February 20, 2020

Valentine Weekend in the French Alps - Adventure Year Week 36

Looking for ways to unwind was what we set out to do during our Valentine weekend trip to the French Alps.  We were on the hunt for hot mineral waters that we guessed might be springing up around all the towns with Bains (baths) in their names, but would we find what we were looking for?




We made our first stop in Annecy, unrelated to mineral waters, though it does have a beautiful lake.  The town holds personal significance for Alex's Aunt and her convent's connection to St. Francis de Sales and St Jeanne de Chantal.  It was a sweet moment to be able to connect with her in Missouri via FaceTime from in front of the Basilica.  The town was also beautiful, but because it was just a stop along the way to our destination, we didn't stay long.
Brides les Bains is a funky little town nestled into the three valleys area of the French Alps. Most people seemed to be here for skiing, because there is easy access to a ski lift, but we came for what seemed like a natural geothermal water spa. What we discovered between our research and our arrival was that a lot of websites for this area feel very incomplete and vague about their offerings- and part of that vagueness is also a lack of professional imagery that highlights the facility. The Grande Therme Spa is listed in two locations- one in another town that was closed- and one in our location. What we thought might be relaxing appeared to actually have more of a club med gym vibe rather than a natural mineral spa vibe. We still made the most of what we had to work with- but if some French website designers and photographers can help this town show itself off a little more clearly, it would certainly help visitors!
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Hot mineral spas were really what we were hoping to find in this area.  However, it was quite difficult to determine if that was what we were going to find based on the websites alone, so we decided to just come and see it all locally.  The Grande Theme Spa had the highest potential of being what we were looking for, but it seemed the facility which may have had hot mineral baths in one town was closed and the option in Brides-les-Bains was a bit more for individual treatments and a sports fitness center with a relaxation pool.  The Grand Hotel Mercure did provide nice spa facilities inside the hotel that were more intimate and relaxing for couples, even if it was missing some of the more natural elements we were looking for.

We did eventually get to satisfy our quest for natural mineral waters, even if they weren't the naturally hot or bubbly kind.  A stop at Evian-les-Bains had us learning more about Evian water's claim to fame and how it came to be considered worthy of shipping around the world...




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Hello from Evian! Yes- the source of Evian mineral water! I’m not sure when my love of mineral waters and natural springs began, but it does make for interesting detours and places to visit. The most recognized mineral water sites often are known for having various curative properties based on the mineral content of the water. If you scroll through these images, you’ll see the story behind Evian’s fame, as well as its local mineral content (which can also be found on Evian bottles). Most modern city water systems remove a lot of natural mineral content that come from the natural springs, and then add things like chlorine or fluoride to combat bacteria and sewage. As we get further and further from our natural water sources, we also get further from analyzing and studying the natural curative powers of diluted mineral content and of the quality of waters. Likewise, water bottling plants may be helpful for delivering water to areas where clean water is in short supply, but it is also a practice that has dried up aquifers and springs (alongside global warming) in areas that used to be known for natural springs, as well as creating a lot of plastic waste. Do you have a town near you with the name “springs” (in France it might include “Bains”). Have you found the natural springs it was named after? Do they still exist? Is the water quality and diluted mineral content still monitored and posted for public use?
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The spa and hammam experience we both liked the most over the weekend happened in Geneva, at Bain Bleu.  Unfortunately it is also the only location that I don't have a photo of because my phone was in a locker the entire time, so you'll just have to read about below, and maybe make your way there to see it for yourself!



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What I want to remember about Geneva is something I don’t have a photo of, so the water fountain will have to be my placeholder. What I want to remember is actually from The Bain-Bleu Hammam & Spa in Cologny. The hot bubbly water on the rooftop overlooking the lake, laying on a bubble bed of small jets, Alex in front of me with bubbles massaging his feet from below, the thick steam rising from the water and turning the other people around us into mere silhouettes and shadows moving through the water, the turquoise blue of the spa water and the peach lighting under the water glowing as the hills and trees disappear with the sun set behind clouds into dark twilight. That’s what I don’t have a photo of, but tried to burn into my memory with as many details as possible. That was the part that brought some form of balance to the stresses of the day. The Hammam made staying longer even better- moving from steam room, to scrub room, to pool, onto a more intense steam room, and hot stone beds, before relaxing in robes with tea followed by massage. These are the moments I want to remember- not the stressful moments, or the miscommunications, or any of the the difficulty before or after. Yet, I note them too because I can acknowledge they are both part of this life- one did not happen without the other. I wish it were only the parts I want to remember, but it also includes parts I hope will not need repeating. Sometimes life is beautiful and difficult all in the same day... and the important part is to keep living in order to keep learning.
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