This is going to be short on words, long on pictures. I've already written about Annecy, and you've read a little about my time in Chamonix. But I did spend 6 more nights in France, divided between these two locations, and it was spectacular.
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| Hiking in Chamonix |
In 2025, I spent my time in Annecy based in a 4th-floor walk-up apartment near Old Town. It was a quirky little place, with well worn stairs, a great AC, and four crepe pans. Of course that meant I needed to make crepes!
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| Homemade crepes in my Annecy apartment |
Fortunately, I had brought my flour, salt, and other basics from Tannay, and I bought other fresh ingredients in Annecy, so I was perfectly situated to make savory ham and cheese crepes for dinner one night and then sweet crepes for breakfast the next morning. As I've mentioned before, cooking on vacation is not Top Chef, but it's also not for the feint of heart!
I often think about places I could return to every year, and Annecy is definitely on my list!
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| Enjoying a lovely lakeside afternoon in Annecy |
Of course, Chamonix is too ... or if not every year, at least visiting twice! Chamonix is on my very short list of places to visit again while I'm in Annecy.
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| Chamonix - Mont Blanc |
Chamonix is a town of its own, but often the entire Mont Blanc Valley is called "Chamonix" by tourists like me. In 2025, I actually stayed in Les Houches, which is the next village over from Chamonix. My hotel was literally on the border between the two towns.
From Chamonix, you can take a gondola up! up! up! to the most amazing views!
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| The top of Aguille du Midi: Note the tiny glass box. |
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| Inside the tiny glass box at the top of Aguille du Midi. Next time, I'm hoping for fewer clouds! |
Or you can take a train up a different mountain, also with great views, and then hike or take a gondola down to Mer de Glace glacier. The top of the glacier reminds me of a floor that really needs to be swept, but inside the glacier ... just WOW!!
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On the terrace above the glacier in Chamonix
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| The glacier cave contains many ice sculptures, including this very (un)comfortable -- and very cold -- chair! |
I didn't hike on the glacier. It's strongly discouraged without proper gear, and I had more places to visit sans injury. But oh how I wanted to!!
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| Tiny alpine flowers along the wall above the glacier |
The hotel where I stayed is called RockyPop. It's a cute little place with affordable rooms in a fairly pricey region. Affordable, yes, and with a variety of room types -- for sure not luxury, but definitely suitable for a mid-line solo traveler (like me!), a family, or a group of friends.
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| RockyPop hotel room: ordinary ... but wait for the view! |
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| The view from my room at RockyPop. Seriously WOW! |
I really liked bar in the RockyPop lobby, and though I didn't have time to try the restaurant onsite, it was one of the reasons I booked the hotel. The lobby also offered an array of games, and one night there was even live music. The hotel definitely offered plenty of space to relax after a long day of exploring.
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| The bar in the RockyPop lobby. |
And for someone like me, in the midst of a 10-week trip, the hotel's onsite laundry was a necessity! Most hotels have one or two washing machines available for guests, but this one had around 8 washers AND 8 dryers -- a real treat in Europe!
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| Waiting for my ride out of the Mont Blanc Valley at the tiny train stop near RockyPop Hotel. |
On my last morning in the Mont Blanc Valley, I walked just up the road to catch the train. There was no station. There was barely a platform! Like many rural trains across Europe, this stop is used only if someone is waiting.
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| Bring your own breakfast to the tiny train stop. |
Because I had a series of 4 trains to catch to get to my next destination, I arrived early and patiently waited for my ride out of the valley and back to Switzerland.
Curated in Residence 2025: Looking Back (Part One): Scotland
Curated in Residence 2025: Looking Back (Part Two): London
Curated in Residence 2025: Looking Back (Part Three): France the First
Curated in Residence 2025: Looking Back (Part Four): Switzerland the First
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