Sbooker Scenic Hiking in the Alps, May/June 2026

It’s the first time we’ve been on a beach that isn’t sandy. The rocks are an interesting change.
I had no idea about them until I arrived in Nice for my semester there (the morning after a one-foot dump of snow!). I wasn't a fan of walking on the rocks; however, I like sand even less. A short time at a beach goes a long way with me.

There was a British pub in the old section called the "Hole in the Wall," where UKers would go and drink themselves silly. It was the first time I'd ever witnessed people barfing in streets. I learned the slang term "tactical chunder" -- used to describe the act of intentionally throwing up after drinking too much so you can go back to drinking. Lovely.

It was also in the old section where I skipped classes for two days and watched Prince shoot scenes for his stinker movie "Under The Cherry Moon."

It's been so long since I've taken a warm-weather vacation in Europe (40 years) that this report feels very exotic!
 
I had no idea about them until I arrived in Nice for my semester there (the morning after a one-foot dump of snow!). I wasn't a fan of walking on the rocks; however, I like sand even less. A short time at a beach goes a long way with me.

There was a British pub in the old section called the "Hole in the Wall," where UKers would go and drink themselves silly. It was the first time I'd ever witnessed people barfing in streets. I learned the slang term "tactical chunder" -- used to describe the act of intentionally throwing up after drinking too much so you can go back to drinking. Lovely.

It was also in the old section where I skipped classes for two days and watched Prince shoot scenes for his stinker movie "Under The Cherry Moon."

It's been so long since I've taken a warm-weather vacation in Europe (40 years) that this report feels very exotic!
We are not beach people either. This is very much a novelty for us.
I had not heard the term ‘tactical chunder’ but I know a few blokes who adopted that method in the late 1980s. Next time I see them I am going to teach them the term.
 
Great mountains to shore trip, enjoying the photos. Do you think world events are keeping crowds down or is early June a bit before the summer vacation hordes?
 
To avoid incoming Alps rain we have moved south to Gorges du Verdon.
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The lavender is just starting to bloom.

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We rented a peddle boat on the Verdon Gorge. Went for a walk too. It’s lovely scenery.

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The view from our $90usd a night hotel room was nice.
We had the best dinner of the trip so far in a lovely settling.

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We visited Moustiers. It’s a town tucked into a rock face.

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We are moving further south due to weather in the Alps proper.
Great pix
Good looking lamb shank
 
I know you love these signs @jamesdeluxe
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For some reason, I don't mind them in an urban context.

I like them. I don't want to see them in our National Parks, but don't mind them otherwise.

On a scuba trip in the 2010s, I remember Cozumel, Mexico, had one near its port/cruise ship area that I thought was appropriate.



Too much....

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Has anyone driven the A8 motorway between the French Riviera to Genoa? Perhaps the most impressive road from an engineering perspective I’ve seen. It’s all huge bridges and tunnels with virtually no road section on flat land. It must have cost a bomb.
 
Has anyone driven the A8 motorway between the French Riviera to Genoa?
I did on my way to Rome back in the day but have no recollection. I remember that the train ride along the coast east of Nice past Menton and Ventimiglia was, unsurprisingly, beautiful.

It must have cost a bomb.
Not an expression used in American English and take care not to say that on a commercial jet.
 
The stop for the next couple of nights is Aussois in the Maurienne valley. We took the Mont Cenis pass. It was cold at the col.
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There’s an old fort up the hill from back in the Savoy days.

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It’s a nice view from the top.

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Wild flowers are coming out.

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We went for a tour of the Lanslebourg dairy co-op and learned the wildflowers make the milk fattier which gives the Beaufort cheese the wonderful reputation. They gave us a tasting of a few different cheeses. The Beaufort blue was devine.

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There are some nice villages in the Haute Maurienne.

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The plan is to walk up into the Vanoise NP tomorrow. I hope to see some marmots, ibex or chamois.
 
Has anyone driven the A8 motorway between the French Riviera to Genoa?

The Three Corniches are among the most scenic coastal drives in Europe.

I have done the train-and-bus combo round trip from Nice to Monaco, and it's impressive. One of the few roadways that are tourist attractions onto themselves ( Amalfi Coast, Ireland's Wild Atlantic, Basque Coast) or the USA's PCH (when open).

Rick Steve (US Travel Guide focusing on Europe) writes about them.

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Another road that blew me away:

Milan → Como → Menaggio → Lake Lugano → Silvaplana → St. Moritz

However, the drive was done during the early COVID period, with the Italian Army mobilized, so it was anything but relaxed.
 
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