Chamonix Activity Report: 13th July 2012

Not skinny yellow crunchy French "frites" but proper chunky, irregularly shaped, brown-and-crispy-round-the-edges, squishy-in-the-middle, potato-tasting, proper homemade chips. They weren't around long enough for me to get photographic evidence but I'll imagine now that I've found them I'll be sampling them again soon! To savour these tasty deep-fried delights you need to go to the little café opposite Bar'd Up on the Rue des Moulins; they also serve paninis, burgers and a regular dish of the day either to eat in or take away.

We went over to Bar'd Up for a drink while our paninis and chips were being cooked then picked them up and headed back to the bar with them, Bar'd Up don't serve food so they don't mind you bringing your own in. Our dinner was serenaded by the lovely Matias, a guy who has been singing solo and with various bands in Chamonix for a few years now and has a massive repertoir of songs to suit the mood, last night he was joined by Tovo who brought a bit of Malagasy style to the set as they jammed together for a few songs. Matias plays most Wednesdays in Bar'd Up from about 10:30pm, so call in if you're out that way and check him out.

Wednesday was one of those light warm nights that summer in Chamonix is all about, we started by pottering around town on our bikes while we decided where to go; it was the first night of the climbing competition and the teams were on stage being introduced by the excitable-microphone-man who compères pretty much every event in Chamonix (you could make a lethal drinking game out of the number of times he shouts "incroyable" or "formidable").

From Place du Mont Blanc we headed down the river and through the Bois du Bouchet to Les Praz, you can get there either by crossing over the bridge past the tennis courts and taking one of the two paths that head away from Chamonix or you can stay on the same side of the river and turn right down another path that leads past the skate park. It takes about 5 minutes on a bike to get to Les Praz or about 15 minutes to walk it. There are a few nice dinner options in Les Praz; if you want to posh it up then definitely try out La Cabane at the golf course, not only are the views amazing but the dining room is beautifully decorated in a chic Alpine-lodge style and the food is excellent. Hotel Eden does very good food and has a more interesting menu than a lot of the more traditional places, they are also offering an early bird menu at the moment which makes it even better value. Hotel Le Lancher now has a smart new restaurant, Le Rendezvous, I ate there when it first opened last summer and it was very good - from what I recall the homemade desserts were well worth saving room for!

We were out for a few beers and a bit of evening sunshine though and the perfect place for this is Les Rhododendrons right in the centre of Les Praz on the grassy roundabout (I say "roundabout", it's more of a big garden with lawns and flowerbeds). Their terrace has stunning views of Mont Blanc and the peaks on both sides of the valley and you get beautiful sunsets here, as the light changes the colour of the mountains and glaciers as the sun moves across them. We settled in with a couple of pints of Pelforth and did nothing more taxing than sit and watch the sky change from bright blue to soft pink, there was a band playing inside but outside was so nice that we gave them a miss.

A few quiet nights were probably a good idea, as Friday night is going to be a big one! Tonight is the last night of the world cup event and the final stages are fascinating, it's usually going dark by the time the finalists compete so the climbing towers are spotlit and the atmosphere is buzzing, even non-climbers will get sucked in by the excitement as the competitors are just amazingly fast and agile. Having a few beer tents helps ramp up the ambience of course, especially when they are manned by pompiers (French firemen)... The competition culminates in a firework display to celebrate Bastille Day (Saturday 14th) and then the party carries on down the Rue des Moulins and in the centre of town where all the bars have a late license until about 5am (I think...)

Rue des Moulins now has a swanky new nightspot by the name of White Hub, it only opened this week so is bound to be busy with everyone eager to check it out. Rumour has it that they have a regular 7am license... watch this space and I'll find out more. Bass Riot at Le Derapage will also be worth a visit to see Mister Pop ripping up the decks with some fine drum'n'bass from 11pm until late. So, on that note I'm off to Place du Mont Blanc to watch some climbing and see where the rest of the weekend takes me!

Keep an eye on our What's On Calendar for all upcoming events.