Mer de Glace

It was our first glacier, and it's the largest in France.  It's called Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice), and it's receding by about 70 meters every year. 

We took the red choo choo train from downtown Chamonix up to 1,913 meters (6,276 feet) where the glacier is located.  The Montenvers Railway is an old funicular that has been operating since 1908 and climbs really steeply to amazing views of many of the peaks surrounding Chamonix valley.

Look down the middle, at the ice slick.  There's our glacier!

It's quite disheartening to understand the history of this glacier and the acceleration of its disappearance in recent years.  Here's a picture of Abby and Reese on the stairs above the glacier, at the point at which the glacier reached in their birth years--just 5-6 years ago.  Look how far below them the glacier rests now, how far it's receded . . .

Seriously, it's hard to deny global climate change when measured by the recession of all of the world's glaciers.  Especially for us, having captured this glacier in very personal image.

Here are some images of the ice grotto that's been carved into the Mer de Glace glacier:

The télécabine leading down to the ice cave.