We could see the Alps in the distance as we began our journey. As we approached and passed the mountains, I was concerned we would be driving up and down hills with precarious bends; however, what we encountered were double lane highways over bridges and tunnels through the mountains, giving us a scenic and relatively flat journey all the way to our destination.
Last Italian hot chocolate plus a filled croissant before crossing the Italian/French border.
Oh god! Heaven!
If only we had the room in our cases...
The views all the way to Les Contamines.
(Pron. Lay Con-ta-meen)
The Mont Blanc tunnel is just over 11 kilometres long. It lightened our wallet by 55 euros for the privilege of passage! Worth every cent as the alternative would have been lengthy and mountainous.
We were stunned by the beauty. Here is the view from the kitchen window of our pet sit.
And here are the cheeky dogs, appropriately named Mischief and Rascal.
A few hundred metres from the house was a 'Gondola' station (enclosed chair lift) which took us up to one of the ski slopes in the area. Sightseeing, rather than participation, was the preferred choice!
Note the three separate ski runs.
There was even a section where kids could learn how to ski. The tunnel had a slow-moving conveyor belt that took the kids to the mini slope to practice their balance and direction control.
One of our many walks.
I was about to break into song "The hills are alive..."
Our chalet.
Very pretty area.
As one can imagine, the 7 days passed quickly. Walking outside every morning and seeing the snow-capped mountain range was both awe-inspiring and humbling. All the streams we encountered had the clearest water that looked like liquid emerald flowing over the well worn rounded stones shaped over millennia. Having clear weather for 6 of the 7 days was also a bonus, as we were told it was rare at that time of the year.
From here we go to Annecy, a beautiful old city just near the Swiss border.
Until next time!
Sensational.....loving your adventure 🩷
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I have many fond memories of the ride through that tunnel and the incredibly photogenic scenery.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy every minute! 🤗
Fantastic, as always. Glad you are both fit and well.
ReplyDeleteLots of love, Glen