Day 8 The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music.......

Hey all.

Today was an early start - 7.30am as we were setting off for Chamonix to see Mt Blanc. It was a two hour journey from Geneva to our destination in France. We had a very able driver Gilles 'Radar' and his trusty steed, a Renault Megane. (The old version)

We got there first and decided to look for a baker to buy some bread. To our great misfortune it was raining!!!! Pouring with rain! As a result the cable car service was cancelled temporarily due to rain and thunder storms!!!

Luckily, we found out that the there was a tram service that could take us to the Mer de Glace.... which is a glacier that sits in front of Mt. Blanc.

It was fantastic!!!! It was the first time that i've seen a Glacier and it is a wonder to behold. The whole area was filled with a solitude and ambiance of serenity that i could live there if it wasn't so difficult to get too and from. (Which is an advantage in itself i suppose) The funny thing is that on first glance, you don't realise how far the ice from the glacier stretches.

I was staring at it for a long time and thought i saw lots of little rocks on the surface of the glacier. Eduardo, (a Brazilian teacher) then pointed out that the little rocks were people climbing over it! I looked again and realised he was correct.

I've taken some pictures but i guarantee when you see it, you will not believe the little blakc dots as being people!!

It started to rain and the whole area was getting very wet. But undaunted and inspired by the surrounding scenery, we had nice picnic with the food we had brought with us. It was a very nice meal in an excellent surrounding.

As the rain preceded to get worse, we went down to see more of the glacier. The only similar experience I can refer to is that it is like walking down Arthur's Seat, (the hard way, not along the road) when it is pouring down with rain. It was very exhausting.

But it was worth it.

Again i was taken by surprise as they had cut into the glacier to make an 'ice cave'. Inside there was a variety of ice scuplture. It was really strange as it felt like stepping into a ...... freezer where the walls really are made of ice. I was tempted to bottle some of it and sell it as a miracle cure!

Afterwards, we took a cable car back up to the main observation platform from which we took the tram back to Chamonix. By that point we were happy and tired for the short respite on the tram.

We had a quick wander of the town Chaminox and there was a part of me that was thinking how cool would it be to bring my family and friends along to experience what i had experienced... the hills, mountains, glaciers and ambience. I cannot believe how lucky i am to have had this chance to experience this. All of this despite the pouring rain that soaked my super duper mountain survival raincoat to the core!

We then droe back to Geneva but along the way, 'Radar' and the rest of our party got tired so we had a quick nap by the layby before heading back into town.

Phew! It has been a long day!