Sunday, July 20
Today was another hot but beautiful day in the Alps. After
doing laundry in our sink (we knew that this would be one of the joys of our
travels!!!) and stringing it along two lines on our chalet balcony, we were
ready to head up into the mountains in search of cooler air! We headed north
in the valley toward Argentiere and took a lift to Lognan at 1,972 meters.
The lift took us over a beautiful waterfall. Once at the top, we took another
spectacular hike which allowed us to get a close view of Glacier D'Argentiere.
The hike required some climbing but we were rewarded with an amazing view
of this huge glacier. The cool air coming off the glacier was refreshing.
We were surprised to first hear and then see numerous small avalanches where
pieces of ice crack and then tumble down the valley. We scaled some rocks
to climb to a higher view point and Steve took one additional ascent to get
an even better view. We have learned that this glacier advances 1 meter a
day in the summer and it was obvious how the valley had been carved by the
glacier over time. We also saw a marmot sunning itself on a rock - this was
actually the first wildlife we've seen on any of our hikes.
Each of the three hikes we did in Chamonix afforded us different types of
scenery - they were a perfect mix, and gave us all a great feeling about the
beauty of the French Alps. ~Paula
Tomorrow we're headed to Grindelwald in Switzerland. We decided to stop and spend a couple of days here on our way to Germany, and will drive the rest of the way on Thursday. Paula and I spent several days in Grindelwald on our honeymoon, and we're excited to go back. We really don't know what to expect in terms of the town, but we know that the scenery is great. After Grindelwald, we'll drive to a town in southern Germany called Marktoberdorf. There we'll spend an afternoon with a family who we've contacted through Servas, and will then decide where else to go in Germany before driving to Austria (probably starting in Salzburg). We're excited about driving on our own and exploring this area of Europe. We have heard from many people about how beautiful the countryside is here, and are looking forward to seeing it firsthand! ~Steve
Distance Walked: 6.61 miles
