Chamonix Activity Review: 20th August 2013

A new pirate-themed rum bar could (and did) throw a spanner in the works. Fast-forward a few hours and we're on our second bottle of flavoured rum (after a ridiculous number of free "tastes" to choose just the right one) and we're whirling around like dervishes (not sure exactly what they are) until silly o'clock am. Whoops. The new day dawns and I'm no longer sure that I like rum very much but people who can bear witness to the night before ensure me that I appeared to be having a wonderful time...

From what I can recall the new Barberousse is a far cry from the old Derapage; for a start they appear to have totally ripped out the old interior, relocating the bar on the opposite side of the room and opening up the floor space for a bit of a shimmy. I'm not sure what, if anything, they're doing with the back room yet but so far the layout and the vibe looks promising for many a night of silly tomfoolery. The pirate decor is quite restrained, with the wooden interior making you feel like you're onboard a ship and barrels for tables (I was a bit disappointed, I was hoping for parrots and wooden legged bar staff); the overall effect is pretty cosy and I can see it being the cause of many a hangover to come.

There's nothing like a good walk and a tasty lunch to blow the cobwebs away after a good night out and this week I tried out somewhere I'd often ran past but never stopped at before; Auberge La Boerne in Tre-Le-Champ.

Tre-Le-Champ is a tiny hamlet just beside the Col des Montets, in between Montroc and Vallorcine. There are a number of ways to hike to it but the easiest is to start in Argentiere (take the train or bus from Chamonix) and head towards the old part of town past the tourist office. The road takes you over the river, passes a church and some very beautiful chalets before bending round to the left and turning into a hiking path. From here the walk is signposted across the turn-off for Le Tour and up a narrow trail that runs beside and beneath the road to the Col des Montets. As the path meanders further from the road it gets more and more scenic, with little rocky waterfalls running down to meet the stream below. There's quite a steep but very short climb up to the village, which is in full bloom at the moment from the purple wildflowers on one side of the river to the bright red geraniums that cover the auberge.

An auberge is an inn, usually of a traditional rustic French style, where you can stay for the night or simply call in for a meal or drink. We'd heard on the grapevine that La Boerne is a great lunch spot, and we weren't disappointed. All dishes were homemade and generous. I had the quiche of the day, which was made with chanterelle mushrooms and served with a green salad - it was delicious and tasted fresh out of the oven. One of my friends had a salad topped with plenty of cured ham, grilled goats cheese, fresh vegetables and hard boiled eggs, while the other two went for croute. Croute is a local speciality made from chunks of bread soaked in white wine and garlic then covered in cheese before being baked to gooey crispy deliciousness in the oven. The croute had plenty of flavour and was made with good cheese but it was a bit sloppy, could have done with a bit longer in the oven I think - there was very little left-over though, so it must have been pretty good nonetheless! There was a choice of about 5 desserts but we all went for the apple crumble - a good decision with big sweet chunks of apple and a pleasingly thick crunchy crumble. 4 main courses, 3 desserts and a litre of rosé wine came to around 60€ - not bad at all considering the beautiful surroundings and friendly service.

The 2nd summer edition of the Full Moon Party will be upon us on Wednesday, this time with an Ibiza theme and a white dress code. The emphasis will be on house and electro, with a bit of bass thrown in to keep everyone happy. Guest DJ Eveson will be gracing the decks, alongside local favourites Jimbo, Renaud Langlois and Mister Pop. The party kicks off at midnight in the White Hub but you can get the vibes flowing beforehand at Mix Bar from 9pm - Rue des Moulins is buzzing with summer fun at the moment so it should be a great night! Tickets are 10€ on the door and closing time is not until 7am.

Enjoy your week and don't forget to check our What's On Calendar for all upcoming events.