Annemasse and Archamps

When you are open to the universe, you will find yourself experiencing the most unusual things in life.

Post Martin and Hasna’s wedding reception, I stayed over at their friend’s place in a town called Annemasse. They were a very nice couple – a Frenchman Romauld and his wife Buhalys who is from the Ivory Coast. So when it turned out that Martin and Hasna were busy with their relatives, Romauld and Buhalys invited me to have lunch with their friends who lived in the mountains outside of Annemasse. So off we went – Romauld, Buhalys, their 2 beautiful daughters Mathilde and Louise, and myself. Spending time with these wonderful people made me appreciate their generosity, openness and their willingness to share their lives with me. The couple we visited were art teachers – he French, she Korean and they had 3 beautiful gorgeous girls. We had a simple barbecue alongwith salad and ofcourse French wine – white, rose and red. It was an amazing meal.

We then decided to walk up Le Mole – the mountain on which they lived. Due to paucity of time, we made it a short stroll rather than a hike. But the views were awesome and the walk helped digest all the food and wine consumed. Along the way we came across raspberries and cherries and had an impromptu feast. All in all, an unexpectedly beautiful day spent with some wonderful people.

Le Môle is a mountain in the Haute-Savoie department of France which dominates the neighborhood of the town of Bonneville. It rises to 1863 metres and affords an excellent 360-degree view of the surrounding region. Though a small mountain for the Haute-Savoie, it is of great geographic importance as it divides the vallée de l'Arve to the south and the west from the vallée du Giffre to the north and southeast, and dominates the southern entrance to the Geneva basin.

Source: Wikipedia

The view from their house.

A road less travelled :)

Wild raspberries

The sunset from Martin's house in Archamps

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

Montreaux - one of the most beautiful places in the world

I first heard about Montreaux 3 years ago when I was in Geneva. I was told that it was famous for its Jazz Festival held in July and is a pretty town. Little did I realise how true was the information, till I got there.

Montreaux lies on the north eastern shore of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It has been a very important settlement from the Roman times.

It has one of the most beautiful walks along the lake stretching from Villeneuve to Vevey. Deep Purple's famous song "Smoke on the Water" tells of the events of 1971, when a Frank Zappa fan with a flare gun set the Montreux Casino on fire.

The Chateau de Chillon is a beautiful castle at one end of Montreaux and was the inspiration for the poem The Prisoner of Chillon by Lord Byron. The poem is about Francois Bonivard a Genevois monk and politician who was imprisoned in the castle's dungeons from 1530 - 1536. The castle is also one of the settings in Henry James' novella Daisy Miller. The castle is influenced by 3 different periods from the 12th Century - the House of Savoy, the Bernese and the Vaudois. Studies show that there has been human settlement here from the Bronze Age!

Montreaux is famous for its Jazz Festival held every year in July

The beautiful lake front

The flower clock in Montreaux

A tribute to Freddie Mercury and I believe there is a special celebration held in his honour in September

First view of the Chateau de Chillon

This is wine country

View of the Lake from the top of the castle

The beautiful castle

Vevey

The flower clock in Lausanne

The lake front in Lausanne

A summer break in Geneva

Geneva is absolutely gorgeous and never fails to stun me with its beauty.
This trip was a fleeting one but I managed to sit in the park and watch the world go by (even if for a short while).
I walked around the lake and took pictures of the beautiful Jet d’Eau. Even managed one with a rainbow caught in the spray of the fountains.
I stayed in a magnificent home in an old apartment block right across from the Jet d’Eau on Quay Gustav Ador.
An ideal base to do day trips to Montreaux, Lausanne, Chamonix, etc.
I look forward to going back to beautiful Geneva.