When – February 2024 10th – 16th @ 7.30pm
TRANSPORT
Flight 1 – from Dublin to Geneva with aer lingus @6am on the 1st – 1 piece 23kg – 3hrs
Bus – Got a bus from Geneva airport to Chamonix with Flix bus (15euro)
Flight 2 – from Geneva to Dublin with aer lingus @ 1pm on the 15th – 1 piece 23kg – 2hrs
ACCOMMODATION – a hostel that was about 10/15 mins walk into Chamonix town called Le Chamoiard Volant.
Day 1 – August Fri 11th – Chamonix – Aiguille Du Midi – 3801m
I was up at 8 am – I couldn’t really sleep but it was all good. We had a tiny room lol. I can’t believe we don’t have to hike today after spending 9 days on the TDMB hike!! We had brekkie in the basement, there were lovely bread, crepes, cheese, yogurt, and the works. We made our way to Aiguille Du Midi – this is the cable car that takes you up to the top of Mont Blanc! It is 3861m up and it is so class. It was expensive, maybe about 40 euros… if I can remember! Like the views from up here were spectacular, like really, really wonderful, all the snow peaks in the background were fantastic. We took a million pics, nothing changed haha! We saw a few trekkers climbing to the top of Mont Blanc and they looked so small on such a big mountain…like little ants! We went to a little cafe after we entered the glass box which was also pretty cool and scary. I wrote in my diary there till 1.30.
We got the cable car down and Nuala and I got off halfway down and had a wee drink there. There were quite a few hikers around as you can explore the area. People can hike up to this point from Chamonix. We got back down at 3 pm and browsed around the shops and back to the hotel to charge our things and chill out for a bit. We got dressed up then in proper clothes and make-up to go out for dinner. I made a detour into Decathlon and spent 140 euros on hiking sandals and clothes lol.
We continued to walk around a few more shops and went to a delish place for dinner called JOIA – we got pizza, salad, focaccia bread, and cocktails! They were yummy, tempted to go for more but we strolled home, back to our lovely hotel for our last night…Nuala sneaked downstairs to the kitchen to get hot water for us all so we could have tea haha!!
Day 2 – August Sat 12th – Chamonix – Hike up Planpraz (18km) – Flegerie – Chamonix
We got up at 8 am and went down for our lovely last free brekkie! I made some sambos for my hike later 😉 Jen went off hiking the last section of the TDMB for the day and I went hiking up underneath the Planpraz Cable Car route. It was really steep, I had a break at an altitude of 2000m. There were loads of paragliders around. I went on to Flegere, I did a bit of a train run here as it was a little flat and around the edge of the mountain, with nice views. Had a few breaks and then ran back to Chamonix. It was 18km in total, it felt good though and I love the wine shorts I bought in Decathlon, so light, big, and stretchy!! There were lots of cute little rest spots and cafes on the way back to Chamonix!
I met Nuala and we went to Arctic for a coffee. I was hungry then and had my packed sambo lol. Jen came to meet us then and woohoo she finished the TDMB !!! Delighted and had no pain in her knee thank god! We all went to get our bags then and walked 20 mins to our hostel. Well, after coming from all the lovely accommodation that we had on our trip, it was looking a little run down and a bit dirty tbh (I’m being kind)! Nuala was having an internal shit fit hahaha. We showered and had soup and bread for dinner. We walked into town and met Jen, we got snacks and beers and walked to Beckett + Wilde, we drank outside and went inside as there was live music playing. It was an Irish bar and they were playing great songs. It was a nice night, we played some pool and stayed till about 1 am (some girl got us shots and we were not able for them, so bad haha). Went to bed at 12.30 pm. There were two VERY LOUD French boys in our dorm room.
Day 3 – August Sun 13th – Chamonix – Walk to Les Houches – Chamonix
We were up and awake at 7 am. Nuala was never so happy to get up and out of the place hahah!! We all got up and walked into town. We went to Artic for coffee again and sat there for hours. It was so nice. We sat outside the church in the sun for a bit too. I had snacks and did some reading. We walked Nuala to the bus…sad times 🙁 her flight was later that day. Ah, we had a ball on the trip!! I went for another coffee with Jen near the cable car and then I went for a long walk to Les Houches, there was nothing open around there which I found strange so I got the bus back. I strolled around a bit more, I got a white top in a charity shop and met Jen in The Pub. I had a beer and there we got sambos and salads and sat in the park for a bit. It was so nice and sunny. She headed on back and I chilled there for a little longer and rang Dad. I went into a few souvenir shops and got a cute Chamonix hiking cup lol. I walked back for 6 pm, sorted my bags slightly, and had a shower. I sat in the kitchen with a beer and wrote in my diary until 9 pm. Jen joined me for a bit. There were a few sound people around and we headed up to the room at about 10 and were asleep by 11 pm.
Day 4 – August Mon 14th – Chamonix – Argentines (run) – Hike to Mer du Glace
Up at 8 am. Wow, those two boys were SO LOUD!! Like banging around the place haha. Jen headed off at 9 am – she was getting her flight back home today :0(.. and then there was one! I went for a run to Argentines, it was more like a run-walk, half road, half trail. It was nice. I got some groceries in a little supermarket there and a takeaway coffee. I got the bus back to the hostel. I freshened up, had food, and made sandwiches for my hike. I went off again at 12.30. I hiked up to Mer De Glacé – Jesus it was very hot then and quite steep too! I ended up walking through an amusement park thing first and then followed the ski slope up to start the hike.
It took about 2 hours to climb up and it was very hot. You are walking alongside the steep train that goes up there. It looked pretty cool. I got up to the top and there was this big stone building with a cafe there. I went into the museum and then got the free cable car down into the glacier!! Then you have to continue and walk 500 steel steps down into the ice cave. Then you walk back up them. The cave was cool, in and out in five minutes, took some pics and that. It was quite busy and you can get stuck behind some crowds on the way back up. I am glad I went down to see it though. There was a documentary film you can watch about the glacier too, in the museum.
I hiked back around the top and down a different way by a really cool place called ROCHERS DES MOTTETS. It had these see-through glamping tents too, so class!! I sat for a well-earned break on the rocks with my flask of coffee and my sandwich. It was so blissful and I was just taking in all the views and processing the wonderful holiday, scenery, and fantastic places I had been. I got back to the hostel at 6ish. I chilled for a bit and went for a stroll into the city. I popped into Decathlon again. I sat by the church and had a beer and people watched and then back again at 8.30. There was a great buzz around the place and there was a concert or something on in the forest (apparently for the GUIDE FESTIVAL 12 – 15th August – for all tour guides in Chamonix – Massilia Sound System)!! I sat in the kitchen for a bit, had dinner and tea, and chatted to some lads there. I went up to bed at 10.30. I can’t believe this is my last night here!! I LOVE Chamonix so, so much!!!! What a special wonderful trip getting to do TDMB with great friends. Off to Albania tomorrow to see Jen, Lennie, and the HK gang. More adventures ahead :0)
Day 5 – Depart Chamonix – :0(
I got up at 8 am. I chatted to a girl from Porto in Portugal for a bit and I was chatting to her about how I loved Porto and about doing the Camino there with my mam! I had some brekkie and walked to my bus at 9.30 to Geneva to catch my flight to Tirana with Easy Jet @ 2 pm for the next adventure! 🙂