio is a small elevated peninsular that juts out into the Lake and is very nice too, you can even walk all the way around the bottom right next to the lake on a lovely footpath but at the moment there are some parts that are actually underwater as there has been so much rain. As usual Julie seemed to find a very friendly cat although it wasn't that impressed with the umbrella.

There is only one road onto the peninsular which leads into a main Piazza and then just little narrow cobbled streets with a handful of shops and restaurants/bars.

At the summit is the “Sacro Monte Di Orta” (Sacred mountain of Orta) which is a Roman Catholic complex and is dedicated to St Francis of Assisi,  it’s construction began back in 1583.  It’s quite a surreal but very peaceful place and has a main church along with 20 small chapels dotted around under a variety of trees, it’s quite hard to believe that they are so old but all still complete with murals on the walls so no wonder it is now included in the UNESCO World Heritage list.

There's even this amazing bamboo growing high above the road

From there you get a great view across to the “Isola of San Giulio” which is a small island just off of the peninsula, the main building in the centre is the “Basilica of Saint Giulio” but since 1976 it has been transformed into a Benedictine monastery.  So all in all it is quite an interesting little place that we stumbled across and for a change somewhere in Italy that we actually quite like.

One building that we noticed straight away which we thought looked a bit out of place and not in your typical Italian architecture was "Villa Crespi". So thanks to the good old internet here's what we found out.

"In 1879 a successful cotton merchant built "Villa Crespi" in an authentic middle eastern style with an unusual feature, it's very own minaret inspired by Baghdad's architecture.  During the 1930's captains of industry and royalty were frequent visitors to the villa but at the end of the 1980's it was converted into a hotel where nature, art & history entwine."

As usual we have been out and about exploring on the XT (we don't know what we would have done without it, it's been a godsend and enabled us to get to some remote places).  We ended up following a road full of hairpin bends up to a little village about 800 metres above Lake Orta and found a fantastic viewing area that treated us to this stunning panorama.  At the far end of the picture you can see the peninsular of Orta San Giulio and the Isola of San Giulio.

The next day we followed a different road that took us up through more small villages to Mottarone which is in the pennine Alps range with an altitude of 1,492 metres.  From the summit we got a breathtaking view of Lake Maggiore which is the second largest lake in Italy after Lake Garda and the largest in Southern Switzerland as the lake and it's shoreline are divided between Italy & Switzerland.

 We were even up above the clouds 

Mottarone itself has a small ski resort and we found this out of season dormant chairlift, it's hard to believe the last chairlift we were on was back in March but it seems like only yesterday!

While out & about on the XT we had to stop while the local farmer moved his sheep, lambs and donkeys from one field to another which meant crossing the road.  If you look at the picture closely you can see that the donkey has a hessian  type saddle bag on with pockets on the side and inside the pockets are some small lambs with their heads poking out...obvioulsy they can't keep up with the main herd so have to hitch a lift, how cute!!!

To relieve our cabin fever we have been keeping busy reading, doing crosswords and researching stuff as usual.  One of the books we have read and re-read is "Europe in a Motorhome" which my sister Jo bought me a few years ago for my Birthday.  It's about a middle aged couple that sold up everything they had in the UK and took a mid-life gap year around Southern Europe with their 13 year old son.  It's a great easy like hearted read and in many ways we can relate to it, even to the places they visited and the predicaments they got themselves into in their huge american RV that they called the Beast.  So if you are looking for a great little stocking filler for anyone for Christmas then check this link out, you won't be disappointed.

Europe In A Motorhome - A Mid-life Gap Year Around ...

So after a few days of sun the rain has now returned again so the flip flops & shorts are definitely packed away and we are now "reacclimatised" into Winter mode.   It seems quite bizarre but we seem to have made the transition OK and are looking forward to returning to the mountains a place we love being, just as much as we love being by the sea.

We need a change of scenery & country now so are moving onto Chamonix back in good old France and are looking forward to meeting up with some  friends who live there.

So it's arrivederci from Italy.

J&J

x

Total Contrast

Welcome once again,

Well this our last blog from the fantastic island of sunny Sardinia.  We fell in love with the place and the people and are so glad that we decided to make the effort of getting the 10 hour overnight ferries across from mainland Italy.  We will definitely be back as there are so many beautiful beaches/places still to discover.  We have been a few places now on our travels including Croatia which we loved but for us Sardinia is so unspoilt and natural and has so many beautiful beaches with crystal clear water so it really does tick all the boxes for us.

Before we left La Ciaccia we had time for one last morning paddle board on the crystal clear waters with Sarah & Steve before the wind came up in the afternoon which meant a last minute kite session too.

I grabbed the camera and took some photos from the cliff top above of Julie & Sarah out kiting together

After yet another fantastic day playing on the water we were treated to our last sunset before saying our goodbye's and heading off, Sarah, Steve & Samson back home to the UK and us moving to another spot for one night nearer to the ferry port at Golfo Aranci.

We followed the fantastic NW coast road and were treated to more stunning views of what Sardinia has to offer and could even see Corsica off in the distance, somewhere else we want to visit one day.  The van was treated to a nice wash at the camper service before we left and is still looking sparkly new considering all the places she has been.

We arrived at our final campsite near to Cannigione on the NE coast.  The campsite was practically deserted as it was due to close for the season a couple of days later so there were only a couple of vans like us spending a night or two before heading off to catch their ferry.  It was great, really, really quiet and we parked in one of the premium beach side pitches which would be near on impossible in the summer. Where else can you get a view like this for just €16 a night? (mind you it's €50+ in the summer!!)

As we were only there for one night we just spent the afternoon and most of the next day just chillaxing and making the most of the sun as we knew that it would be the end of our beach days and having sand between our toes.  We can't complain though as the first beach we were at was back in March in Northern Spain and we have been lucky enough to be blessed by sun pretty much since early April and for the last 4 weeks here in Sardinia the weather has been absolutely amazing.

And of course we had to end the day in the sunset with a nice glass of Rose - it's been such a fantastic summer for us but the adventure isn't over yet but we must start to head North.....

We were well prepared for our ferry from the ferry port in Sardinia at Golfo Aranci back to Livorno on mainland Italy.  It's a very small port and when we arrived the boat was already docked waiting to be loaded and it wasn't busy at all.  It was a smaller boat this time and not the Mega Express and we could see the ramp which looked fine.  It's funny how everything is a great learning curve as now we  approach the ramps as "seasoned pro's" not "hit and hopers" and we have a routine too, Julie jumps out and checks the back end while I drive on as every ramp/boat is different so it's better to be safe than sorry.  Once loaded we went to our cabin, again a learning curve, as it's just so relaxing and chilled out with a nice hot shower too.   What were we thinking when we got our first overnight ferry from Croatia to Italy, a ridiculously steep ramp which we just "hit and hoped" and thinking we were 18 again and sleeping rough in a reclining seat for 10 hours would be fine!!   

We were really sad to leave Sardinia and weren't looking forward to being back on mainland Italy as to be honest we aren't that keen on the Northern coastal areas as they just don't really float our boat and have the same feel as other places we have been.  We were again a bit limited to campsites as a lot are now closed for the season so were hoping the one about 50 miles up the coast from Livorno would be OK but we weren't holding out much hope but it was only for a stopover before heading inland.  As suspected it was really disappointing and a "TOTAL CONTRAST" compared to Sardinia with 95% of the site being taken up with tarpaulin clad seasonal caravans and only a very small area for one or two tourers to park up and it felt really autumnal too but it is November after all.

As it was only a quick stopover we made the most of the day and went and found  the local Lidl's for a spot of food shopping and then decided to have a swap about in the van and put some of the summer stuff up in the roof box and get the winter sports stuff closer to hand and put it in the garage.  

We had free wi-fi too thanks to our wi-fi aerial and router setup which we bought back in the summer and had shipped to mum's.  It's been brilliant as it means we can pick up networks that are normally out of range and only available if you sit in reception or in the bar/restaurant all afternoon like a minion!!!  So we did a bit of research and found a nice spot to move onto inland on the shores of Lake Orta before heading off to the Alps. We arrived Tuesday afternoon in the pouring rain and is hasn't stopped yet so again a "TOTAL CONTRAST"....

Talking of learning curves before we go here's something else we have learnt recently.....Sarah & Steve spent 18 months travelling and told us that they did their washing while on the move??  So when we asked how, they said simple all you need is a water tight plastic container some warm water and washing detergent.  Then you put your small items in and place the container in the garage of the motorhome and let the sloshing motion commence while on the move thus cleaning your clothes.  It's then just a case of rinsing them and hanging out to dry when you reach your destination.  So we now have a "Vanussi Magic 150" fully plumbed in in the garage and our first load was done while sloshing on our 197 mile journey here to Lake Orta.....GENIUS!!

Fingers crossed the sun is back tomorrow as I need to hang the washing out!!

Well that's it for now.

J&J

x