Homeward Bound

Maya (right) and her mother, Barbara (left), enjoying a picnic in the middle of a flood plain : 

Courmayeur, IT

Turin is about three hours from Ferney. The half-way point is the Mont Blanc Tunnel. On the Italian side of the tunnel, we stopped just before the tunnel in the town of Courmayeur for a picnic. The views of the Mont Blanc Massif were spectacular. Mont Blanc is 4,810 meters above sea level (15,780 feet ASL). Where we stopped in Courmayeur is about 1,380 meters (4,500 feet) ASL. More photos here.

Flume Dora Baltea / Dora Baltea River, which is fed by run-off from Mont Blanc, 

flows down through the Aosta Valley : Courmayeur, IT

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 5/2012

Mont Blanc Capped

Mont Blanc : As seen from Ferney-Voltaire, FR

To find a view of Mont Blanc that isn't sullied by high tension wires is a treat. This view can be seen not too far from border of Ferney and Ornex, France, and Collex, Switzerland. I never tire of seeing this magnificent mountain when it's out.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 1/11

Blustery Mont Blanc

Blustery Mont Blanc : Seen from Collex, CH

We could see the wind blowing the snow on the peaks of Mont Blanc. We thought it was windy where we were, but that had to be some kind of wind going on up there... (Click the image for more detail.)

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 12/10

Mont Blanc Wow!

Mont Blanc : Crozet, FR

The weather on Saturday was absolutely spectacular and the best part was, the mountain was out. The mountain I speak of is Mont Blanc--Europe's highest mountain. The view of Mont Blanc from Crozet was simply stunning!

Mont Blanc and the French Alps as seen from Crozet, FR

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 11/10

Mont Blanc Harvest

Harvested field, sunflowers, and Mont Blanc : Bossy, CH

Walking in Switzerland, some of the fields have been harvested. In this case, it's a crop of triticale--a hybrid of wheat and rye. Tomorrow, I'll show you a photo of this crop prior to harvest.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 7/10

Mont Blanc Sunrise

Sunrise and the western face of Mont Blanc : Geneva, CH

The other morning, on the ride into work, I enjoyed a lovely sunrise over Mont Blanc. I ran up to the terrace on the building where I work and snapped a few photos. They're not the greatest and hardly do this impressive massif justice, but I liked the light. Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe, and the EU. The mountain rises 15,781 feet (4,810 meters) above sea level. It straddles the French and Italian borders and the two countries still dispute who "owns" the summit.

Sunrise over Lake Geneva : Geneva, CH

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 3/10

Border

Sitting in Switzerland and France : Versoix/Ferney Border Crossing, CH/FR

This is a picture of me, sitting in both Switzerland and France on the marker that designates the boundary between the two countries. Along the hedgerow is Switzerland. The plowed field is France. In the very far distance, beyond the high tension wires, is Mont Blanc.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 1/10. Photo taken by Maya Lucchitta.

Welcome to The F-Stops Here...

The dawn of a new year : Sunrise over Mont Blanc : Ferney-Voltaire, FR

Welcome to my newest iteration in photoblogging, The F-Stops Here. The title comes from two things: 1) f-stops on a camera and 2) the F bus that runs from Ferney-Voltaire, France, where I'm currently living, to Geneva, Switzerland, where I'm currently working.

Not a lot will be different from my other blogs: D.C. Confidential, Standing Room Only, or Whidbey Island Confidential. That is to say, I'll be shooting and posting photos of the town in which I live. Ferney-Voltaire lies right on the border of France and Switzerland. In fact, I literally live across the street from Switzerland! Hence today's inaugural photo. I'm standing less than 100 yards from the French-Swiss border, looking out into Switzerland and seeing Mont Blanc.

Thanks for stopping by. Please be sure to bookmark this new page. Also, if you're a city daily photoblogger, watch for me on City Daily Photo. I should be up and running there soon.

Your ever intrepid photographer,

Janet M. Kincaid

*****

Addendum: 1 September 2012

Note to readers who may have looked back through the articles. I arrived in Europe for a 45-day contract and now, more than three years later, I'm still here. Based on the original contract period, I didn't set up a new blog and continued to use my D.C. Confidential photo blog to chronicle my travels through Europe. In January 2010, I acquired a new camera and decided to start a new blog. That said, I have now moved all of my blog entries from 18 May 2009 to 1 January 2010 to this blog as I want my D.C. Confidential blog to be strictly about Washington, D.C., and my travels in the United States. Ergo, the oddities with the dates and this seemingly incongruous "Welcome to my new blog" entry.

Photo copyright: Janet M Kincaid, 12/09

The Mountain's Out!

The mountain's out! (Center of the photo) : Mont Blanc, all 15,000+ feet of it, visible from the Jura Mountains.

For the last few days (and on the Saturday that we went up to Col de la Faucille), Mont Blanc has been visible. The skies were mostly clear and blue all weekend and into the first part of last week, which allowed us to see one of Europe's highest peak. At 15,000+ feet above sea level, it's quite impressive!

Pulling over to view Mont Blanc!

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 07/09

Mont Blanc Tunnel

Mont Blanc... In the Clouds

This past weekend, my friends Sue and Cindy and I went to Aosta, Italy, for a day of shopping and dining. I'll be doing a series of photos from Aosta for the next few days. These first photos are of the approach to and the entrance to the Mont Blanc Tunnel.

Construction on the tunnel started in 1942 and opened to traffic in 1965. It connects France with Italy and passes through the French-Italian Alps under Mont Blanc--Europe's highest peak at 15,781 ft (4,810 m) above sea level. In 1999, a Belgian semi-truck hauling flour and margarine caught fire. The ventilation system in the tunnel failed and 39 people lost their lives.

Photo copyright: Janet Kincaid, 06/09