The High Alps

Our last stop in the Alps was near Albertville where we once again had wonderful hospitality, this time courtesy of Pierre, Lionelle and their two sons Sylvain and Jean-Baptiste, and Lionelle's mother who has a chalet just up the hill.

 

The mountain opposite Pierre and Lionelle is an impressive 2400m high but is dwarfed by some of the other peaks in the region.  In our bedroom we could throw the shutters open in the morning and take in the grandeur of Mt Blanc (4810m).

Lionelle helped us with our coast-to-coast training, guiding us on a 5 hour walk around the hills above Beaufort where we had panoramic views of the nearby peaks.

 

In the evenings we were treated to local specialities, much of it made with produce taken from Pierre and Lionelle's own garden.

Our route home to Strasbourg was via Chamonix and the Col de la Forclaz in Switzerland.  We had spectacular views of the Mt Blanc massif and kept up the exercise regime with a 2 hour return hike to see the impressive Glacier du Trient which like so many glaciers around the world (and some European economies) is sadly in recession.

  

The long haul home was broken only by a short visit to pay homage to Freddy Mercury in Montreux on the shores of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva).