| The village of Samoëns lies on the flat plain of the Giffre
valley; its nine, tiny, satellite hamlets nestle on the surrounding wooded slopes.
The whole retains a traditional Alpine atmosphere, with lots of
old, stone buildings, wooden chalets and farms, sheep, goats and cattle grazing in lush
green pastures; and, from Springtime onwards, flowers, flowers, flowers.
At the heart of Samoëns is the Place du Gros-Tilleul, so-named for
its superb lime-tree, dating back to 1438. The beautiful sixteenth-century church
dominates one side of the square, overlooking the covered corn market and a pretty
fountain decorated with bronze sculptures.
a heady place!
Once a week the streets and alleys of the village bustle with market stalls, offering
everything from cheap French kitchen gadgets to beautiful, hand-embroidered cloth.
Samoëns is a gourmet's paradise of local specialities: patisseries, honey, salami,
smoked hams, cheese, wine, cheese, wine, cheese, wine, wine; and in the summer months,
summer fruits perfume the air.
 The
Giffre valley comes to a dramatic end six miles away with an awe-inspiring horseshoe of
glacial rock, which reaches 1,500 m up and lets down a curtain of water whose intensity
in the Spring or after rainfall can literally take the breath away. The area surrounding
these rocks of Sixt Fer-a-Cheval is a nature reserve and a haven for birds, plants and
wild animals.
Follow the Giffre downstream and you will discover village after pretty village, but
eventually all rivers lead to the Rhone and thence to Lake Geneva with its magnificent
parks and promenades, boat trips and the impressive buildings of the old city -
world-famous clock and jewellery-making centre, and home to the finest Swiss chocolate.
The elegant spa town of Evian is less than half-an-hour from Geneva: water, water
everywhere - in bottles, spring and lake! Another lake worth a visit is Lake Annecy, at
the head of which is the unforgettable town of Annecy itself. Its winding lanes and
beautiful, medieval houses are built along and around a maze of canals; Annecy is the
cultural centre of Haute Savoie, teeming with shops, restaurants, museums, art galleries
and chateaux.
Neighbouring valleys offer a range of more or less hidden treasures: the monastery at
Abondance, the Fier gorges, the salt mines in Bex, Les Gets' museum of mechanical
musical instruments - to name but a few.
Above it all, however, there is Mont Blanc, Europe's highest mountain at 4,807 m.
Climb it if you must; otherwise take the télécabine, the tram or the train; marvel at
the view, take a trip to, if not down, the glacier, visit the Sea of Ice. You'll find it
hard to come back down to earth.
Far away?
|
From June 26 to July 5, 2008