January 20, 
     
    
   
   
    
     eet. 
     
    
   
   
    
     TAAWVEL: 
     
    
   
   
    
     Chamonix, France 
     
    
   
   
    
     BY KRISTEN PATTERSON 
     
    
   
   
    
     Currency: the French 
     
     Franc is worth 0.23 Canadian 
     
     dollars (one Canadian dollar is 
     
     worth 4.26 French 
     
     francs) 
     
    
   
   
    
     All right, you athletic 
     
     types, this is the place for you. 
     
     Chamonix is located in the 
     
     French Alps, at the bottom of 
     
     a valley surrounded by gor- 
     
     geous mountains, the prize of 
     
     which is Mont Blanc, famous 
     
     to anyone who loves hiking, 
     
     climbing, or just risking their 
     
     life for the fun of it. For those 
     
     of you whose sportive abilities 
     
     are less enamoured by your 
     
     peers, fear not, this place is still 
     
     worthy of a visit, to say the 
     
     least. Chamonix is atown built 
     
     for tourism -the place is packed 
     
     throughout the year. It’s cer- 
     
     tainly picturesque - | imagine 
     
     that the mountains speak for 
     
     themselves. Not to mention 
     
     the town, which is right off a 
     
     postcard. 
     
    
   
   
    
     How to get to Chamonix: 
     
     There are different tours that 
     
     hit Chamonix, designed for hik- 
     
     ers and adventure seekers of 
     
     the outdoor variety. You can 
     
     get there by train via France or 
     
     Switzerland. Bus tours are 
     
     dubious - check with 
     
     Travelcuts. Forget walking 
     
     and unless you're completely 
     
     insane, forego cycling. 
     
     Mountains=uphill=death. 
     
    

    
     *if going by train, re- 
     
     member: Chamonix looks like 
     
     it’s close to Geneva, but that’s 
     
     because the map can’t show 
     
     you how much higher it is than 
     
     the other. Allow yourself at 
     
     least three hours to get there. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Where to stay: The youth 
     
     hostel is absolutely wonderful. 
     
     However, it’s not located in 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     Chamonix - it’s in Les Pelerins, 
     
     a small village half-an-hour’s 
     
     walk away. Les Pelerins has 
     
     its own train station, so get off 
     
     there to save yourselftime and 
     
     pain. The hostel closes at ten 
     
     p.m. and it is rather hard to find 
     
     at night - the locals are very 
     
     helpful. This hostel is too fan- 
     
     tastic to miss because the scen- 
     
     ery is to die for and the accom- 
     
     modations are superb. It’s 
     
     easy enough to get over to 
     
     Chamonix, either by car or 
     
     walking (be prepared to sweat 
     
     and bring plenty of water). 
     
     The trains don’t run very often 
     
     and are therefore not the rec- 
     
     ommended mode of transpor- 
     
     tation for getting to and from 
     
     Chamonix/Les Pelerins. 
     
    
   
   
    
     How to get around Cha- 
     
     monix: Well, there just isn'ta 
     
     huge area to get around, so just 
     
     walk everywhere. Driving is 
     
     okay, but the crowds are fairly 
     
     huge and tend to spill into the 
     
     streets so it might be more 
     
     frustrating than worthwhile. 
     
    
   
   
    
     What to do: Chamonix is 
     
     not a place to see per se, it’s a 
     
     recreation centre. Hang glid- 
     
     ing, hiking, mountain climbing, 
     
     skiing: whatever is in season. 
     
     There are tons of shops and 
     
     restaurants, all exhorbitantly 
     
     priced, as tourist traps usually 
     
     are: use your own discretion. | 
     
     just like to look at the moun- 
     
     tains. 
     
    
   
   
    
     I'd have to say that Cha- 
     
     monix/Les Pelerins ts definitely 
     
     a favourite destination of mine. 
     
     I'd be back there in a second if 
     
     only | had the money. If you 
     
     have the money, then there's 
     
     no question: get over there 
     
     before another moment is 
     
     wasted. 
     
    
   
   
    
     Next issue: Paris. 
     
    
   
   
    
          
     
    
   
   
    
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