The rubbish view Mont Blanc has to put up with...

This is what you see if you look from Mont Blanc over the tops of the Chamonix valley and off to the north.  Looks like another country, though definitely not the Netherlands (too hilly) and almost certainly not Vatican City (not enough churches and that).

What we need to consider is why is the dominant bird species up here the mountain crow?  We have seen one red kite, some sparrows and chaffinches in the valley and that's it!  Surely we should be mobbed by eagles in a place like this?  I blame Allo Allo.  And that bloke who was brought in to run the Millenium Dome.  And Jacques Tati.  Or do I mean Jacques Cousteau?  Must stop drinking before blogging...

More Chamonix Valley tripe

A bit more of a view done on my phone with the simulated fisheye jobby.  Today we are mostly walking the balcon du nord of the Chamonix  valley meaning we have to look at chuffing Mont Blanc all day.  Much like Cleethorpes if you ask me.  Don't know what all the fuss is about.

A Stroll Above Chamonix

Not too bad for a camera phone under these lighting circumstances?  Walked from the halfway cablecar station on the Aiguille du Midi along to the Mer de Glace.  First proper use of trekking poles.  Got sore hands but good knees. :-)

Mer de Glace

The Mer de Glace Glacier which is now about a quarter of the thickness it was a hundred years ago, but still a bit on the big side; the grotto within it is a pretty tawdry affair with extremely modest sculptures and half hearted lighting displays.  Still, how often do you get to wander about inside a glacier?

Small lady, big mountain

Let there be no further argument; Mont Blanc is bigger than Julie Henrickson.  And it's cold

Chamonix

To Chamonix and the Mer de Glace campsite.  Plenty of time to plot an ascent on Mont Blanc as it's given rain for the whole of tomorrow.  And Thunder.  And Lightning.  Weevils in ship's biscuits, no fresh water since Gibraltar.  Or something.

Lake Annecy

Lake Annecy is beautiful and scenic.  Unfortunately this appears not to be a terribly well kept secret as half of France is in Annecy or the bits of the lake near it.  Fortunately we cleverly decided to circumnavigate the lake a bicyclette.  Unfortunately the cycle track didn't have the same plan and we had to improvise on the Eastern shore.  "Hot" is a vague term; this ride was chuffing hot at least.  JJ admits to a moderately elevated grumpyometer reading.  Cured eventually by repeated application of ice and G and T.