MONT BLANC and HIKING

                         Spectacular Scenery Every Day

            At the cable car station we learned there were two meters (6’) of snow on the north face of Mont Blanc. The north face is straight up. We boarded the cable car which holds 55 people---packed in like sardines. There is no fear of falling since you can’t move.  When we reached 7600-feet at Plan de l’ Aiguille we changed cable cars to reach the Aiguille de Midi at 12,700-feet. From here it was a hike up to the top of Mont Blanc and is only for the experienced hiker.

The scenery was spectacular!  We walked across a bridge and took an elevator to the top of de Midi. The ice tunnel we walked through was rapidly melting, and a fellow constantly was removing slush. In a couple of weeks the tunnel would be melted and gone.

 The rapidly moving clouds were like a fine mist or light fog, disappearing almost as soon as you saw them. As the afternoon moved on, the wind came up at the top getting cold enough to reach for a jacket. We spent all afternoon moving around, enjoying the scenery and taking pictures.

           

      The first morning François, our local guide, met us at the hotel. From the hotel we went straight up a good way before reaching the path. The hills just killed me, but I kept telling myself that on the plus side I was getting a great aerobic workout as I huffed and puffed along.

      The rocky four-hour path with lots of tree roots meandered through forests with frequent undulations. At times the path was extremely narrow and on the edge. Our guide pointed out where a large chunk of the mountain rock had fallen in June of ’97. Apparently the smaller pieces of rock had been held on by ice and when the ice melted the rock fell. He had before and after pictures and was very good with visuals. The views were breath-taking, and hand gliders were out in force on the beautiful day. it was straight down over a narrow rough, switch-back path that ended at a lovely picnic area. Timing was perfect for lunch!

      It was a shock to all of us to learn that serious rock climbers do not check in with anyone at Mont Blanc. The attitude is to let a relative or someone know what and where you are going. Then if you don’t return as expected they can take action. The ear pieces that we had everywhere but Switzerland were a great help in hearing all that was said, no matter where we were!

           

      We walked to the station in time to catch the 10 AM rack and pinion train to go see the ice cave. Built in 1908, it was a 20 minute climb to Mer de Glace, a 7 K glacier 1200 X 200 meters. It was another beautiful sunny day so we had wonderful views of the spectacular scenery.  From the top it was 400 steps down to the cave, and except for a long uphill climb, there is no other way up! The stairs had handrails and there was a small platform after every few stairs. Resting gave us time to enjoy the scenery and to realize just how far the glacier had receded.

      Again a couple of fellows were shoveling away slush. The cave was not overly cold. It was fair size and had a few ice sculptures inside, notably a polar bear and a pair of hot tubs. Colored lights were strung about inside. The blue hue bouncing off the walls was magnificent.

      It was a slow but steady slog back up the 400 steps to the top. The train got us back to the city in time for a late lunch at a sidewalk café on the square.

      Our two weeks were over and we had done no shopping, so we wandered around at least looking for a tee shirt. Tomorrow we’d be back in Geneva, Switzerland and it was a Sunday. Eventually all good things come to an end!

ROMAN RUINS

                                       Fantastic Large Ruins             

            I hadn’t planned it but I knew we would be at the large Roman Ruins  in Aosta on my birthday. Aosta (oo sta—the a is silent) was an hour and a half ride from our base in Cogne, Italy. Located in the northwestern corner of Italy in the center of the Aosta valley the city stands at an altitude of 1900-feet, and is bounded on the north by Switzerland and to the west by France.

            Founded in 25 BC by Romans, primarily as a military camp, it is often called Rome of the Alps. The area was established where two roads intersected. Surrounded by mountains, Medieval Aosta with its cobbled streets and overhanging upper stories is a charming old alpine town. Houses are double story, made of stucco and painted various colors. Slate roofs are the most common. With a population of 25,000 the city is the largest in the valley. Walking around the historic center is easy as no cars are allowed.

             The spectacular mountains, four of which -- Mont Blanc, Cervino (also known as the Matterhorn), Monte Rosa and Gran Paradiso -- stand higher than 13,123 feet.

            A local guide walked us around the extensive Roman ruins, stopping often during the three hours to explain what we were seeing. I’ve seen many Roman ruins in many different places over the years, but except in Rome, most often they were viewed from above frequently through protective glass. It was a thrill to walk through the gates and to walk among the well preserved ruins.

South entrance

            We started on the south side of the extensive ruins. Much of the fortification wall remains. The ancient town walls of Agusta Praetoria Salassorum enclose an area approximately 2360-feet by 1855-feet. The 20-foot high wall was built of concrete faced with stone. The bottom of the wall was about 10-feet thick and the top about six feet wide. The stone work was in remarkably good repair! The stones originally came from the river. The wall originally had 20 towers; the one on the southern wall is square, is original and is complete to a certain height—maybe 15 feet up. The towers were modified in the Middle Ages and one tower added brick work to show where the tower was altered or added to.

Old Roman Wall

            The rectangular arrangement of the streets is modeled on a Roman plan dividing the town into 64 blocks or insulae. The main road was 32-feet wide and divided the city into two equal halves running east to west.

            Among the ruins, outlying areas mix modern buildings with the old. The main square is large and bordered by large modern neo-classical buildings. The street is cobbled with the typical 3-4” granite squares common in the area.  The 11^th century cathedral is located in the area of the original forum. The 16^th century façade entrance (1522-1526) is gorgeous with wonderful frescos bordering all around the entrance door. In the 19^th century the white classical façade was added around the 16^th century part, making for a stunning total appearance.           

            Inside, glass covers a 4^th century baptismal font. The building of a vaulted ceiling destroyed ancient frescoes. The crucifix dates to 1397. The choir stall contains 15^th century walnut wood chairs that the seat can be flipped up so the monks could stand and lean against them to rest from a sitting position. The 18th century inlaid altar is simply gorgeous. The floor by the altar has lovely mosaics, one of which had been cleaned.

            We spent a good deal of time in the old theater that seated 4000 people. Instead of being the typical round theater, this one was rectangular shaped. The theory being the roof would be easier to build than a round one.

            The columns in the cloister are made of marble. Each has an evangelical or biblical scene as well as scenes from the life of Saint Orso.  The 12th century bell tower is the most impressive in the region.  It originally functioned as a place of refuge, as it is surrounded and defended by a bat­tlement wall.

            In the 15^th century brick and terra cotta decoration was added to the monastery façade. Inside the church the large square columns were of wide stripes of two different kinds of marble. The altar carvings were beautiful. There were several small sanctuaries on the inside left wall of the church.  It is still an operating monastery.

            We left the ruins through the south gate where we had entered the UNESCO site. The gate  has three arches; the large middle arch was for carriages and the two smaller gates, one on each side, were for pedestrians.

            What a fantastic morning we had spent with an animated and well informed guide.