Albertville is a well-known city as the venue of the 1992 Winter Olympics, and Glignon is the neighboring town, which is famous for its preservation of the medieval buildings. It stands on the hill and commands a fine view.

There is a gate to enter the town. And you will see many old buildings inside. It is like a time-travel.

Very quiet and calm. Each building contributes to the whole landscape.

And when you go up to the top of the hill, you will find a small park which offers you a nice panoramic view. The third photo above shows a Savoie flag. Like Corsica and Basque, Savoie is also seeking independence. I saw a slogan “Savoie libre” ( Savoie free) many times while driving.

Another sign I often saw was “cooperative”. It is a cooperative of cheese makers. I hear that in the Alps such a cooperative is everywhere.

And I visited one of them named Beaufort. In this shop, I learned the history of cheese and studied the process of cheese making.

These are the photos found in the lobby. They show how people were making cheese in the past. It was very interesting.

And this is the present time. I saw a man working in the automated room (the photo on the left). He was turning upside down the cheese sent by the machine. On the basement floor (in the middle), I found a cheese cellar. It was humid and full of cheese smell !!! Can you imagine how strong it was? And, of course, I bout fresh cheese there. It was delicious, of course. If you find a sign “cooperative,” why don’t you stop by? I’m sure you will find good cheese.

The Alps divides Europe into the east and west side, and Mont Blanc (4810m) separates France and Italy. In such dynamic mountains, there are a number of hiking trails. I hear that even a hiking map is sold at a shop.

My husband’s parents love walking in nature, and they took us to one of the mountains for hiking. My husband and I also love nature, so we were very excited.

The First Day

We arrived at the start of the hiking trail called Sentier du Char. Studying the course carefully, we started to walk in the mountains. No people, no cars, no noise, except the bell sound of cows. The sky is clear, the air is fresh, and cool breezes encouraged me to walk on. It was a four-hour walking.

Very peaceful. I felt like time runs very slowly there.

There is a lake in the distance. We had a rest for a while, looking down at the lake.

Many cows are spending their time tranquilly there, too.

I discovered many different faces of the mountains.

I discovered a lot of nature, too. Mushrooms, wild berries, and raspberries.

My husband picked up this much! They were very sweet.

My legs were heavy, and to make a few steps required a lot of effort.

The fresh cold water was much more delicious after the long walking.

The Second Day

This time we chose a hiking trail near the place where we were staying (Jarsy). We couldn’t reach the top because of the storm, but I’ll show some of the photos I took on the way.

We walked 4 hours again on that day, too. We saw many marmots there. They have poor eye sight, so it is possible to observe them from a distance.

And a storm was nearing.

These are flowers I found in the Alps.

Each flower is unique and beautiful.

I found many things in nature that I can’t find in a city.

Aix-les-bains is a city located in the south of Annecy. “Aix” comes from a Latin word which means “water or a spring,” and “bains” means “a bath” in French. Aix-les-bains is therefore a city of a spring. The water comes from the Alps, and it runs into Lac du Bourget (Lake Bourget). So the lake is like a bath.

In this city I visited one famous restaurant with my husband and his parents. The restaurant is called AUBERGE LAMARTINE. It stands by the lake and commands a fine view. They serve the sausage made from fish caught in the lake.

This is the view from the restaurant.

This is the menu I had. The fish sausage is in the middle.

AUBERGE LAMARTINE ：

Route du Tunnel du Chat
73370 Le Bourget du Lac

Tel : 04 79 25 01 03
Fax: 04 79 25 20 66

Homepage

Scarecrows found in Aix-les-bains!

Everyone is an artist in France!

Megeve is one of the resort villages in France, which is situated at the foot of the Alps. Especially in the winter, this town becomes crowded with many skiers. But even in the summer, it is worth visiting to escape from the scorching heat of the continent (Since I’m from an island surrounded by the seas in all directions, the hot and dry air is intolerable). The summer in a concrete city is a torture! So I decided to visit there. Besides, I had never seen Mont Blanc before.

click here

First a lot of beautiful flowers welcomed me in the town. All houses are also decorated with more flowers, and I felt like I was in the fairy tale story.

Megeve is also known as a very rich town. It is called Saint-Tropez in the mountains. Saint-Tropez is a town on the Mediterranean Sea. We have a page about the town for more information (click here). In Megeve, they have a casino, and brand-name shops are lined up on the neat street. You can see how rich they are.

Of course cafés and restaurants are everywhere. It must be good to have lunch under the sun.

Look, everywhere it’s filled with flowers.

As I already mentioned, Megeve is famous as a ski resort, and there are many cable cars running in the mountains. The one I took was Telecabin du Mont d’Arbois, which leads to the top of Mont d’Arbois (1833ｍ). When I reached the summit, I was so excited to find the panoramic view of the Alps. Mont Blanc was right there! (I know it’s far away in reality, though.)

I also hear that it is rare to see the figure of Mont Blanc because it is always covered with some cloud, but I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of it, even just for a few seconds.

There is also a three-star hotel standing on the summit, named L’igloo. I was very curious about what kind of people were spending their holidays in such a nice place. Some small children were swimming in the pool which belonged to the hotel. It must be cool to swim looking up to the Alps.

There are several hiking courses, too. It is always an option to have fun in a ski resort in the summer.

The panorama of the Alps from Mont d’Arbois　 click here

Telecabin du Mont d’Arbois ： 220, route du téléphérique 74120 Megève
Tel ：04 50 21 22 07
Fax ：04 50 21 31 39
Round-trip ticket ：　Adult ：€10.20/Child ：€8.70
Service daily　：　9：00~13：00/14：00~18：00

La Sainte Chapelle (The Holy Chapel)

The nearest subway station is Cité on line 4. When you get out of the station, first you find the police building in front, and the building you see in a little distance on your right hand is the Palais de Justice (a law court). On the Cite island, La Sainte Chapelle is standing on the premises of the court of justice. There is always a line of people on the street waiting to get inside. I had been long wondering what the line was for … because I didn’t know much about the chapel.

Through the narrow ticket gate, I first got lost because I thought the building I entered was already a part of the chapel, but actually it was not, and I had to get out of the building behind again. Then, I found Sainte Chapelle outside, and again I showed my ticket at the window to be allowed to get into the chapel. It’s like a maze.

Le Palais de Justice (left) and La Sainte Chapelle (right)

Before entering the chapel, here I show you a small summary of the history of La Saint Chapelle.

Back in the 13th century, Louis IX, who was then called Saint Louis, obtained Christ’s crown of thorns from Beaudoin II, the Emperor of Constantinople, for a considerable sum, and later some more relics. The chapel was built to house the relics of the Passion of Christ.

the lower chapel

the upper chapel

La Sainte chapelle also attracts people for its world biggest stained glass (15m). It is also the oldest in Paris.

Standing in the brilliant space, I felt like I traveled back to the past. Light comes in from all the directions through the colorful stained glass windows, which makes the space look like a kaleidoscope. I can’t believe I didn’t know such a place for a long time.

【 La Sainte-Chapelle Entrance】
4 boulevard du Palais 　75001 Paris
Tel: 33/(0)1 53 40 60 80
Fax: 33/(0)1 53 40 60 90

【 Open】
9:30 am—6:00 pm　March 1 ~October 31
9:00 am-5:00 pm　November 1 ~ February 29

【 Closed】
January 1, May 1, December 25

【 Admission fee】　€7.5　*combination ticket for La Saint Chapelle and LaConciergerie €11.50

【 Related website】　La Sainte Chapelle

Conciergerie

La Conciergerie means guard. Once again I had to get out of the compound of the law court and looked for another line of people on the street. On the same street, there are two different gates. One is for La Saint Chapelle, and the other one is for La Consiergerie. It’s really a labyrinth!! I was very confused where to go and asked people for the direction. Well, I almost got into the law court, but it is not there!

This building was originally built as a palace by order of Philippe IV. However, in the 14th century it was changed into a prison, and after the French Revolution in the 18th century, many aristocrats and revolutionists were imprisoned before execution. One of them was Marie-Antoinette. The cell where she spent her last 76 days (from August to October in 1793) is also re-created.

The cell Marie-Antoinette was confined in.

The pitcher which is believed to have been used by Marie-Antoinette.

【 La Conciergerie Entrance】
2, boulevard du Palais 　75001 Paris
Tel: 33/(0)1 53 40 60 93
Fax: 33/(0)1 53 40 60 96

【 Open】
9:30 am—6:00 pm　March 1 ~October 31
9:00 am-5:00 pm　November 1 ~ February 29

【 Closed】
January 1, May 1, December 25

【 Admission fee】　€6.5　*combination ticket for La Saint Chapelle and La Conciergerie €11.50

【 related website】　La Conciergerie