Chamonix-Mont-Blanc

Visit Date: Monday, 11th November, 2013

A group of assistants and I decided to take a trip over to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (also known simply as Chamonix). There were 9 of us so we took 2 cars, myself being one of the drivers. The drive was pretty fabulous, we got to drive through the valleys and the mountains and coming down from Chamonix the roads had a lot of twists and turns which made it all the more fun! We had a look around the town, although there wasn't a whole lot to do there. It's mostly a ski town with Mont-Blanc being right on the doorstep. There is a small train that goes up to a cave and a glacier, but the ticket costs 25€ and being a national holiday the cave was closed. We all decided it would be better to spend that 25€ another day when everything was open. Instead we met up with M's friend, J, and some of J's teachers, and we went on a walk through the woods. After that we went for a nice hot chocolate in a cute café and then headed home.

Chamonix hosted the first ever Winter Olympics in 1924 and is one of the oldest ski resorts in France, sometimes referred to as the "gateway to the European Cascades". The north side of the summit of Mont Blanc, and therefore the summit itself are part of the village of Chamonix. The altitude varies between995m and 4,810m, and while we were there the temperature at 2pm was 3○C, and it only got colder as night fell.

Our group of 9

The 6 of our group who went for the walk, plus J and 3 of his teachers

Chamonix, Videos:

360○ View of the mountains as seen from Place du Mont-Blanc:

Us playing catch with a snowball:

Albertville

Visit Date: Saturday, 9th November, 2013

Over the weekend of the 9th, I had a 4 day weekend because of being given Friday off and Monday was a National Holiday. Rather than sitting in my room being bored all weekend, I decided to organise a trip to Albertville with some friends. I drove there and back because it's only an hour away, and although there isn't much to do in the town, it was worth visiting just to say that I've been there. I probably wouldn't go back again because it seems quite obvious that since the Winter Olympics of 1992 the town hasn't had much of a facelift, so it seems quite run down in places. Nevertheless, some parts of it were typically cute in the usual French way, so it deserves a blog post.

The modern city of Albertville was formed in 1836 by King Charles Albert of Sardinia, who merged the medieval town of Conflans, which has buildings dating back to the 14th century, with the town of L'Hôpital. The 1992 Winter Olympics were organised in the Savoy region, with Albertville hosting it. Some of the sports venues were later adapted for other uses. Some sports venues still remain such as the ice rink designed by the architect Jacques Kalisz, although the town is more industrial than touristic.

The Town Hall

Church

Cité des Conflans

Cité des Conflans

Cité des Conflans

Olympic Park

Albertville, Video:
View from near the Cité des Conflans.

Montpellier

From Wednesday, 30th October, 2013 through to Saturday, 2nd November, 2013, myself and two other friends went to Montpellier on holiday. Montpellier is a city in the south of France, on the Mediterranean coast, however the city itself is located approximately 10km inland of the sea. 

We booked a room through the website airbnb, and managed to get this rather cute place in the centre of Montpellier. The only problem with it was that the trains passed quite close and shook the entire basement that we were in. Nevertheless, the room was also frequented by 2 adorable cats, so we didn't mind too much.

The room we stayed in.

 During the day time on our trip, we mostly wandered around the town in an effort to explore. We also had coffee/tea at little cafés and had the apéro. 

Place de la Comédie

La Prefecture

Church of Saint Roch

L'Arc de Triomphe

Palais de Justice

Chateau d'Eau

Walking through the Antigone

Walking through the Antigone

Ca and I during dinner on our first night

Halloween Night, my friend Ca and I went out with Ca's friend Co; I was the devil and she was a cat. We met some French people who invited us to their place that evening and invited us back the next night. It was pretty cool.

Ca and I in our costumes

The only problem I had was coming back to Annecy. My journey was complicated enough with 3 different parts to the route. First I had to go to Valence by train, then take the coach to Grenoble, and then the train over to Annecy. The first two parts went fine, the coach was a little late but I had plenty of time to change at the other end. When I got to Grenoble I looked on the board to find out which platform I needed to be on, but my train didn't seem to exist. I asked the man working on the Welcome Desk, who informed me that there was a strike and there was nothing going back to Annecy tonight, not even if I went via Lyon. So I had a bit of a panic to find a place to stay for the night; luckily I had already booked a room with Grenoble for my Christmas trip, so I had the address and telephone number on my emails. I managed to make my way there and stayed the night. I then got on the train at 7.30am the next morning, but even that had problems. The train had to stop twice due to fault signals, so it took at least 30 minutes longer to get back to Annecy than normal. 

Nevertheless, I had a great time with Ca and B, and the French people we met!

October Update 2013

Switzerland: Basel

Basel is the third most populous city in Switzerland. It sits at the junction of the borders between Switzerland, France and Germany, and some of its suburbs are in fact in France and Germany. The town is approximately 206m above sea level. It was originally called Basilea, meaning 'kingship'. 

For a more general description about what I did each day, please see the main post: 

http://www.fabienne-emilie.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/switzerland.html

Sunday, 27th October, 2013

View towards the town centre over the "River Rhine".

An old watermarked sheet of paper inside the "Basel Paper Museum".

Somewhat more intricate watermarks shown inside the "Basel Paper Museum".

A tray that was used to make watermarks, inside the "Basel Paper Museum".

Old vat, inside the "Basel Paper Museum".

I made my own paper :D (Inside "Basel Paper Museum").

I also got to use some old calligraphy tools, inside the "Basel Paper Museum".

The "Basel Münster" was built between 1019 and 1500, however it only took that long because part of it was destroyed and then rebuilt. It is currently a Reformed Protestant Church and it made of red sandstone.

Monday, 28th October, 2013 

A remaining part of the "Old Town Wall".

The "Rathaus" (Town Hall) is a 500 year old building that has been painted red.

The "Splalentor" is a is a former city gate in the ancient city walls. One of the three remaining gateways, it is regarded as one of the most beautiful gates of Switzerland.

The "University" building of Basel.

"Augusta Raurica" is the site of Roman ruins which lies south-east of the city of Basel, in a village called Augst. 

The "Jean Tinguely Fountain" was installed in 1977.

Basel, Video:

The "Jean Tinguely Fountain"

Switzerland: Zürich/Richterswil

Zürich is the largest city of Switzerland, and the official language is German. The Romans originally called it Turicum when they first settled there in 15 BC. Zürich sits approximately 409m above sea level, and sits about 30km north of the Swiss Alps. 

For a more general description about what I did each day, please see the main post: 

http://www.fabienne-emilie.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/switzerland.html

Friday, 25th October, 2013

Outside the "Lindt & Sprüngli Factory" there were a few of these Lindt Bear Cars.

The "Kunstmuseum" (Fine Arts Museum), which currently houses an exhibition of Edward Munch's artwork, included the most recognisable piece 'The Scream'.

Saturday, 26th October, 2013

The view over "Lake Zürich" from Richterswil, which is approximately 30 minutes south of the town centre of Zürich by metro. Richterswil sits on the western side of the lake, and it is much cheaper to stay there.

The "Swiss National History Museum" is housed in a building dating back to 1898.

The "Swiss National History Museum" building is due to have a new section added in the recent future. From what I saw of the plans, it will be a fairly modern space made up of strange shapes, completely in contrast to the rest of the building, meaning I wasn't too keen on the design.

The "Rathaus" (Town Hall) of Zürich, which juts out onto the river, was built between 1694 and 1698.

The current "Opera" was built in 1891 after the previous building was burnt down.

Switzerland: Bern

Bern, also known as Berne in French, is the 5th most populous city in Switzerland. The official language of this region of Switzerland is German, however the is a Bernese dialect. The town is supposedly named after "bear" because this was the first animal that the founder of the city found while hunting. Bern is approximately 500m above sea level, with the closest mountains being the Gurten and the Bantiger.

For a more general description about what I did each day, please see the main post: 

http://www.fabienne-emilie.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/switzerland.html

Wednesday, 23rd October, 2013

The main building of the "University of Bern", which was founded in 1834. 

The Bern "Kunstmuseum" (Fine Arts Museum), established in established in 1879, is the oldest art museum in Switzerland with a permanent collection. Its holdings run from the Middle Ages to contemporary art.

The "Bear Park" in Bern with a tightrope walking bear above it.

One of the bears in the "Bear Park". The earliest records show that the bears were held in a pit from 1513, but only recently was the large, more open enclosure built for the bears due to a high number of complaints about the conditions the bears were forced to live in.

The "Rathaus" (Town Hall), built between 1406 and 1415.

Thursday, 24th October, 2013

The "Bern Historical Museum", built in 1894. The was one of my favourite museums due to the large amount of things that were inside.

The "Federal Palace", overlooking the river. The building was completed in 1902.

The Swiss Federal Assembly (federal parliament) and the Federal Council are housed in the "Federal Palace of Switzerland".

Construction of the "Bern Münster" started in 1402, however the tower (with a height of 100.6m) was not finished until 1893.

Inside the "Bern Münster", which is a Swiss Reformed Cathedral.

The "Marktgasse" of Bern is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site that covers the Old City of Bern; it was first mentioned in records in the 13th Century. 

The "Marktgasse" includes a number of different clock towers and fountains. Above is the "Zytglogge", also built in the 13th Century.

The medieval tower which houses the "Zytglogge" has served the city as guard tower, prison, clock tower, centre of urban life and civic memorial.

Further down the "Marktgasse" where a fountain stands outside another medieval tower.

The "Swiss National Bank" sits in the same square as the "Federal Palace of Switzerland".

Fountains outside the "Federal Palace of Switzerland".

Bern Video:

View from the top of the "Münster"