Chamonix

Chamonix is a ski resort in the French Alps. It makes for a great day trip from Geneva. But honestly, one should stay in Chamonix for at least a few days to enjoy its beauty and experience all that it has to offer. It is ideal for both summer and winter as the activities on offer are unique to the season.

Everytime I landed in Geneva, I noticed at arrivals, the various signs for buses to Chamonix. It intrigued me and finally last year when one of my friends Blanca went to Chamonix on a skiing trip, I knew I had to go and see what it was all about.

You can either take a bus from Geneva airport or the Train from Geneva Cornavin to Saint Gervais-les-Bains or Martigny and take the Mont Blanc express to Chamonix. The journey through the alpine forest region is spectacular.

There is plenty to do during the summer. Chamonix is in a valley surrounded by Mont Blanc (4810 m), Montenvers, Aiguille du Midi (3842 m), Brevant (2525 m) and many other mountains. Each has its own charm and various treks and hikes that one can do. Best is take the Mont Blanc pass if one plans to do more than one moutain in a day. There are cable cars and ski lifts that go to the various summits and from Aiguille du Midi one can even do the ride to Italy. Aiguille du Midi is also the best point to gaze at Mont Blanc up close and personal.

The other interesting thing to do would be to take the Montenvers rack railway which starts from Chamonix and, in 20 minutes and in total safety, reaches the bottom of the Mer de Glace (1,913 m), France’s largest glacier (7km long, 200 m thick). This historic site marked the start of Alpine tourism in the 19th century and offers a panoramic view of famous peaks such as Les Drus and Les Grandes Jorasses.


The tour of the “Grotte de glace” (Ice Cave) takes visitors into the very heart of the glacier. Re-sculpted every year, it describes the life of mountain people in the early 19th century. It can be entered either by a walk of around 20 minutes on a footpath, or by gondola lift. Unfortunately, due to shortage of time, I was unable to visit the Ice cave.

The “Galerie des cristaux” (Crystals Gallery) with its collection of items from Mont Blanc and the “Musée de la faune alpine” (Alpine Wildlife Museum) are also included in the tour.

Check out http://www.chamonix.com/ for more information.

Pretty church

Typical alpine village

Streams running through the town

Picturesque

Cable car to Le Brevant

Paragliding seems to be a major summer activity here.

The slopes of Le Brevant as viewed from the highest point

Me against the beautiful Mont Blanc summit

Aiguille du Midi

Mont Blanc - Up close and personal

The highest point of Aiguille du Midi

These guys have guts

This is where one can actually attempt to start their climb to Mont Blanc.

It is also where one can take a cable car across to Italy.

I admire these brave souls

Mer de glace

The famous glacier

Cable cars to the Ice cave

Ettal Abbey – A beautiful 14th Century Benedictine Monastery

Close to Oberammergau is the famous Benedictine Abbey of Ettal. It was founded on 28 April 1330 by Emperor Ludwig in fulfillment of an oath on his return from Italy. The site was of strategic importance as it was on the primary trade route between Italy and Augsburg.


Legend has it that Ludwig's horse genuflected three times on the site of the original church building, where a statuette of the Virgin Mary ("Frau Stifterin" or the "Ettal Madonna") of the Pisano School now stands - a gift from Ludwig to his new foundation. This statue soon became an object of pilgrimage. The church is dedicated to the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.

The foundation originally consisted of a Benedictine double monastery - a community for men and another for women - and also a house of the Teutonic Knights. The original Gothic abbey church, built between 1330 and 1370, was a modest structure in comparison to the great churches of mediaeval Bavaria.

The abbey suffered great damage during the Reformation at the hands of the troops of Maurice of Saxony, but survived the troubles of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648).

In 1709, under Abbot Placidus II Seiz, the golden age of Ettal began with the establishment of the "Knights' Academy", which developed into a highly successful school and began the educational tradition of the abbey.

In 1744, the abbey and the abbey church were largely destroyed in a fire. The subsequent spectacular re-building in the Baroque style, with a double-shelled dome, was to the plans of Enrico Zuccalli, a Swiss-Italian architect working in Munich, who had studied with Bernini. The decoration was primarily carried out by Josef Schmutzer of the Wessobrunn School of stuccoists and Johann Baptist Straub, who was responsible for the altars and the chancel.

Ettal's importance as a place of pilgrimage grew with the new buildings and it became one of the most important monasteries in the Alpine region.

The abbey was dissolved in 1803 during the secularization of church property in Bavaria. The site was acquired in 1809 by Josef von Elbing and sold by his descendants in 1856 to Count Pappenheim. Some small building works were completed during the 19th century, principally the renovation of the façade and the twin bell towers.

In 1898, the buildings were acquired by Baron Theodor von Cramer-Klett and, in 1900, given to the Benedictines of Scheyern Abbey, who re-founded the monastery here.

The abbey church of the Ascension was declared a basilica minor in 1920.

In the tradition of the "Ritterakademie," the abbey has established a secondary school ("Gymnasium") specialising in the humanities and modern languages, with a boarding house.

Ettal also runs a brewery and a distillery, a bookshop, an art publishing business, a hotel, a cheese factory joint venture, and various other small businesses.

Source: Wikipedia

Geneva - the rest of the week

The rest of the week was spent in training. We had some amazing people in the class – from various countries, various airlines and various divisions of IATA. The view from the class window was most distracting. I had the Jura range in front of me and everytime an aircraft took off, I was completely distracted with the beautiful picture it made.

The stunning view from the classroom

The entire class - fantastic group dynamics

Most of the evenings were spent discovering different restaurants serving a variety of food and talking about various cultures.

David, Blanca, Matilda, myself and Amos

The panfried goat's cheese salad at Chez Ma Maison

Amos and Matilda from Virgin Nigeria, Blanca from IATA Madrid and David from Cape Verde

The rosti and gruyere salad with air dried ham at the Swiss Chalet.

The portions come in a huge bucket.

Amos, Matilda, Shikha and myself at The Casanova.

We ate Filet de Perche which was outstanding.

At the sushi bar Matsuri.

Amos, Matilda, Blanca, David, myself and Savithri from Thai

The plat du jour at the Montreaux Jazz Cafe.

Grilled fish in mustard sauce with sweet potato puree.

Mr. Kannan, Mamitiana, Savithri and David

Blanca, Raimond, Shikha, Shyam, Matilda, Amos, Amin, David and Savithri

The sinfully delicious Chocolate Fondant

The yummy cheesecake

On the last day, we had sometime to spare. So Mr. Kannan took Mamitiana, Savithri and myself for a drive to Signal de Bougy, Versoix and Nyon. We had an amazing time.

The view of Mont Blanc and Lac Leman from Signal de Bougy

The park at Signal de Bougy

Trying to capture the beautiful colours of nature

The harbour at Versoix

Honestly, I have met some wonderful people who have made a lasting impression on my heart and mind. I do hope that I meet them again soon in the near future.