With Tromso as the goal, I flew into Bergen to board a boat for a change in transport. Havila Voyages are essentially a new fleet of contracted cargo & mail delivery for the Norway coast, that also do a fine…
Lyon France
Coming from the Alps and heading to the Artic Circle, Lyon was a major airport with options. A town for transit. With little planning or expectation, a day walking to Lyon’s Old Town (Vieux Lyon) was met with surprising rewards,…
Skiing in Val d’Isere French Alps
EPIC. Yep, that sums up skiing Val d’Isere in the French Alps. 4 large ski / boarding areas connected by lifts & runs, or an efficient free bus’s shuttle at base level. An excellent balance of runs (piste) to suit…
Annecy France
Chamonix to Val d’Isere is not far as the crow flys, but about 7hrs on trains going around the Alps. To break up the journey, Annecy and it’s stunning lake are a near perfect half-way point. It’s what you do,…
Skiing in Chamonix Les Houches Saint Gervais France
Making my way to Val d’Isere, the epic Chamonix required a stop. Unplanned was discovering the train from Verbier included the Mont Blanc Express, a very picturesque journey. (photos below) But as you can see (right), not much snow late…
Skiing in Verbier Switzerland
Verbier near the French border, touts an expanse of off-piste areas. So the piste “runs” are basically setting up access to enjoy off-piste, without going back-country. There is plenty of back-country for the adventurers who want to hike (photo beside),…
Skiing in Zermatt & Breuil-Cervinia
In the shadows of the Matterhorn, Zermatt (accessible by train) provides an international lift pass option to ski over the top into Italy (Breuil-Cervinia). A massive terrain of mostly Red grade ski runs (Blue in Canadian terms, ie Intermediate skill…
Bellagio Lake Como Italy in winter
Met with blue skies, Bellagio has a special beauty about it, even in winter. As a predominately tourist town, there seemed no end of people wandering the alleys, streets and waterfront; and yet, most of the town was closed for…
Turin Italy Day Trip
Turin conjures a famous religious antiquity. But, It is also home to the worlds oldest Egyptian Museum, and the stunningly beautiful Royal Place of Turin, the latter’s ticket including a visit to the chapel of that Shroud. The Shroud itself…
Milan Italy
In my final days before skiing Switzerland and France, I added Milan and Bellagio (Lake Como) to my itinerary, getting a further taste of Northern Italy. Aside from high Fashion, Milan’s massive Duomo was also a draw. The unexpected came…