I’m not much of a mountain girl. Most of my life I’ve lived by the sea, and I get a bit queasy with those monsters closing in around me. I like a big horizon, warmth and sun and wide skies.
So when I think of visiting the French Alps, my thoughts turn to snow and forbidding cold. But how about a summer visit? The Alps may be at their most charming in summer: think carpets of wild flowers in soft green meadows, with a dramatic backdrop of blue-hued mountains.
Our great friends Pete and Dee, who abandoned Burgundy for the pleasures of skiing a few years ago, invited us to visit their chalet in the Haute-Savoie recently, to experience the mountains in summer. A mere three hour drive, and we were immersed in the pointy peaks and vertiginous valleys of the French Alps.
For the guys, it was white water rafting time. The cold frothy waters of the Giffre river run very close to their house. Dee and I dropped them off and went to visit Samoëns ,a sweet town nearby with a shady alpine garden to tour, built in the center of town on a sleep slope by a garden enthusiast in 1906. Photo right: A waterfall in the hilly Alpine Botanic Garden.
Their own town of Les Carroz d'Araches is a ski resort in winter and a resort in summer too, brimming with flowers and cafés and beautiful shops with sausages and cheeses and chocolate. We drank beer and watched all the happy tourists drift by, pink-cheeked and relaxed from their nature hikes.
Maybe I could be a mountain girl after all!
If you go: either Les Carroz or Samoëns both make a great home base for hiking, rafting, or just cafe sitting amongst les fleurs.
Photo at top: wandering in the town of Samoëns. Below: with a short, intense growing season, flowers do well, and are in abundance on houses and in villages. These adorn our friends' deck.
The bell tower in Samoëns.
Airy génoise cakes, fragrant with lemon zest, are unique to the region.
The view from Pete and Dee's living room.
Hog Heaven: sausages are a specialty in the Haute-Savoie.
Flowers everywhere! Dee and me, in the entrance to an old chapel in Les Carroz.
In the COMMENTS: Julie (of the Traveling Through blog) recommends Clafoutis for our cherries, as does Francine. Sounds like a subject for a future blog, I’m on a recipe hunt! I’m not fond of it myself, I think because I’ve been served it by the French, who often make it with the cherry pits still in, which I’ve always found odd (they say the cherries retain more flavor that way). Jan, welcome to France! Kiki, the peaches are just starting to arrive, sorry you will miss them! Paula, rum and cherries, how could THAT not be good? And Natalia, I’ve forgotten about cherries with duck, I’m off to the kitchen!
FAVORITE READS: My friend Bennett, writing from California, has a book for us: "May I recommend Luncheon of the Boating Party
9 thoughts on “Seduced by Summer in the French Alps”
Here in Phoenix, the temperature is predicted at 117 to 119 degrees F. for the first 3 days of next week. So those mountains sure look good! Thanks for the great photos.
Love today’s post! Just as I’m about to plan a trip for next summer – the Mont Blanc hike. Two years ago my sister and I took a day trip from Annecy to Chamonix. In the cable car coming down from Aguille du Midi I looked down and saw hikers on a trail in all of that alpine beauty and I knew right then that I had to come back and hike that trail. So the planning begins! I just returned from Spain where I spent two weeks hiking on the Camino de Santiago with friends and that was absolutely wonderful . . . but not alpine.
I’ve made Cherry Clafoutis using Sharon Santoni’s recipe though I did pit the cherries. It was a huge hit. Sharon writes the blog My French Country Home. Take a look at her recipe.
This reminds me a little of Vail, Colorado when I lived there. I miss those mountains at times, especially right now with the heat we have here. I do not miss the snow or driving in it. Lovely post,beautiful photos & thank you for sharing once again.
Wow, looks lovely Lynn. Great photos.
Lynn,today’s post and pictures are not only wonderful but thankfully refreshing(110 here in Las Vegas today!)
My parents had a working ranch in the White Mountains in Arizona,and I don’t find mountains intimidating per se.
But I totally agree with the perception of the French Alps being forbidding and cold.
When we visited,they did seem as if they could be just that way;even more,huge and almost in your face with their graces from Nature.(possibly because I was unfamiliar with them!)
You have given us a whole new appreciation of their beauty and their attributes!
Thank you!
PS The name of the book I mentioned in the previous post about Simca(Simone) Beck’s chocolate cherry cake recipe is
“New Recipes From Simca’s Cuisine”;recipe entitled”Le Montmorency”(published 1972.Took ages to locate it my cookbook library but at least I don’t feel so absent minded to not remember the exact name!)
Merci, Lynn, for a brief respite from Louisville’s 90 degree, HIGH humidity weather. I love all things French, and I still dream of visiting the French Alps and the South of France, along with a second trip to Paris, with sides to Burgundy and Normandy. Someday!!!
Lynn, I agree on the mountains! But a little cool weather sounds good! We learned to make clafoutis in Provence. It was never mentioned that the flavor is enhanced with pits! We definitely pitted! Yum! Will make that during this cherry season!
So beautiful. Thank you for sharing the region. Glad a beach girl can love the mountains – I miss them! Hopeyou are staying out of the heat.
Oh, my!!! I almost missed this one since I’ve been extra busy recently. I was just catching up and found your blog on the area in the French Alps where we stayed this past autumn. Jim and I just loved it! I have written several posts on the area, so I was especially happy to see your viewpoint and glad that you enjoyed it. I am the opposite from you in that I am more of a “mountain girl” instead of a seaside chick probably because I burn easily and now have added danger of skin cancer with some close, near-misses of the extremely serious nature. The small villages with gardens are the main draw for me during cooler weather with long sleeves covering my skin. Have a happy, safe summer!