La Mer De Glace

On our 'free' day in the Alps, we went to take a closer look at the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice), a glacier on the northern slopes of the Mont Blanc massif. The glacier is the longest in France, 7 km long and 200 m deep.

Pleasantly easy access to the glacier is via the Montenvers fenicular train, from Chamonix up to an altitude of 1913 m....

A small cable car (and 400 steps) then provides visitors with access down to a man made ice grotto that is cut into the glacier each summer....

Ice grotto

Inside the ice grotto

Inside the ice grotto

Restaurant terrace

A great spot for lunch

Views from the terrace

The glacier

Museum

Definitely worth a visit if you're ever in the Alps in summer!

Lakes and Waterfalls

Continuing with my Alpine theme...

Lac Blanc.... it was one helluva trek to get up to but well worth it!

Les Fleurs des Alpes

With my trip to the Alps planned for late summer, I had not expected to see that many flowers still out.... but given the late Spring in Europe this year, and the high altitudes we were walking at, luckily there were still plenty of pretty and unusual blossoms around.....

Had to share this pretty beetle too!

Sign in a park in Chamonix

Je Suis Retourné...

Hello!

Yes, I'm back from a fantastic week of walking in the wonderful Haute Savoie region. I've pushed myself to my limits, on steep and rocky paths...

Au Revoir....

Bonjour dear faithful readers!

I'll be checking out of the bloggersphere for a while, and checking in for my flight to Geneva.... then onto the French Alps for a week of gasping desperately for breath on the uphills hiking in the shadow of the Mont Blanc Massif, in the Chamonix Valley.

I was in the region earlier this year for some snowshoeing that you may have read about over here, here, here, here and here.

It will be great to see the region in all its late summer glory....

Photo source

Catch up with you all later....

Nat x

Two Oceans Aquarium...

Another post from my travels earlier this year.... this time, we are back in Cape Town for a visit to the Two Oceans Aquarium, located at the Victoria and Albert Waterfront....

Perfect setting, with the backdrop of Table Mountain

Clarkii anemonefish

Fan coral

Jelly fish

Cray fish

Kelp forest

Kelp forest

Shark!

Longhorn cowfish

Star fish

Sea horse

Angel fish... anyone know which one?

Can you spot me?

Anemone

Star fish

Giant crab

Rock hopper penguin

African penguins

Moray eel

Surrounded by clown fish!

Well worth a visit if you're ever in the Mother City!