Explore europe in a campervan

So, we arrived in Chamonix on Thursday. On the way we tried again to get some internet at a service stop that had a wi-fi sign. Although we could get a network there was no internet to be had, so we pushed on into Chamonix still ignorant of where we were going to stay.

It felt like we had got off lightly with the tolls, but we had chosen to forget the ticket we picked up at the last toll gate. Luckily the scenery was awesome which softened the blow when we had to pay €58!

On arrival in the town we eventually settled for parking in a car park with a sign saying caravans and motorhomes forbidden. Some of the ones that were there looked like they hadn’t moved in weeks, if not months, so we figured it would be ok for a couple of hours.

The tourist office was great. English speaking for a start. She advised us of a campsite that was open all-year-round and phoned them to check they had availability. Gave us a map, a timetable for the free bus and details of lift pass prices and the best pistes for a beginner. We also noticed lots of people using lap-tops so the office had wi-fi.

By the time we arrived at the ‘Les Duex Glaciers’ campsite, after a little shopping and a small (unintentional) detour it was dark and there were no obvious signs of life. We trudged around on foot for a while but couldn’t find the reception; just a sign saying you could not camp without permission from the manager. Not very friendly! Fortunately we had noticed a spot in town with several motorhomes so headed back there. We were told this cost €10 but no one collected any from us so another free night!

After another 9 solid hours of sleep and a leisurely breakfast we headed back to the ‘Les Duex Glaciers’ campsite. As I reversed a man came over to wave me in and stop me before I hit a tree! We proceeded to have a pretty stilted conversation in my schoolgirl French. We learned that he’d reversed his van into a tree with two bikes on the back, that the old reception had burned down (we hadn’t noticed in the dark the previous night!), the new one was in the ‘petit chalet’ and they would be there from 6pm. We also chatted (!) at great length about the free bus service, the electric supply……Anyway, it was surprising how much we managed to communicate.

We headed to Le Tour in the van as we’d been told it was good for beginners, with cheap lifts. As it happened we didn’t use them at all. A small slope was enough for my first attempts at side-slipping so we saved the money for another day. No major injuries or tantrums to report for day 1. I felt I’d done ok and Simon was nearly back in his groove by the time we left.

Well, I’m waffling now so I’ll try to keep it short. It was good to stay on a campsite officially, to fill up the water tank, get electricity and Have A Shower!! We didn’t rush in the morning (surprise surprise!) and made it back to Le Tour around 2. The plan was to use the lifts but I was, er, scared really. ‘Can’t’ was heard a few times but eventually I got on with it. The first time was ok but the second one took 3 attempts. The lift attendant was very patient and helpful, and I always think it’s good to fall down to overcome your fear of falling down. I only attempted the smallest lift but Simon took the larger one and got a few good runs in. I was pleased with my progress again – felt like I went quite fast and wasn’t totally terrified or out of control. After wanting to wuss out to start with, I was disappointed when the lifts closed and it was time to go home.

Now that we’re all full up of electricity and water and we have clean hair we’re free-camping again tonight near the centre of town. Going to hit McDonalds for some free internet and experience a Poco Loco burger, which is apparently not-to-be-missed.

Off to Tignes tomorrow.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 9:25 am and is filed under Diary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.