Aiguille du Midi
Motivation for this trip was driven by my daughter Claire and her fiance Lochy. Both of them had qualified to run in the Chamonix Ultra Trail Mont Blanc (UTMB) event. Claire took on the challenge of a 171 km run around the mountain. She completed 128 km of the loop. Lochy also completed a similar distance before succumbing to hypothermia.
Over three weeks, the farmer and I travelled to Switzerland (Geneva and Zermatt), Italy (Milan and Genoa), France (Annecy, Chamonix, Nice, Antibes, Cannes, Eze and Lyon) and Monaco (Monte Carlo). Pictures from the snow-covered mountains to quaint little villages, churches to castles, fashion houses to local markets, beaches to boating, royalty to oligarchy are below.
Back at the farm, we were facing a drought. The wheat and barley had been sown but the rain was inadequate to enable growth. It has often been the experience of physically removing oneself from the farm to reduce stress. This trip was our escape. The poor exchange rate between the AUD and the Euro meant that it was an expensive trip. We took many buses and trains between cities. These forms of transport were mostly reliable and efficient. We dined at various restaurants and cafes but found it much cheaper, easier and healthier to buy at the local food stores and eat in the parks.
