Chamonix!

Chamonix was amazing! We rented a little chalet located below Mont Blanc and its Bossons Glacier. The chalet was a 15 minute hike from the train station but the air was fresh and the views were awesome. We spent a week hiking in the valley and taking in the Alps. For Stevie’s birthday I made him a Chocolate Fondant cake (from a box of course) and it was delicious! We didn’t realize that fondant is that kind of cake that is supposed to be gooey in the middle so at first we thought I didn’t cook it enough. We got out the computer and googled a bit and found this cake is supposed to be like that- then we ate it - hahahah! I got him a bottle of wine and an ice axe pen, he also bought himself a Millet climbing shirt (thanks Grandma Oliver). We thought we would do a day trip to Switzerland for his big day...we did get there, but not very far. We took the French train into Switzerland and had to switch trains at a station that was closed. The Swiss conductor said “You have cash money?” and we said “yes!” and we got on. Just before the train took off he came to sell us our tickets and said “50 euro” and we said “What?! 50 Euro? No way!” And then we jumped off the train and ran back to our French one. We didn’t realize this half hour ride would cost that much! If we were going to see the Matterhorn or something really interesting it may have been a different result, but the town we were going to only had a St. Bernard museum...we spent the day in Chamonix.

On anther occasion we went on hike to Lake Vert. The trails in Chamonix are well maintained and well marked. This one led up a green valley tightly squeezed between the mountains and the fields were dotted with houses that looked like coo coo clocks. It was a great hike with a fair amount of elevation gain, when we reached the lake we were shocked to see people walking around eating gelato, and then a large parking lot full of cars, motorbikes, and a tour bus! Turns out there is a paved road all the way up to the lake AND restaurant! It wasn’t a secluded little lake like we had imagined but more like Stanley Park- still enjoyed the adventure.

We were too early in the season for the chair lifts to be open for hikers and mountain bikers- there was still too much snow at 2000 meters. On our last day in Chamonix, we took the gondola up to the “Aguille de Midi” and reached 3842 meters!! The first half of the ride was speedy and every time we hit a pylon the cart would sway and rattle, as we approached the midway station at a speed I didn’t know gondola’s could even move at, we hit a pylon that was just too exciting and I let out a yelp- sometimes you just can’t contain the fear and excitement! We got off the cart and were at 2315 meters- 1.5 kms to go- vertically. Gulp. A load of ‘hell’s angles - holland’ got off the cart and I tried to get some stealth photo’s- I don’t know why...perhaps I was meant to be a spy :) Steve said the ones who wear the jackets are not the ones to worry about...but I figure its good spy practice anyways. The second gondola was much slower but much more vertical. As we approached the top it felt as though we had landed on another planet. It was icey, rocky and completely barren. The wind whistled like mad as we approached. We were struck by the cold as the doors slid open and the gondola swayed in the wind. We literally had to time our departure off the gondola due to the movement from the wind. We explored the many platforms to take in the extensive views of the alps. Some peaks were poking into the clouds and the Matterhorn was just out of site. The wind would occasionally die down and give us a reprieve, but when it was blowing it was so intense we were choking on our own words - same feeling as sticking your head out of a car window while cruising down the highway. And it was cold. Very cold. We kept ourselves tucked into our hoods and hands in pockets. We took an elevator through the rock to the final viewing platform. We could see mountaineers training on the glaciers, para-sailers below us in the valley, and the high risk skiers not willing to quit for the season. This is interesting too, skiing here is your own risk- there is no big news report when someone dies because they chose to take a risk. There are no investigations and there is zero threat to close lifts or restrict areas. Our host told us “50 people die every year here skiing.” Anyway, I got as many photo’s as I could but then the camera died! AGH!! I was really upset by this. The battery light had flashed at the bottom, but usually we have a good amount of time before it dies- I think the cold sped the process up. Steve tried to cheer me up and solve the problem by warming the battery in his armpit- but apparently there is no negotiating with lithium. Still an amazing day!

It was really a nice change to stay in the chalet and cook for ourselves. I loved strolling through the grocery store and buying local stuff. Not like I’m big into cooking or great in the kitchen (Something I want to change) but being on the road this long and not cooking or creating is getting to me. Steve is the opposite- he loves going out and hasn’t become tired of it. One night we went to a restaurant which from the outside appeared to be something like a burger stand. I ordered a skewer of meat that came with some rice and couscous salad. Steve wanted salmon. When the chef (who was also the waiter) took Steve’s order he rambled off a quick sentence filled with excitement and Steve just beamed and replied “Oui!!” The chef hurried off. I looked at my husband who was grinning away- “did he just say ‘Salmon Tar-tar...as in tar tar raw?”...Steve’s grin faded and he said “ all I heard was salmon.” He decided to go with it, be adventurous and not run after the waiter. I began to think that maybe I heard wrong- but when our orders came to the table Steve was served a raw hunk of salmon on salad- with caviar on top. Oh, and little piles of red and black caviar all around the plate. Steve describes the meal as “a good french experience, but I wouldn’t order it again.” The caviars were like fish flavored salt bombs. I felt bad for him for not getting any warm food for dinner and gave him most of my meat and half my delicious rice.

There is an 11km long highway tunneled through Mount Blanc connecting France to Italy. We took a bus through this tunnel and made our way to Milan.