Favourite Experiences:
- Watching paragliders take off from Planpraz at Mont Blanc
- Cruising down the Seine with Batteaux Parisiens
- Watching the Eiffel Tower light up at sunset
Before heading back to Paris, I took a day-trip to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, A ski resort area in the French Alps near the Italian border. In the wintertime, this area is a vibrant alpine skiing hub (featured in Bridget Jones’ Diary), and in the summer it’s an adventure seeker’s paradise. There is river rafting, paragliding, hiking, biking and more. Visitors can take a trip up the mountains in the year-round cable cars to see panoramic views of the glacier and mountains. The town of Chamonix has great restaurants and shops, as well as a tourist office to help organize any activity you’d like to do. Below are some of my favourite photos from Chamonix-Mont-Blanc:

View of Chamonix from Planpraz

The Italian Alps

The Town of Chamonix from the River

Views of Brevent from the town of Chamonix

View of the Mer de Glace Glacier seen from the town of Chamonix

Beautiful Chamonix

Alpine views from the top of the gondola at Planpraz

Hiking trails at Planpraz

Paraglider’s taking off from the jump off at Planpraz

Chamonix is tucked into a valley surrounded by the Alps

Summer flowers along the river in Chamonix
The last stop on my trip to France this summer was Paris. This was my fourth time visiting Paris, so I had seen almost all of the major tourist attractions on previous trips. This time around, I explored some off-the-beaten-track areas of Paris like Le Marais and St Germain, and I took in the city from the water on a cruise of the Seine with Bateaux Parisiens. One touristy thing that I still always like to do when visiting Paris is to take in the Eiffel tower at sunset and watch the light-show that takes place in the first five minutes of each hour after dark. This time, I watched from a small park on the west-side of the tower, and the views were great! Below are my favourite photos from my stop in Paris:

One of many corner bistros in Saint Germain de Près

Eglise Saint-Sulpice in Saint Germain de Près

Notre Dame

Sunset on the Seine

The Eiffel Tower at dusk – always a must see!

Beautiful typical architecture in Saint Germain de Près

Institut de France

Pont Royal and the Seine

Views of the Louvre from the Musée D’Orsay

Notre Dame from the Seine

Ile de la Cité from the Seine

Pont Alexandre III from the Seine

Il de la Cité

Cruise boats from Le Marais

Saint Germain de Près, still my favourite area of Paris!