BACKGROUND
The trip was planned and subscribed FULLY (trips have a maximum of 12 pax) by the first week of January. This trip was meant to be seamless and straightforward. The Schengen visa application is well documented and as long as you provide all the supporting documents, Visas should not be an issue. Well, not to get into too much detail, one person had his Visa denied and another dropped out of the trip at the very last minute because he was overwhelmed by other competing life events. Not to worry, as always, I strongly believe that if you are meant to be on a trip, you will be on the trip.
This is the travel diary.
TOUR DU MONT BLANC
31st July 2023
Location: Nairobi- Dubai- Geneva- Courmayeur
I left home for JKIA at 19:30. There was surprisingly no traffic for a weekday night, I arrived in good time and had a smooth check-in. I was on the same Emirates flight from Nairobi at 22:45 with Linda, Sara B, Wanjira and Wangari. It was a smooth uneventful flight to Dubai and after a 3.5hour layover, we flew to Geneva and landed at 13:27.
1st August
Location: Geneva- Courmayeur
The rendezvous location was Geneva Airport for those who had travelled earlier, live in Geneva or had flown on different flights. Dorothy, Carol, Ndunge and June arrived as scheduled and we proceeded to our vehicles that were to transfer us to Courmayeur, Italy. Evelyne (our Mountain Slayer from Uganda), and the final member was already in Courmayeur waiting for our arrival.
The transfer from GVA to Courmayeur was slow due to it being the Swiss International day (fun fact! We were last in Switzerland in 2018, exact same day so we had previously had the opportunity to witness the celebrations up close and therefore we fully understood how revered the cow is.
We took the route through the Tunnel du Mont Blanc which is 11.6kms long and it runs between France and Italy, cutting through the Mont Blanc Mountain.
Due to a tragedy in March, 1999 that claimed 39 lives and took over 53 hours to put off, they strictly control how many vehicles can cross the tunnel at a time. You can read about that tragedy here
We eventually arrived in Courmayeur at 19:15 and checked into our quaint hotel Les Jumeax.
After settling in, we took a stroll around the town before settling down for dinner in an Italian restaurant. Food was good- pizza. I love pizza. Like I really love pizza. Summer nights are long so we stayed out with the sun still out and eventually got back to the hotel & in bed by 23:00.
2nd August
Location: Courmayeur- Arp Nouvaz- La Fouly
Distance: 13.5kms
Estimated Time: 4-5 hours
Currently 4am, body clock alert (my gym alarm time). I’m excited about the trek looking forward to continuing to see and experience God’s favor and blessings. I really do not take it for granted that I get to facilitate and curate unique travel experiences for people. It is a true blessing.
3rd August
Location: Courmayeur- Arp Nouva- La Fouly (Hotel Edelweiss)
Distance: 13.5kms
Actual Distance 15.15kms
Estimated Time: 4-5 hours
Actual Time: 6 hours 57 min including breaks
Current Time: 5am
Yesterday’s trek was a good trek. Not too hard. We caught the bus from Courmayeur to Arp Nouva about 37min and started the trek. It started with a climb, that led us past Rifugio Bonatti and over the Col Du Ferret at 2553M ASL, our starting elevation was 1605M ASL.
The elevation in Courmayeur is about 1400M so the bus ride got us up.
Groups of hikers will generally split into natural groups based on pace and conversations. Evelyn & June were at the lead, Dorothy & Carol at the back and everyone else in the middle.
I broke away at some point to commune with self & God- offering my thanksgivings and supplications. After crossing the Col Du Ferret, I decided to wait for everyone to get up and over. When the last ladies got up, I walked back up to them and went to also take pics of the monuments & sign posts I had missed. And there lay God’s answer. A cross at the top had a plaque with the following message.
Have you once stopped in your life to take time to examine your heart? It’s important to do so! Maybe even more so at this altitude! Look deep down inside yourself and do not let hatred, anger, despair, revenge, violence and refusing to forgive overwhelm you. Take time to love yourself and to abandon your bad habits. Then you will be able to see the true face of this world all around you! If perhaps you happen to fall along the road, no matter! Jesus is your strength. He will help you up and will carry you in his arms. Never forget: God is beside you! And everything that is not centered in Him will sooner or later fall! Jesus has not come to increase the number of human crosses, but to give them a meaning. It has been said: << Whoever seeks Jesus without the cross, is bound to find the cross without Jesus. >> Dare speak to Him with your heart!
Prayers are answered in different ways at different times. Isn’t God just a truly faithful and awesome God? The rest of the day was easy, bonding with Dorothy & Carol and we eventually arrived at La Fouly, a cute little town at the bottom of the trail. Dinner & drinks were great. Lots of laughter. A perfect day one. I’m truly grateful for this journey I’m on, and with a fantastic group of ladies.
4th August
Location: La Fouly- Champex (Chale La Grange)
Distance: 14.8kms
Actual Distance: 18kms
Estimated Time: 4-5 hours
Actual Time: 8hours
Current Time: 5:00am
Yesterday was another good day. We all woke up on time and were ready to begin our trek at exactly 8am. The weather was good and as promised it was easy and scenic.
The first group completed the circuit in 5hours, the stragglers came in after 8hours. I stayed with the slower team because, one of the hikers fell & twisted her knee so after first aid, I stayed back. Another hiker didn’t drink any water today so she developed a deep muscle pain.
All in all we all made it to our auberge via Champex-Lac. The beauty of that lake blew our minds! The long days, and the favourable weather allowed us to chill by the lake and soak it all in. This is a trail I can do over and over without tiring.
5th August
Location: Champex- Trient (Auberge Mont Blanc)
Distance: 14.7kms
Actual Distance: 15.47km
Estimated Time: 4-5 hours
Actual Time: 4.5hours
Current Time: 04:50
Yesterday was a great day indeed! We met these elderly American ladies along the trail from La Fouly and invited them over for drinks at Champex- Lac. They are over 70 years of age and are doing the full Tour Du Mont Blanc 11-day trail. They have been friends for over 50 -60 years and travel together annually. What a blessing it is to be strong enough at that age to do the TMB trail. If there was ever a reason needed to stay fit, this was it!
Today is our last trekking day. I am looking forward to Italy. I love all this for me & the lovely ladies. The chemistry is amazing. Beyond my wildest dreams. It is so magical to watch unfold.
6th August
Location: Trient-Chamonix (Hotel La Croix Blanche)
Distance: 14.2kms
Actual Distance: 16.8km
Estimated Time: 4-5 hours
Actual Time: 15:30
Current Time: 05:30
The TMB is finally done. Everyone safe sound. Yesterday’s trail was a little bit tricky to navigate. France has extremely poor signage compared to Switzerland and Italy. It was therefore God’s grace that allowed us all down and to find each other along the trail and just when each person was feeling overwhelmed or about to make a mistake.
God’s cover was so present and evident.
During dinner, in our usual fashion, time to say goodbye was time for sharing from an individual perspective, how the experience was. There was lots of laughter and it just warmed my heart listening to everyone sharing.
Today we move to Italy. It’s going to be another whirlwind of activity and I’m looking forward to it.
9th August
Location: Florence or Firenze (Atlantic Palace Hotel)
Time: 18:30
The switch over from the hike to tour of Italy was dramatic. That’s why the log has 2 days missing. To track back, after saying our goodbyes to the ladies moving on to other trips, we left Chamonix and caught the bus to Geneva at 09:00. Ndunge invited us (Bakata, Wanjira, Wangari) to her place to chill & tour Geneva before our flight to Zurich. It was a short but sweet visit. We had some Pisco sour then we took a quick short tour of Geneva before catching our flight. The flight to Zurich was delayed by over an hour which meant that catching our connecting flight from Zurich to Venice was in less than 30minutes. Our luggage didn’t make it.
Venice is a quantic little aquatic town that is bustling with hundreds of tourists. It reminds me of Old Town Mombasa. The confusion of losing our luggage made our transfer from the airport to Venice longer than it should have been. However, our stay at Hotel Cavalletto and Doge right on the canal was worth it. After settling in, we were directed to this bustling restaurant for dinner that had the yummiest pizzas. I am in the land of pizza and eating to my heart’s content! Also, I still haven’t found a comparison to this pizza yet!
After dinner, Sara, Wangari & I decided to have a night cap but ended up getting lost in the winding small streets of Venice for 2 hours. I eventually asked a stranger for directions and he kindly took us home, less than 100metres from where we were. Apparently getting lost in Venice is part and parcel of the experience.
On 7th, we spent the morning shopping for essentials before taking a walking tour of Venezia and a gondola ride. The walking tour was led by a great guide but ended in tears, one of the ladies was pick pocketed and lost her wallet, which also had her passport.
On 8th we woke up early, had breakfast and departed for the train station. Mary, Wanjira & I chose to walk. We discovered the real side of Venice. Where the locals live and go to school. It was a side of town I’d not have seen if we took the water boat. I’m glad we walked. We caught the train- 2hours 15minutes to Florence and spent the rest of the day chilling. We had a very posh lunch, I had roast Cockerel (Hahaha!) that was very delicious. The ladies indulged in the famous Florentine steak. It looked absolutely orgasmic.
We walked around Firenze looking at things, finally had gelato and drinks then called it a night. Italians truly have a Kenyan vibe. They’re laid back but very good looking. Oooof! So good looking.
Our luggage isn’t going to make it here, hopefully to Rome.
10th August
Location: Firenze
Time: 07:00
Today we leave Florence for Rome. Looking forward to it. Our bags are supposedly in Rome. Shopping has become a daily activity until we can be safely reunited with our luggage.
Yesterday was a good day. We toured Florence then shopped, had dinner. Celebrated Dorothy then came back home.
12th August
Location: Roma
Time: 05:45
We leave for Naples this morning. Rome has been a mixed bag.
- Our luggage never made it and will not make it to Italy. It will instead be delivered to JKIA-Nairobi.
- We visited the Vatican City. St. Peter’s Basilica, The Sistine Chapel as part of the tour. We then took ourselves to the Colosseum and the Trevi Fountain where we made our prayers and wishes and tossed coins into the famous fountain.
Being in Rome has left me in awe at the Romans and what they did. I’m particularly drawn to Michael Angelo. I want to learn more about him.
Wangari left yesterday for Nairobi. It has been such a treat having her with us, we shall miss her.
13th August 2023
Location: Headed to Amalfi Coast by boat
Time: 12:08
This is the last leg of the tour. We landed in Napoli (Naples) by high speed train, were picked up by the driver & transferred to our hotel (Hotel Michaelangelo) in Sorrento. Sorrento is a seaside tourist town. It’s a couple of streets long with restaurants, clothes stores & bars. The drive from Napoli Town to Sorrento was about 1hour. We arrived at 13:30 and went out for a pizza lunch. Afterwards we went shopping.
Time: 17:30
Just finished the Positano, Amalfi, Ravello Tour. It’s been a full day from 09:00 to 17:00. It’s been a good day. A great way to end the Italy tour. I’m happy but also quite ready to go home too.
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