Day 3 – Les Contamines-Montjoie – Les Chapieux

The defeat lasted another day. We discussed this day with the staff at Hôtel le Christiania. They scared 3 of us out of it. They told us it was a steep and long day with no way of abandoning the trail once you start. Spencer was in a lot of pain from the day before and Holly and myself were scared about our ability to finish the day. In what some would consider a piece of satire, the 3 Americans hired a taxi and the Lebanese guy started off walking alone.

We looked into public transit, but we were told it would take 3 transfers and the entirety of the day. Luckily, we all have money to spend so we hired a company. The driver picked us up at the hotel and drove 2 hours on roads with a lot of twists and turns. I don’t remember a lot from the car ride, but near the end I saw a delightful lake. I wish we could have stopped to see it more closely. I later found out that is is named Lac de Roselend.

Spencer, Holly, and I arrived in the very small town of Les Chapieux around lunchtime. The town has two accommodations, a bar, a cheese shop, and a very small chapel. The town is nestled in a valley and I found it very lovely. We checked into Chambres du Soleil which is a proper hotel. The other place in town is an auberge, which is more like a hostel. If you have the money go to Chambres du Soleil. The staff are incredibly nice, the rooms were comfortable, and the food was delicious.

We knew that we would be eating at the hotel for dinner, so we had lunch at Auberge de la Nova. Here is where I learned that diot means sausage. They are delicious little bratwurst type sausages. They were really good.
Holly, Spencer, and I took a small walk to see a monument at the end of town and generally spent the day resting. Samer arrived a few hours later and we went to visit the town cheese shop. We bought a few sweets and headed back to our hotel for a drink before dinner.

Samer thought that the hike was challenging, especially the 1316 meter climb to the Col de la Croix du Bonhomme. The scenery was breathtaking and constantly changing. The mild fog in the morning added a mystic and magical sensation to the hike.

I really liked this hotel. It was recently remodeled and the staff were wonderful. Dinner was served family style, so we sat with a Scottish couple, a Swiss/Quebecois couple, a bunch of guys from Denmark, and the unofficial ambassador of the Israeli National Trail, Jacob Saar.

The hotel provides plenty of wine for the table and a number of courses. There was a vegetable soup, local salmon, potatoes au gratin, and a really nice soft cheese with cream for dessert. It was lovely.

Tips

Stay at Chambres du Soleil. Enjoy the dinner and make friends.

Dining

Auberge de la Nova
Chambres du Soleil

Accommodations

Chambres du Soleil

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Next: Day 4 – Les Chapieux – Courmayeur

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