This gallery is in a lovely old building in Les Praz – once a mill, as the name suggests. They always have something interesting inside from the collective based there, including Andy Parkin and Philippe Vouillamoz. We dropped in on the way back from Chalet Floria – it’s just beside the path back to the chalet – as they were having a big one-day exhibition of local artists. There’s another one planned for October 4th 2009 – hopefully they’ll continue on a regular basis,  as it seemed to be a big success with some lovely work on display. http://lemoulindesartistes.blogspot.com/

Near the centre of the village, you’ll find this tranquil lake – a beautiful place to admire the reflection of Mont Blanc. It’s surrounded by quiet back roads, which are good places for a relaxing stroll, and perfect with pushchairs.

The Dru from the Buvette des Mottets, on the way up to Montenvers from Les Praz

If looking at the soaring peaks surrounding Les Praz gives you a thirst to climb, there is no better place in the world than Chamonix. For those aspiring to routes like The Dru or the Aiguille Verte – “the Alpine summit that turns you from a climber into a true mountaineer”, Icicle Climbing can arrange flexible itineraries and guiding. For those who aren’t quite yet ready for those heights, they also offer climbing courses at all levels. In winter, there’s the exhilaration of ice climbing to try, too.

Chamonix Panoramas, originally uploaded by amazingmonkey22.

Another of these gorgeous panoramas – this one, I think, is taken from near the top of the Floria lift at Flegere? The huge circular formation is the Lavancher bowl – the left hand side of this is part of the Grands Montets ski area. It’s really worth clicking through to see the larger version!

Sunset from the Flegere lift in Chamonix

The blazing colours of the Alpine sunsets are caused by the natural phenomena of Alpenglow.

Pierre d’Orthaz, Chamonix, originally uploaded by chaletlaforet.

The massive rock known as la Pierre d’Orthaz was left behind by retreating glaciers. It’s a historical bouldering rock, and opposite it was the infamous Snell’s field campsite where the world’s greatest climbers used to camp out. Now very polished but still a beautiful and atmospheric sight…
Some tales :

Down memory lane to Snell’s field (UK Climbing)
…and another on Supertopo

Buvette des Mottets, Chamonix, originally uploaded by chaletlaforet.

This little buvette is in a gorgeous spot on the way up to Montenvers – in front of the buvette itself, there are tables shaded with parasols and behind is a little glade of silver birches around a pond where dragonflies zip to and fro over the profusion of flowers.

Flowers at the Buvette des Mottets, Chamonix, originally uploaded by chaletlaforet.

On a clear still day, it’s a super place to watch the paragliders fly over the Dru, whilst the Mer de Glace creaks and crackles below. The food’s very nice too. We shared a lovely croute – bread soaked in a creamy white wine sauce, with mushrooms (or ham), and then baked with cheese. The owners are very friendly and helpful too.

You can get there a variety of ways, it’s signed from the Petit Balcon Nord. The walk up from Les Praz is really worth doing, taking you through an astonishing variety of Alpine enviroments, from bare glacier-riven red iron rocks, where tiny flowers bloom in the cracks, to lush ferny, mossy forest. You can also get there via the train up to Montenvers and walk down.

Usually open mid-June -September. Tel +33(0)6 14 19 36 77