The Best of Europe Day 7
The Best of Europe
Day 7 Friday September 12, 2003 - Zermatt
The alarm went off at 6:15, pretty early after our late night in Lausanne. I was ready to send yesterday’s email while Gennie got the suitcases out at 7.
We went down to breakfast only to find a bottleneck with our whole group trying to get into a little corner for a self-service buffet breakfast. We both had suggestions on how it could be better organized.
We were out to the bus at 8:05 on our busy corner in downtown Geneva, with construction and early morning traffic jams as people tried to get to work. We had watched CNN and they had predicted a sunny day and good weather in Switzerland.
We were part of an optional tour, but again like last night, almost everyone joined in. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood this morning and pretty cheery after our late night.
The bus drove us to Lake Geneva and the dock. Although we got there in plenty of time, the boat tour was not quite ready for us. We watched them load the boat and prepare for our journey.
Leaving the elegant quays of Geneva, our ship cruised past the palatial mansions and chateaus of the rich and famous, stopping at picturesque villages picking up more passengers, before arriving at our intending French destination of Yvoire.
We had several views of Mont Blanc but it was still difficult to see through the morning haze. We walked quickly through the town and then we were left on our own to explore its winding cobblestone streets, lined with old stone houses of former fishermen and dominated by the ancient 'chateau' of the Count and Countess.
There were many small shops, restaurants, and beautiful gardens. It was warm and sunny, a perfect Friday morning walk and tour.
At 12:15 we were back on the motorcoach to drive through France with great views of Mont Blanc, the highest peak of the Alps. We were on our way to have lunch at Chamonix, a town that is very similar to Aspen, Colorado.
As we traveled through the French countryside we saw lots of farms and small country homes as well as a few villages. We traveled on the Autoroute Blanc going into the ski country.
Our stop at Chamonix was very nice, a city of ski shops, tourist stores, and many great restaurants. There are people hiking, sky diving, parasailing and just sitting in restaurants. The views were spectacular!
We ate in an outdoor restaurant and had French Onion Soup and Margherite Pizza. I went to the top of a large hotel to take a few pictures to create a panorama of the Alps that surrounded us. Gennie found a postcard to send to Eduardo as she has tried to send one from every country.
As Gennie could not find a post office, she walked into a hotel and a very kind lady offered to take the post card, buy a stamp and mail it for her. We only paid for the stamp. We will see if Eduardo ever gets the card from Mont Blanc in France and then we can tell everyone how nice the French were to Americans.
Back on the bus, we climbed to the top of a mountain pass in this area, passing through very narrow switch backs and snow sheds that covered the road to prevent avalanches from blocking the road. With all the heat in Europe this summer, the glaciers are melting and the streams a running very full.
We passed the Swiss border and were waved through - wonders of the EU. We headed into the Rhone Valley where we saw many areas that had been cleared by past avalanches. We stopped for a short photo opportunity at the top of Forclaz Pass. We began our spectacular decent on our way to Zermatt, following the Alps at their highest elevations.
In the Rhone Valley, we saw the second largest wine producing region of Switzerland. We passed through this valley and it boasts that it has the most hours of sunshine than any other place in the country. They are able to grow fruit, vegetables as well their famous grapes.
We took the south fork and headed toward the Matterhorn, the most beautiful mountain in the Alps. All buses are parked in a lower town and everyone has to be transported by small mini-buses and then had to transfer to electric taxis. Motorized engines are not permitted in Zermatt.
We waited for our luggage and then went to dinner at 7 PM. We sat with two Afrikaan couples from South Africa as well as Lorrie and George.
We were given a brief tour of the elevator to take to the main square in town. The hotel has internet but I cannot send the pictures. So Gennie and I will go to town after finishing this journal. We are staying at the Hotel Alpenroyal Zermatt.
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