Kosciuszko National Park

This was truly an unforgettable trip. Five years later, and I can still remember vividly how I felt driving down the Snowy River Road, walking atop Mount Kosciuszko, and that sense of survival instinct kicking in the whole time... Yes, there's a lot to be learned from this trip, which Amber and I incorporated into a longer road trip from Sydney to Melbourne.

For this route, we had decided to take the more inland roads, ironically aiming to make the trip shorter. We were driving in Amber's twenty year old cherry red Daihatsu. It's not surprising that the car didn't last much longer after this trip.


Thredbo

Things started off pleasantly. After driving past Canberra (which most tourists would probably want to stop and see) and then staying the night in Cooma, we drove up to Mount Kosciuszko National Park. In winter, Thredbo becomes the major skiing destination in NSW. In summer, the gondolas continue to run people up and down the mountain. On a nice warm day we took a gondola up to the mountain top. All I can say is this place is totally underrated. The Blue Mountains can absolutely step aside for the glory of best mountain range in NSW, they've got nothing on Kosciuszko!

On the mountain top, in summer, lies a rocky green-fuzzed landscape with mountain peaks in the distance, valleys spotted with low shrubs and streams and fairy dust. You can hike to the absolute top of the mountain. By the time we got about a third of the way, we were at a viewpoint where you can see the tallest mountains in the range.

We were also able to view the three electrical storms closing in on the mountain. As much as I'd love to stay and soak in the beauty of that view, I figure the top of the tallest mountain in Australia is probably NOT the best place to be during a lightning storm, or any storm for that matter. We ran back to the gondola to catch it before they stopped them from running. On the way down in the gondola, we got drenched in rain, but we missed the lightning so I'll still call that a win.

Snowy River Road

NOT to be confused with The Snowy River Way. We actually stopped by Jindabyne on the way to Melbourne, to top up with fuel. So forever eternally infinitely grateful that we did this. From here, I even correlated our current MelWays Victorian map with the GPS instructions. All looked good - we were headed towards a highway.

WRONG!!

As directed by both maps, and with the GPS reassurance, we headed down the Snowy River Road. Oh how could we be so fooled! Don't get me wrong, this road drives like a dream... If you have a 4WD fully loaded with fuel, snacks, and a few hours to kill. The beginning of the road is deceptively normal. About 20km down the track, you enter the national park with a turn down a steep hill. The steep hills continues for a while... all thoughts of turning back are gone, since reversing up that hill is not an option. It took 10km of driving before we found a rest stop to pull over and figure out what was going on. Some lovely people were out with their 4WD, having driven the other direction - they showed us a map. We were on a 100km long unimproved road. Now, at this point, it hadn't taken us that long to drive 10km. We though, if this is what the road is like, sure, we'll be fine to keep going. I can't help but sigh as I write this.

We persisted. The road is worse than a dirt track, it's a corrugated dirt track covered with slippery foliage. In some parts the road barely fits two cars to pass each other, and it features steep cliffs with no barriers for safety. This would be fine if it weren't for all the vehicles ploughing through the hairpin turns and nearly pushing us off the edge of the road.

No image stabilisation in the world could make a focussed picture when driving on this road. Oh, by the way, that dirt track edging off the cliff IS the road.

Needless to say, I spent about 4 hours of this drive checking for reception so I could inform my parents where to send the search party. No reception. We passed many a campsite - awesome place to camp backcountry by the way - places like No Name (really) and Suggan Buggan. We drove to the tops and bottoms of these mountains. Our GPS couldn't locate us (this was 2008 by the way, and back in those days GPS couldn't navigate a signal being bounced around in the mountains).

The drive through the 100km trail alone took about 4-5 hours in the little Daihatsu, but it felt endless. There was no place to switch driver, and poor Amber was at the edge of her seat concentrating the whole time. Then, a sigh of relief as we hit a flat dirt road. You know when you drive on a poor quality road for so long, that a pot-holed dirt track feels like smooth sailing? Well... that's how bad the Snowy Mountain Road was. We hit a town called Seldom Seen. The only business in the town? Why, the Seldom Seen Crash Repairs, of course.

Maybe it was the adrenaline induced delirium, but they were some pretty mountains.

Eventually we reached a tar road (cue a heavenly angelic choir here), and kept along our way to Melbourne, stopping in Lake's Entrance for the night.

Now, in an appropriate vehicle, I would love to drive this road again. I've never seen a forest like this in Australia, and honestly, it doesn't even feel like Australia to be in these mountains. There were several backcountry campsites that we passed that looked adventurous to say the least.

The moral of this story: Never trust the GPS.

Alberta 4: Banff National Park

Tuesday, June 26

Mike and I had a few hiccups with our check-in, where the key cards failed to work several times during our stay, but the hotel was receptive to our feedback and I think we were just unlucky. Either that or Mike is electronically charged to interfere with the magnetised keys. The hotel manager compensated us very generously for this inconvenience and sent us a card on the day of check out - to the point where I get the impression that problems like this are rare. This was my parents' second stay at the Rimrock, and they still only have good things to say about the place even with all things considered.

View on the trail to Lake Agnes Teahouse

We visited the hot springs nearby the hotel in the late afternoon. The view from the springs is beautiful, and the cool evening weather was just right for it. We only spent under an hour here and didn't feel the need to go back - there is just the one pool and it's fairly busy. If you're going to visit, it's probably worthwhile getting the single entry first to see if it's a place you want to return to.

Banff

For dinner, we went to the Grizzly House. This restaurant came strongly recommended by a colleague of Mike's. We had their price fix menu involving a vegetable fondue starter, and a platter of raw game meats to fry up ourselves - korean BBQ style. This included bison, elk, rattlesnake, frog, and kangaroo. We really liked the vegetable fondue, the meats in the platter were hit or miss. One disappointment was the kangaroo meat was a substitute for one of their usual offerings (I think either moose or bear). Coming from Australia where kangaroo meat is becoming commonplace, it's presence at this restaurant didn't impress us and we'd have preferred a Canadian game. The rattlesnake was weird... if you're adventurous enough to try it I know I can't stop you, but I wouldn't recommend it at all.


Wednesday, June 27

Botanical Gardens in Banff

My dad had just read the book Wheat Belly, and made a recent resolution to remove wheat from his diet. This was all well and good for our meaty dinners, but after such a heavy meal last night we really felt like something light and had to make it wheat free. This is how we stumbled across an amazing cafe. I loved everything about this place - it happens to offer gluten free, free trade, organic, vegan etc products but was not at all pretentious about it. With wheat free options it was just what we needed to meet Dad's new food requirement. This place was so good that we went back every morning for the exact same dish (the granola bowl with berry compote and yoghurt), then bought some granola to take home with us. My mouth is watering just thinking of that dish... It's goes without saying I think you should try out the Wild Flour Bakery. We also found it easy to park near the bakery on each morning we visited.

We took a walk around town during the morning. Banff is just beautiful and there's so much to see there. We spent some time shopping at the Banff Farmer's Market, and in the Town Centre shopping mall. We visited the botanical gardens at the south end of Banff Ave, near Cave St.

In the afternoon we drove to Canmore, and my parents stayed in town while Mike and I went horse riding on a short trail ride. This place provides rides through its ranch which is just outside of Banff. We did one of the more advanced rides, which involved some steep and muddy paths. I enjoyed the ride with these guys, but it didn't provide the Banff-themed scenery I was expecting, the atmosphere was much more cowboy-ranch inspired.

Brewster Kananaskis Ranch

Thursday, June 28

Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau

Mirror Lake

Today we visited the famous Lake Louise. This lake is special for a few reasons, like the glacier in the distance, the crystal blue water, and the beautiful architecture of the Fairmont Chateau. My parents stayed to walk around the lake while Mike and I hiked uphill to the Lake Agnes teahouse. I won't lie, I found the mostly uphill hike a bit tiresome. Of course, it's nothing compared to the Inca Trail, but I still stopped a few times for a breather and some snacks on the way. The hike all in all took us about 2 hours round trip. You'll walk up the mountain on one side of Lake Louise, and at the top of the mountain you'll pass a waterfall just before reaching the tea house. On the way up you'll pass Mirror Lake and the Beehive, a scene that we unanimously felt superseded Lake Agnes. Even if you don't intend to walk the entire way to the tea house, it's worth coming up this far.

View from Lake Agnes

Lake Agnes lies at a higher altitude than Lake Louise, and the water here is completely still and clear, providing a mirror image of the mountains towering above it. A stream from the lake runs towards a waterfall, and you can cross a bridge to see the top of the waterfall and the valley below. The tea house was selling snacks like sandwiches for about $10, so best to bring some snacks with. It's understandable since staff carry the food up the mountain and the garbage down the mountain each day.

Lake Agnes

While we were munching on protein bars on our way back down the mountain, my parents were taking in tea and pastries at the Fairmont. When we returned and joined them, the staff at the Fairmont seemed to have difficulty seating us outside even though several seats were available. It was a bit unclear who we should even ask to be seated, and I certainly expect better service from such an icon of the hospitality industry.

Lake Louise

Moving on, we drove that little bit further to my Dad's favourite, Lake Moraine. I've got to agree with him on this one, Lake Moraine can only be more beautiful than Lake Louise. From the parking lot, you can take a trail around the lakeside to a viewpoint on the lake, or you can take a trail up a rocky knoll to a viewpoint that you might recognise from some CA$20 bills.

Lake Moraine

Johnston Canyon Waterfall

Johnston Canyon Waterfall was the next attraction to see today. It's a short trail again, definitely under an hour to see the waterfall, with much of the trail being boardwalk, and part of it through forest.

We stopped by the Bison for dinner, but they were full booked so we made a reservation for tomorrow. Instead we went to Earl's, which has a varied menu from it's Toronto location.








Friday, June 29

Following another breakfast at the Wild Flour, we visited the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. We explored the lobby and outdoor grounds of the hotel.

View of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Fairmont Banff

After this, Mike and I did the hike up Tunnel Mountain. This walk takes about an hour from the upper trail head where we parked the car. Some people were walking even further to the trail all the way from Banff (which add's a lot more uphill to the mix). It's a popular hike to yet another beautiful lookout.

Tunnel Mountain Trail

Finally, we had our much anticipated dinner at the Bison. Move over Grizzly House, because the Bison was some premium fare! We were all excited by the entrees as they arrived, and this was definitely our best meal for the whole trip.

We stayed one last night in Banff, and drove to Calgary airport in the morning to catch our flight home.

Previous: Icefields Parkway

Alberta 3: Icefields Parkway

Tuesday, June 26

This day was dedicated to the drive from Jasper to Banff. We stopped several times along the way to see the attractions and the wildlife.

Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park

We had already done the hike through the Valley of the Five Lakes (this one takes at least 1 hour), and visited Athabasca and Sunwapta Falls. Driving south from Sunwapta, our next destination was the Columbia Icefields. The terrain in the icefields changes drastically, and the true meaning of the "rockies" is highlighted in this area.

Entering the Columbia Icefields

Guided excursions onto the glacier either by bus or hiking can be arranged at the welcome centre. We didn't take the tour, and instead parked at the base and hiked to the edge of the glacier. I shouldn't even call it hiking. Yes there's a little bit of uphill, but it's more of a leisurely stroll to this glacier. As you walk, you pass signs indicating where the glacier used to reach, and this helps you appreciate exactly how much glacier recedes each decade.

Columbia Glacier viewpoint

Mountain goats crossing the Icefields Parkway

The next major stop is Peyto Lake. There are two places to park to view Peyto lake - both leading to the same lookout. Tourists are supposed to park cars in the lower parking lot, for a longer walk to the viewpoint. In poor weather or if you have mobility concerns, you could still park in the bus lot, where the walk is much shorter (about 150 meters, but involves a steep hill for part of the way), but we weren't confident to stay parked there very long.

Peyto Lake

We bypassed Lake Louise and Lake Moraine today with the intention of visiting them tomorrow. We headed into Banff to check into our hotel, arriving mid-afternoon with the whole evening to spend in Banff.

Previous: Jasper National Park   Next: Banff National Park

Alberta 2: Jasper National Park

Sunday, June 24

The bulk of the driving was done today, taking the famous Icefields Parkway through Banff towards Jasper. The Icefields Parkway is consistently featured in lists showcasing the best drives in the world, and even with the overcast skies and torrential rain its beauty shines through.

Leaving Calgary, you'll pass a large agricultural zone before finally seeing mountains in the distance. You'll drive past Canmore just before entering the park. We did stop by Canmore later in the week to do some horse riding, and the town has cottages and holiday apartments, along with a few quaint stores and cafes in the town centre - a close-enough-to-Banff location which presumably doesn't have Banff prices, although the Banff town centre still has much more options for food and shopping, beyond the unparalleled beauty of the town itself.

Simpson's Num-Ti-Jah Lodge

Hiking to Sunwapta Falls

Entering Banff National Park, we decided to get an annual Parks Canada pass rather than daily passes, and this is worthwhile if you're there for 7 days or more, and even more so if you live elsewhere in Canada and can visit other national parks during the year.

The drive up towards Jasper is increasingly breathtaking the closer you get to Jasper. We stopped briefly for lunch at a hotel situated just off the highway with pristine lake and mountain views. Lunch featured a tasty soup and sandwich, pricey for what it was, but there weren't exactly alternatives in the area and it at least made for a hearty meal. There was a gift shop adjacent to the restaurant which we browsed while waiting for the rain to calm down before we dashed back to the car.

We did a straight shot to our accommodations, about 20 minutes south of Jasper town. We lost a fair amount of the day to rainfall, and eventually decided to attire ourselves in rain gear and go outside anyway, to the nearby Sunwapta Falls. We parked the car and walked out to the falls, and lo and behold, it stopped raining. Seeing the upper falls is right by the car park, and the lower falls is a half hour walk along the river, and a good way to split up the drive a bit.

There was time enough for one more short hike, to the valley of the five lakes. This hike is discouraging initially, when you reach the edge of the woods and discover a stenchy swamp (which was irritatingly loaded with mosquitos). But perseverance pays off, and if you continue 5-10 minutes further you come across a set of lakes ranging from emerald green to opal blue colour. The whole hike took about an hour.

The Valley of Five Lakes

We returned to the hotel and decided to just eat dinner in the restaurant. For dinner, the hotel's restaurant was a bit pricey, but in line with the cost of the area (and the only restaurant until you reach Jasper 20 minutes away). The food reflected the price though, and overall we were happy enough with our choice at this restaurant to return the next night. We tried lunch at the hotel's restaurant the next day though, and that was a real disappointment. During the day they offer cafeteria style food and service for tourists passing by, but at night they pull out full table service and french food incorporating local game. Even if you're staying in Jasper, I'd recommend the drive out to this hotel to eat dinner at the restaurant. It was infinitely better than anything we saw available in Jasper town.

The Valley of Five Lakes

The Sunwapta Falls Rocky Mountain Lodge was about the best hotel you can get in this area. The rooms were a bit outdated (I hear they're planning to fix that), but featured traditional fireplaces, which the staff lit for us each night we were there. I wasn't a fan of the mosquito burden of the area, being mainly in dense forestation and the wet weather certainly didn't help. But I can't say I got any mosquito bites while indoors. We did head in to Jasper the next day and checked out a few other hotels for comparison, and honestly they were all outdated and overpriced. Returning to our hotel after this venture, we were more satisfied that it was the best available and one of the less expensive options, and I don't think any other restaurant would have held up to the standard of dinner we received at Sunwapta.

Monday, June 25

Today was focussed on seeing Maligne Lake, which is just past Jasper and another 20-30 minutes off the Icefields Parkway. This is the place we spotted the most wildlife. We passed several black bears along the roadside, to the point where we didn't bother to stop and look any more. We saw baby bears climbing trees and running after their mother. The was an abundance of elk on this route too.

Black bear family spotted on the way to Maligne Lake

Maligne lake is stunning, and we spent about half an hour walking along the lakeside. There is a few hiking route options and you can follow the path along the lake much longer than we did. We got distracted by the family of bears that came down to the lake and decided to hang out by the path, so that made a bit of a road block for us. A young child attempted to run out towards the bears, I guess they looked cuddly.

View from the Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park

We returned to Jasper to check out the town. You'll see all over TripAdvisor that this town really isn't anything special. This is absolutely true. The town lacks the charm of Banff's architecture, has very little choice by way of food, and the only thing worth seeing there is their supermarket if you're interested in getting snacks and fresh food.

There are plenty of Elk to spot in Jasper National Park

Waterfall visible from the Icefields Parkway

Mike and I returned to the waterfall that is on the Icefields Parkway about 15 minutes south of the hotel, and we climbed to the top of the waterfall for kicks. I really enjoyed the scenery nearby this waterfall - with pink and grey boulders lining the valley towards the mountains.

In the evening we visited the Athabasca Falls. This involves another leisurely walk through some small canyons and forest, and along elevated platforms. The falls are powerful enough that a small rainbow forms in its mists.

We stayed one more night at Sunwatpa. The initial plan was to stay an extra night, but we decided our time would be better spent in Banff and arranged for an earlier checkout.

Previous: Calgary   Next: Icefields Parkway

Alberta 1: Calgary

This trip to Alberta was a real treat. My parents came to visit me from Australia, and they joined Mike and I to see another part of Canada. My parents had been to the Rockies before and fallen in love with it, so naturally it was a place Mike and I had yet to experience and my parents were very happy to return to. So due to some extra family funding, this week got to be more decadent than our usual travels. Honestly though, this is a difficult area to travel cheaply, even the cheapest motels are expensive.

8 Day Alberta Itinerary

Trip Style: Self directed

Transportation: Rental Car

Average Accommodation Cost: CAD$200/night

Travel dates: June 23-30, 2012

Saturday, June 23

We arrived in Calgary airport on Saturday morning, and arranged our car rental easily form the airport. It was fairly easy to find our way to Calgary from here with the aid of google maps. On the way into town, we quickly looked up recommendations online for a brunch spot. We got really excited at the menu for this restaurant and headed there right away to settle our stomachs. We got into town much earlier than expected - the drive in was under half an hour, and we went for a quick walk along the Bow River in Shouldice Park while we waited for it to open. Parking in this area was easy to come by on a Saturday morning. We arrived at the restaurant right at opening time, and were the first to be seated. The dark walls and soft lighting were relaxing compared to the rainy weather outside, but on a sunny day it would be nicer to find a place with a patio. The food was fantastic, I of course had the chocolate banana bread french toast, which surprisingly wasn't as heavy as I had expected - that being a good thing. All four of us were satisfied with our meals, and overall the food and ambience is worth the price.

After brunch we checked in to our hotel early. This hotel may be the best hotel I've ever stayed in. I will dream of the bedding in that hotel for a long time coming, and honestly I would strongly consider buying it for home use if that ever were an option for me. Everything about this place was pure luxury, with modern decor, a rain shower, and no need for their pillow menu because there were several pillows to choose from on the bed already (really, it was like resting on a fluffy cloud).

Just a block north from the hotel on 9th Ave and Centre St, was a pedestrian mall that looked like the main part of downtown Calgary. There are a few cowboy stores to buy tourist products like leather hats, boots and belts. From here you can access the +15, which is an indoor network of bridges connecting the first floors of most of the downtown buildings. I imagine they're designed for the colder months when the weather outside is harsh. Overall the downtown core as a shopping district is small, and quiet on weekends, so I suspect the city centre is mainly catered towards the weekday working crowd.

We ambled aimlessly for a while, until finding ourselves on a map realised we were close to Prince's Island - a massive parkground. This park was beautiful and worth the visit. It really feels like you're not in a city at all. Definitely, Calgary feels more like a town or suburb than a city, with friendly residents, plenty of parks, and small shopping districts scattered in various places. The only city feel we got was the multiple lane roads leading in and out of the city (which were about empty at the time we used them). We wondered around the park until some inclement rain arrived and we had to run for shelter... all the way back in town. We took the +15 back towards the hotel.

Prince's Island

For dinner we went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse with some family friends. Yes, I know, it's a US chain and it was an odd choice to go to the one place that would give us a US raised steak when in the capital of Canada grown beef. But it was pouring buckets outside and the place was steps away from the hotel. And it broils a pretty decent tenderloin to perfection.

Our friends took us for a drive to see some of the Calgary neighbourhoods in the rain. We returned the next day to Kensington for lunch because it seemed a nice place from the car. The neighbourhood is around Kensington Rd and 10 St NW, parking was a little tricky but we found some pay parking on Sunday on one of the side streets. The area has a trendy feel to it, but overall the popular part of the strip is fairly small and takes 10 minutes to walk around.

Next: Jasper National Park

Mornington Peninsula

Melbourne has access to several winery regions, the most popular being the Yarra Valley in the North East, and the Mornington Peninsula in the South East. Here I'm going to focus on the Mornington Peninsula as far as you can throw it for a day or weekend trip.

What I love about the Mornington Peninsula, is that no matter the level of drought in Victoria, this coastal area is always surprisingly green. On the way out, I'm usually in a hurry to leave the city, so I take the M11 south and follow signs towards Red Hill. Once you exit the highway, you'll start to see wineries. Stop in at any one of them and they can provide you with a map of the area.

Most wineries provide inexpensive (and sometimes free) wine tastings, and most will comp the tastings if you decide to buy a glass or bottle of wine. I've only ever had good experiences at the wineries I've tried so far. So far I've enjoyed a delicious charcuterie board at Hickinbotham of Dromana (shared easily between 4-5 people. They also had a chocolate tasting plate that I'll have to go back for). We also shared a selection of tasteful desserts at Darling Park Winery - these guys were fantastic, still serving us food when we arrived at 4pm (their kitchen was closing), and they even gave us some complimentary limoncello shots.

On our way through the winery district, we found a cherry and berry farm that was selling fresh produce. He offered us to try the fruit and it was so good that we brought two buckets each of cherries and blueberries back home with us (most of which didn't make it to Melbourne before getting eaten).









From here, on one occasion we also visited a Hedge Maze, and that took the better half of the afternoon. It's best to get lunch elsewhere beforehand, or bring a picnic for this one, although they do have a cafe available on site to purchase food too.
What I liked about this place was that not only did it have two hedge mazes to navigate, but the gardens that the mazes lead to were enchanting. This is definitely a great experience for kids, but my friends and I in our early twenties still enjoyed it too.

Garden at Ashcombe Maze

A more mature alternative, would be to visit the Hot Springs. This is probably best done early in the morning (when the water feels a bit cleaner from the overnight maintenance), but can be done in the evening for a spectacular sunset view from the top pool. We went in the late afternoon when the ambient temperature had cooled down, and most of the pools were still fairly busy at that time.

On the return drive to Melbourne, I like to drive along Purves Road through Arthur's Seat State Park on the way home, for a stunning view of Port Phillip Bay. From here you can follow signs back to the M11, or head to the beach for a while and take the Nepean Road along the coast for as long as you like.

Switzerland 7: Chamonix

Saturday, September 22

Here we defer a little from the Swiss themed itinerary, with our final night planned in Chamonix, Mont Blanc. On yet another early morning, we found ourselves leaving Montreux for our final destination. We had a leisurely paced drive to Chamonix, in eastern France, at the base of the iconic Mont Blanc.

Mont Blanc, the Alps

Travelling at the edge of the peak summer season, we'd experienced some good and bad weather for our journey. Most days were still sunny and warm, but we occasionally hit some mountain rain. Today was no exception - it was time for the fall weather to catch up with us.

Top of Mont Blanc (2009)

Due to some rather torrential rain, we went to the only indoor place we could find - the marketplace. There were few shops open in the mall, so we geared up with rainproof attire to face the damp outdoors. We hovered from shop to shop down the main street of town, and when the rain had cleared temporarily we stopped by the fresh food market for some strawberries on our way back to the car. They were the good kind of strawberries - small, sweet, freshly picked, with nary a bruise and clearly not genetically modified like the ones in North America. (I'm not on the pure organic locally produced wheat-free etc etc bandwagon, but I don't like the giganticised and starchy texture of genetically modified fruit).

Chamonix town centre

With check-in time finally upon us, we arrived at our hotel, which was about 5 minutes walk from the town centre. This hotel felt luxurious compared to the B&B accommodations we'd been staying in previously, and perfect for a good nights sleep before our flight home.

Since we had just walked around the town, we drove out of town to see what there was to do in the area. If the weather was better, we'd have taken a gondola to the mountain top. We thought we'd try to drive to Val-d'lsere, because Mike had heard it was a nice town to visit. We hesitated when the road turned up a toll road tunnel, of unknown length, with an estimated over 30 minutes wait for traffic to enter the tunnel. This wasn't what we were expecting, so we turned back to Chamonix. Somewhere along this route, we stopped at a tourist sign for a waterfall. Apologies that I can't for the life of me remember the name of the falls, or exactly where along this route, nor can I find it online to show you. It was a short uphill hike to see the falls, but the path was blocked part way up for maintenance, so we didn't see the entire thing either.

Mont Blanc

Back in Chamonix, we researched places to go for dinner and reviews, then got disappointed when our two top picks (both a 5 minute drive from town) were closed. We decided to try our luck in town parked right next to the restaurant we ended up going to. After wandering and browsing menus unproductively, we decided to return to the car, and discovered the right restaurant to top off our gourmet culinary tour of Europe. They had a price fix menu that was perfect for what we wanted. Right down to the chocolate souffle dessert. This was the kind of restaurant to bring a small appetiser before the first course, and a cheese plate before dessert. Even with all of the good food we'd enjoyed on our trip, the Panier des 4 Saisons still managed to impress us.

With that, we settled in for the night. The following morning we departed via Geneva Airport.

Previous: Montreux