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TMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) Trail
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TMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) Trail

Numerous years of dreaming and 1 year of planning. As per Laurie's wish we are tackling the famous TMB - Tour de Mont Blanc Trail, and doing it somewhat "in style" as we engaged Mac Adventures & booked their Extended TMB in Huts tour (13 days) Czytaj więcej
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    3 lipca 2024
  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik

    Chilling at UA lounge in EWR

    3 lipca 2024, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 82 °F

    The trip was a breeze. TSA Prev was fast, and here we are relaxing for 4 hours ...
    The plane is on time and the sky is blue 😁

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    Le petit déjeuner au GVA

    4 lipca 2024, Szwajcaria ⋅ ⛅ 57 °F

    This was an absolute piece of cake!
    The plane took off on time, arrived early, took us about 5 minutes to go through Passport Control and since now we have to wait almost 2 hours for our bus we are enjoying 2 café au Lait avec Chocolate Croissant 😋

    Welcome to Switzerland!

    Ready to board our bus to Chamonix     Czytaj więcej

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    1

    Vert Lodge

    4 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    We made it to Chamonix! 😁👍
    This is our hotel for tonight, but we are switching our lieu de résidence every day...
    The ride was beautiful, especially when we started glimpsing Mont Blanc and obviously we are still looking at it

    Our room is very basic but we do have a mountain view 🫠😉     Czytaj więcej

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    222

    Litte exploring and little dinner

    4 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F

    We dropped our stuff at the hotel and did some small running around getting couple more supplies for the hike and lining up touristy stuff for upcoming days.
    All the while the White Mountain is looking at us from above.... the views are absolutely stupendous!
    We decided to stop for some grub and had us some Blonde du Guard beer (made in France) chased down by yummy (local ) cheese and bacon quiche (moi)..which looks more like pizza... and chicken burger with Chinese cabbage and red chimichurri (L)     Czytaj więcej

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    11

    une belle matinée à Chamonix

    5 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F

    Of course, last night, we were down and out as soon as we hit the bed.
    This morning, we ligered in bed a little, then are a plain breakfast of baguette with jam (I also had some salami and cheese) little croissant, juices, and café au Lait
    Then we took a leisurely walk to and around Lac des Gaillands, which was 5 minutes away from the hotel.
    We enjoyed it a lot and also watched a bunch of rock climbers go through their training routines.     Czytaj więcej

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    Streets of Chamounix

    5 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 72 °F

    We checked out from the hotel and walked about 2km to out Hotel du Jour, where we stored our luggage until the check-in time and just happily walked around little streets of Chamounix
    You can check out all about the town here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamonix
    The monument is to Horace de Saussure (a very famous Alps Explorer) with Jaques Balmat (mountaineer and guide of Chamounix Valley)
    The other monument is to Michel Gabriel Paccard, a Chamounix native, who had a first, unsuccessful attempt to climb Mont Blancin 1783 with Marc Theodore Bourrit. In 1784, he made several attempts with Jacques Balmat before they made the first ascent of Mont Blanc together on 8 August 1786.
    Of course there are flowers, but no door we saw were worthy of a picture...     Czytaj więcej

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    Chamounix 2

    5 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    More beautiful flowers
    Rive Arne
    Reformed Church of France (Eglise Réformée Arve Mont-Blanc)
    Chamounix Train Station
    The Monument aux Morts memorial commemorates the residents of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc who gave their lives in the WWI, WWII as well as the wars in Indochina (1946-1954) and Algeria (1954-1962). Czytaj więcej

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    Yummy Dinner at Restaurant Josephine

    5 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F

    Decided to do it European style and had a dinner more orcless during "our lunch time"
    The food was very good and the salad simply outstanding 👌

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    21

    Aiguille du Midi

    5 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ⛅ 75 °F

    The Aiguille du Midi (French pronunciation: [eɡɥij dy midi], "Needle at midday") is a 3,842-metre-tall (12,605 ft) mountain in the Mont Blanc massif within the French Alps. It is a popular tourist destination and can be directly accessed by cable car from Chamonix that takes visitors close to Mont Blanc.
    Remember, we play tourists today, so...😁

    Laurie actually bowed out after the 1st cable car took us to Plan de l'Aiguille at 2,317 m (7,602 ft)
    I went further up the upper station at 3,777 m.
    Check out the info at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiguille_du_Midi and especially the section about the Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi     Czytaj więcej

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    121

    At the top

    5 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    ... well almost...
    To begin with, even in summer, temperatures in the open viewing areas can fall to −10 °C (14 °F), and I definitely was feeling the cold the higher i was going.
    Then, of course, there is hypoxia... and I was feeling it too so I just decided against the Summit and did some exploring on the level I was in.
    You can see "The Needle,"
    the Alpine Climbers coming in after a hike,
    The mini ice tunnels
    If you zoom in the photo with cables (R3 pic 1( you will see folks camping in that snow... it is ABSOLUTELY SURREAL!!!
    I actually could've spent almost 3 hours there; but I didn't want to leave Laurie alone for that long of time, so I came back probably after 1.5 hours     Czytaj więcej

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    Lac Bleu

    5 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    Laurie meanwhile decided to hike to Lac Bleu (The Blue Lake) a beautiful crystal clear mountain lake with plenty of gorgeous blueberry flowers and wild life (she told me she did see a marmot (sort-of a large ground squirrel living in the arwa) but she tried to get too close for a photo and of course got none...
    She was enjoying her time by the lake anyway when I descended from the top and went on the trail after a text exchange clued me ax to her whereabouts
    Afterwards it was amusing and interesting to see where we were in relationship to other famous mountains of the World     Czytaj więcej

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    2nd Hotel du Jour

    5 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 73 °F

    Unquestionably a huge step up from last night.
    I initially booked it when we thought we were staying only 1 dayand I scored an unbelievable deal for it - about $30.00 a night...then when we changed the itinerary to 2 they were all sold out (hence last night's humble lodgings)
    This place is plush and even offers a free spa with sauna, pool, track, and gym (all included) with massage being optional services 😀
    Our room has a balcony overlooking part of Chamonix and Argentière mountains

    Although the initial thought was to clean up after a full day of activities and then go out we decided that it was more prudent to take care of our feet in anticipation of the big hike still to come so we are staying in.

    Bon nuit l'Enfants la Patrie..🌙😴     Czytaj więcej

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    2nd morning in Chamounix

    6–8 lip 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    A beautiful morning; waking up to birds chirping and breath of fresh mountain air coming from the balcony.

    A breakfast is a mile away from the simple spread we had yesterday; I actually was a good boy and "reasonably behaved" and didn't make a full cochon of myself. Czytaj więcej

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    Mer de Glace

    6 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Today is a tough day. Rains and later on thunderstorms are supposed to roll into the area.
    We are off to see the Mer de Glace and Ice Caves in Montenvers early in the morning and then try to make our move to Les Houches before stuff is happening...

    MONTENVERS SEA OF ​​ICE
    Montenvers - Sea of ​​Ice
    ©
    THE MONTENVERS TRAIN, A TRUE LEGEND
    Inaugurated in 1910 by the President of the Republic Armand Fallières, this little train which takes visitors from the centre of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc to the Montenvers site is a real institution.

    A RARITY TO DISCOVER
    The cogwheel trains run on slopes of more than 9%, and there are 5 of them in France. This makes the Montenvers Train a unique experience not to be missed. Climbing into one of its carriages is an extraordinary and dizzying journey. You will feel like you are going back in time in its retro-looking cars.
    The 5.1 kilometers of travel between Chamonix-Mont-Blanc and the Montenvers site take place on the mountainside. After a 20-minute climb, you will have arrived at the terminus at an altitude of 1913 meters! The view of the Drus, the Grandes Jorasses and the Grands Charmoz is breathtaking.

    A REFLECTION OF ITS TIME
    The Montenvers Train has been improved as railway technology has evolved. While the original locomotives were steam powered, they are now electric, but one thing has never changed: the rack. This gear designed to ensure the train's grip on steep tracks has remained the most suitable technique for the route!
    When it was created, the train consisted of open and closed carriages, with no distinction of class indicated on the carriages. Indeed, the wealthiest people were seated depending on the weather conditions, in the sun or sheltered from the rain!
    Quickly after its creation, the Montenvers Train became one of the main attractions of the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Valley. Going so far as to welcome more than a million passengers per year in high season in the 1990s.

    By taking the Montenvers Train, you will rub shoulders with many mountaineers who use it to leave or return from their mountain races.
    And if you are lucky enough to chat with the driver, you will be able to learn more about the secrets of this legendary train.
    We were not     Czytaj więcej

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    2

    Mer de Glace 2

    6 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    The Mer de Glace ("Sea of Ice") is a valley glacier located on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif in the French Alps. It is 7.5 km long and 200 metres (660 ft) deep but, when all its tributary glaciers are taken into account, it can be regarded as the longest and largest glacier in France, and the second longest in the Alps after the Aletsch Glacier.

    That said, it receded pretty bad; I've seen some photos from 1911 or so where it would've been much closer to the viewing platform
    There was a guide there who told us that at some point, the ice was 300 meters deep (it's about 30 now) by the platform while still 300m at that back side.
    But you can still see some blue ice in little crevices below (row 1 photo 4)

    After marveling at this nature phenomenon (or what's left of it), we took the gondola down to Ice Caves     Czytaj więcej

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    2

    The Ice Caves

    6 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    The Ice Grotto/Cave
    A small cable car allows visitors to descend from the train station onto the Mer de Glace glacier where they can enter a man made ice grotto. The ice grotto is cut into the living glacier.

    The grotto has to be dug out every summer since the glacier moves about 70m every year.

    Access is via 430 steps on both the outward and return walk from the top of the glacier gondola lift.

    Ice sculptures and caves are inside, under the glacier. The Gallery of Crystals features a collection of the finest crystal specimens in the Mont Blanc massif.

    Needless to say it's a very popular spot for Alpinists     Czytaj więcej

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    2

    Les Houches

    6 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F

    When we returned to Chamounix, the rain started a steady slow drizzle, so we hightailed back to the hotel, grabbed our stuff, and took The Mont Blanc Express train to our next way point - Les Houches.
    Try as we may, but the drizzle stayed with us, so the rain gear came out, and we walked about "a click" to our current abode Hotel du Bois.

    Now about the village

    Les Houches, located 6 km from Chamonix, is a ski resort with a domain that extends from an altitude of 950m up to 1900m. Long descents through tree-lined slopes are combined with impressive views of the Mont Blanc massif and the Chamonix valley.

    Interestingly Les Houches is twinned with the Russian village Krasnaya Polyana (Russian: Кра́сная Поля́на) meaning "Red Meadow" - a suburb of city of Sochi and was chosen by the International Olympic Committee to assist in the organization of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games.

    Les Houches is the starting- and finishing-point of the popular Tour du Mont Blanc, thus which is why we are here for tomorrow "boots and saddles " will sound, and we'll be tourists no more

    While most Americans will call it Le Hooch or Hooches, we've heard variations of Hooge, Zhooge, and Zooge

    French pronunciation: [le.z‿uʃ]; and Arpitan: Les Ouches or Les Oucies
    🤔😕😣🫤
    Go figure.

    Just in case if you are wondering, apparently, there is nothing here to do, and it's raining, so we have done our final reconfiguration and preparation for tomorrow's walk and staying in.

    This cute little chapel is next door to our hotel, but it was closed, so we couldn't get inFalls?

    ...AND A DOOR!!! (OK Nancy Isch? 😁)     Czytaj więcej

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    212

    Dinner

    6 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    ..that started with pre-dinner aperitif (which, of course, is self-explanatory redundant 😉) in the bar.
    Local Mont Blanc bier pour moi and vin Rouge pour Mme

    I couldn't believe the size of that menu, so I had to look at it through Le Telescope

    And as big of a menu as we were offered, we opted for Raclette, a local regional dish which came with salad and charcuterie .
    Raclette (/rəˈklɛt/, French: [ʁaklɛt] ⓘ) is a dish of Swiss origin, also popular in the other Alpine countries (France, Germany, Austria), based on heating Raclette cheese and scraping off the melted part, then typically served with boiled potatoes.
    Check out https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raclette

    We finished the dinner off with
    Orange Blissom Crème Brule (Mme) and
    Chocolat Fondant (moi)

    We also found another door for Nancy Ish.

    Still raining, so we just going to retire to our chambre and get good rest for tomorrow

    La nuit je deviens fou, je deviens fou     Czytaj więcej

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    Morning in Les Houches

    7 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ 🌫 52 °F

    Rather a cloudy morning with some drizzle continued from last night
    We fortified ourselves with some yummy breakfast and checked ourselves out ready to tackle our first day of the adventure 😀

    Let the (Hunger) Games begin - so would say Stanley Tucci

    We are at the official Starting Point of TMB.
    Still drizzling so the rain gear is out     Czytaj więcej

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    1
    1

    Bellevue Telepherique and Col de Voza

    7 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    So we cut off a couple of kilometers and some time by utilizing Bellevue Telepherique instead of hiking from Les Houches Centre up the mountain
    Here we did our Cerene Foggy video of the morning, which, of course, is quite foggy
    However the drizzle stopped soon thereafter and the fog also started lifting by the time we reached Col de Voza - an Alpine pass at 1,657 m
    It is located in the west of the Mont Blanc massif , on a ridge line descending from the Aiguille du Goûter to the southeast towards the confluence of the Arve and the Bon Nant to the northwest . The pass is directly surrounded by the Tête de la Charme to the west and the Bellevue plateau to the east, dominating the valley of the Bionnassay torrent and the hamlet of the same name to the south and the Arve valley at Les Houches to the north.

    We saw some black cows and met Princess Bea     Czytaj więcej

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    Les Contamines

    7 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    After a couple of little ups and downs, we finally came into Les Contamines (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Contamines-Mo…) and checked into out abode Hotel Christiania.
    Our little room
    View from the window

    After cleanup and little rest, we had anice dinner, which consisted of a choice between vegetable soup and l'escargots (no need to tell who had what here, right? 😊), a porch chop with pasta and vegetables and a cheesecake ( sorry, disappeared rather fast, so no picture)     Czytaj więcej

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  • CWBuffTMB (Tour du Mont Blanc) TrailPodróżnik
    22

    Bionnassay

    7 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    Took a nice break at Bionnassay - a high-altitude hamlet in France located in Haute-Savoie , in the commune of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains , in a small side valley to the Val Montjoie , at an altitude of 1,330 metres. It is located at the foot of the Tête de la Charme and the Col de Voza to the north and Mont Vorassay to the south.

    Drank yummy café au Lait and met some rather large rabbits.
    Also passed a small chapel on exit from the hamlet     Czytaj więcej

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    La Vilette

    7 lipca 2024, Francja ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    After crossing Riv Arne we cameout into a clearing an soon had a fast brake at La Vilette - another little hamlet known for its fountain where hikers can replenish their water supply
    Soon after we came across this little monument but little verse aside, it makes no sense to me, esp the 1600-1900 part
    Oh well     Czytaj więcej

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