Early the next morning we arose and headed straight off. The boys were desperate for Swiss Army knives and I was desperate for coffee so we had a quick stop off in the old township of Geneva before hitting the road for Chamonix. We quickly drove through the border (not stopped thank goodness) and hit the open road….the huge hills around us have way to snow capped mountains. Less than an hour late we had reached the gorgeous town of Chamonix. Nestled in the valley directly below Mont Blanc, this charming town completely seduced us.
Instead of spending just a couple of hours here we decided to stay the night! After brunch we walked around the town checking out all of the sports and mountaineering stores (heaven for Chris) before making our way to the chair lift headed up Mont Blanc.
Have I mentioned that when we originally left the Hanson’s house last week, we had originally intended to stay away one night? As a consequence we have under packed substantially for this journey – a fact I became very aware of as we proceeded to ascend a mountain into freezing conditions wearing a pair of thongs!!! But what the hell – you only get to ascend Mont Blanc once in a lifetime, right?
The ride up was stunning and exciting. We shot up the mountain in a cable car very quickly and ended at a half way point looking down directly at the town of Chamonix and looking out across the gorgeous mountains of Switzerland.
From here we entered another cable car and his took us the summit of Mont Blanc. From here travellers can take another cable car and descend into Italy! When we disembarked however, we were among thick snow and ice and it was actually snowing. I was still wearing thongs and Chris was in shorts and t-shirt with only a rain jacket for warmth. The wind was howling and so our excursion around the top of the look out point was quite short lived! We took refuge in the summit restaurant with a couple of “chocolat chauds” and here I did something I thought I would never in a life time do – I gratefully received the five toed socks that Chris so kindly offered me so that my little frozen toes would not fall off! All around us were adventurers who had climbed the mountains in full snow gear, you couldn’t see more than 10 feet beyond because of the thick cloud – it did not feel like the middle of a European summer at all!
Not long after we descended back to the middle point of the mountain in the cable car and walked for a few hundred meters down the side of the mountain (me still in thongs, now made even more treacherous down the mountainside with socks as well!) to a small “refuge” overlooking Chamonix, for a delicious raspberry tart and kir. The view was gorgeous.
The climb back up to the cable car station reminded me that I really need to work on my fitness! Before long our adventure was over, and we found our rustic hotel in the middle of Chamomix (that smells exactly like a sauna) and enjoyed a delicious steak sitting outdoors watching the sun descend behind this magnificent mountain!