Tuesday, Oct 04. I rise early to pack my things and have an early breakfast. Catching a cab for Chiswick for a rendezvous with my hiking buddy Curt, I sit back and enjoy the early morning rush hour of central London. Approaching Chiswick, I’m reminded once again by the prominent signage that I have never visited the Hogarth museum! Oh well, that’s something I can do next visit (and I have been saying that for years but this time I really mean it!!).
Curt’s daughter-in-law, Cathy, graciously whisks us off to Heathrow (many thanks Cathy!!!) for an enjoyable, uneventful, and half-full Swissair flight to Geneva.
Once on the ground, we are waved through Swiss immigration and customs. What’s up with that?? This has to be one of the world’s most desirable refugee destinations and we’re treated like it’s 1966!!! Don’t tell me they don’t profile!! But who’s complaining?? Not us as we breeze towards the rental car booth. Sad to think that most kids under 30 today have no idea how enjoyable international air travel was before mass migration and its inevitable concomitant, …. international terrorism.
In no time we are safely planted in a shiny new Citroen and heading for Chamonix. Well not exactly Chamonix, …. we take one wrong turn which has us driving through downtown Geneva at rush hour!!!
“Ok, relax, slow down…..go with the flow!” I tell myself settling in to an unfamiliar car in an unfamiliar city. Curt does a great job with the navigation and after a delay of no more than a half hour or so we have reconnected with the signs for Chamonix. But not before we pass right by the famous water fountain in the lake. I remember shooting that several decades back with two London gals who had graciously given me a lift when I was hitchhiking around Europe. I wonder what they’re doing now??
No time for reverie however, as we soon are out in the pleasant Swiss countryside heading for the massif of Mont Blanc that we can see in the far distance on this pleasant afternoon.
With the mountains rising ever higher, we enter the mouth of the Chamonix valley by a spectacular serpentine overpass. As the driver, I don’t dare look down but Curt informs that the view is incredible. I’ll take his word for it, as one slip here and we’re doing the masculine remake of “Thelma and Louise”!!
Chamonix d’antan! A tourist destination for ages! We’re in the shoulder season as the summer tourists have gone and the snow has yet to arrive. This proves to be a great boon as most of the good restaurants are still open and available!!!
Destination of climbers in summer and skiers in winter.
Central Church.
Maison de la Montagne. Here you can book climbing expeditions with local guides.
Bureau de poste where we tried (unsuccessfully) to obtain a reasonable cell phone connection.
View of the central square.