Aiguille du Midi and the Château in the middle of nowhere
japra | Oct 19, 2007 | Comments 3
Well, finally, we come to the end of our trip to France last August.
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We woke up at 5:30 am to get ready for the first lift on our last day in Chamonix. Unfortunately, when we got there, they had cancelled the early lift because of bad weather. No problem, we had breakfast at a nearby cafe and waited for the the next one at 8:00.
Before we go any further, I guess I should tell you that I am terrified of heights. Mainly it’s the anticipation of heights that gets me. And I guess it’s not so much being up high as being up high and then looking down a sheer drop. I don’t like that very much. Hanging in the air by a thin cable isn’t exactly my cup of tea either.
But I knew I couldn’t go to Chamonix without visiting the Aiguille du Midi. So, I plugged into Roxi’s iPod and did a bunch of slow, deep breaths. Up we went.
Mr. DJ had the camera because I was too busy holding on for dear life, so it’s thanks to him that we have all these great shots.
Our cable car was full of young, enthusiastic employees making their way up to their crazy jobs at the top. They greeted each other with kisses. Mr. DJ said they were saying their last goodbyes. Ha ha.
The ascent was rapid and deadly quiet. There was no going back–just hanging on and praying. They’ve done this thousands of times, right? I focused on the relaxed employees. More breathing.
At some point, Mr. DJ said “Look!” Gulp. Oh my gosh.
The lift up the Aiguille du Midi is divided into two, well, actually three parts. After part one (the Plan de l’Aiguille), I promised myself I could stop if I felt like I was going to pass out from fear. Looking up toward the second half of the trip (see that little thing at the top of the mountain?), I wondered why I didn’t just head back down. I think the altitude got to me at this point because I decided to forge ahead.
The second part was really quite nerve-wracking. We were the first car up that day, so ice was still on the cables. You could hear it cracking on the way up–not the most comforting sound. Finally! We made it up to the second stop, and just a short elevator ride later…
Wow.
I don’t think those little cable cars were being used that morning.
Voilà Mont Blanc.
Chamonix in the valley below.
The views from the tippy-top were amazing. We were breathless anyway from the rapid ascent, but really, the Alps were stunning.
An ice grotto.
A mountain climber getting ready for a descent.
Those little specks on the ridge? Daredevil mountain climbers.
Looking down from one of the balconies.When we descended down to the Plan de l’Aiguille, maybe an hour or so later, we saw one of these cable cars launching out. It was packed FULL. It actually stopped on the cable and swung and swung and swung for about five minutes. Only after it stopped swinging did the car continue upward. It was a really good thing I didn’t see that before I went up.
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And for those of you wondering, no, we did not take the cable car to Italy (Hellbronner). Seriously, there’s only so much dangling we could take in one day.
There is a little cafe at the Plan de l’Aiguille..
We stopped for coffee (Hey, look–it’s my camera!). We should have asked for a hit of oxygen as well because obviously we were suffering from altitude craziness. We decided that since we were having so much fun and it was so early in the day, we would walk from here to the Mer de Glace..
It turned out to be a gorgeous walk. The clouds rolled in and out, and many times we had no idea what we were walking around in. It was very other-worldly or perhaps Mordor-like..
You would think that walking down a mountain would mean, you know, walking down. Believe it or not, there were quite a number places we had to walk up too. It was a challenging hike (rated moderate, but the altitude makes it harder if you’re not used to it)..
I would love to hike this again in better weather.
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Four and a half hours later we made it to the Mer de Glace. See I told you it looked dirty. I actually had a hard time believing this was a glacier until I looked more closely. I could see some cracks in the ice where it glowed a beautiful, electric blue.
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We enjoyed the beautiful roses in their garden.
I would love to hike this again in better weather..
Four and a half hours later we made it to the Mer de Glace. See I told you it looked dirty. I actually had a hard time believing this was a glacier until I looked more closely. I could see some cracks in the ice where it glowed a beautiful, electric blue..
We arrived at the Mer de Glace in late afternoon. There was a long line for the Montenvers train down, so we decided we’d better take the first one we could. I am sorry to say we were so tired and the train was so full–we didn’t take any pictures.
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Once we got back to Chamonix, we walked to the TI office to make use of their free wireless Internet. Didn’t we need a computer, you ask? Why, yes! Mr. DJ had his in his backpack. Which he carried the entire day. Across the Alps. .
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Anyway, it’s hard to know where to find a hotel room while you’re on the road in a unfamiliar country. Plus it was August, peak travel month, and many hotels were sold out. We thought we’d try to plan ahead a little and used an online booking se
rvice to make a reservation. What luck! Mr. DJ found a beautiful apartment in a historic Château about an hour northeast of Paris.
rvice to make a reservation. What luck! Mr. DJ found a beautiful apartment in a historic Château about an hour northeast of Paris.
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So the next morning, we drove 8 hours and finally got to Droizy. The tiny, tiny town of Droizy. In the middle of nowhere.
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Oh dear.
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But relief! We found the hotel, Le Château Fort de Droizy Les Relais Heritage, a beautifully restored 12 century castle. Unfortunately, the booking service we used was a little poky in getting our reservation to the proprietors. The last apartment was booked just hours before we got there. Not to worry, though. They prepared two rooms for us in their home.
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We wished we could have stayed longer. Louis Bachoud and his wife Patricia were so charming and gracious. M. Bachoud said he would take us up into the keep in the morning, but we had to leave quite early to catch our ferry, four hours away in Calais.
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But maybe one day we will return. By the way, our rooms were the ones on the right corner, second story. They were lovely and extremely comfortable, and the beds were so snuggly.
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We enjoyed the beautiful roses in their garden..
A serene sitting area.
M. Bachoud made reservations for us at Chez Raphael in nearby Soissons. Mon Dieu! If you are ever in the area, please do yourself a favor and try this restaurant. While you are in Soissons, go see the magnificently huge cathedral. We walked to it after dinner, but it was closed, of course. It was still impressive.
The next morning, we were served a lovely breakfast in our rooms. Oh, the croissants and dried apricots! After, we said goodbye to France and our lovely vacances.
Filed Under: Blog • Chamonix • Destinations • France • Outdoors • What to Do
About the Author: JaPRA is an expat Texan living in England with her husband (Mr. DJ), their 17-year old daughter (Roxi), and their dog Trudy.
Once again, amazing. I’m afraid of heights, too. Actually, it’s not so much being up high that I don’t like. I just feel like I’m being sucked (along with everyone with me) over the edge.
The heights thing terrifies me, too! Not in general, but those cable cars….heebiejeebie! Your trip must seem like a fairy tale, partly because of the altitude. How heartwarming to read of the kindliness of the French innkeepers, too! And again–thanks for the incredible photos. It’s all so wonderful! Mimsy
Laurie and Mimsy–I am glad to know I am in good company :-)