Day 32-33: Chamonix and The French Alps

Leaving Villefranche, the GPS took us along the Riviera into Italy almost to Genoa, and then up though Torino to the Mont Blanc tunnel. This is an amazing engineering feat--a single tunnel eleven kilometers long. We came out on the other side in France in the alpine village of Chamonix.

Chamonix was a peaceful agricultural village in the French Alps until 1924 when it was the site of the first-ever Winter Olympics. Winter sports caught on with the rest of the world, and so did Chamonix as a ski destination. And we all know what happened with the ski industry world wide. Chamonix looks as if it was the model for Aspen and Vail in the US.

In the summer, Chamonix is full of people who come to hike Mont Blanc and the Geant Glacier. Mont Blanc at 4810 meters is one of the highest peaks in Europe.

You can access Mont Blanc and the glacier via cable car from Chamonix. This cable car was originally completed in 1940 and carries 500,000 passengers per year.

The views of the alps and Mont Blanc are panoramic and breathtaking. Mont Blanc is the 3rd most frequently visited natural wonder in the world.

Tim at the top of the world. The top of the cable car reaches a peak where you can take photos from multiple terraces. 

It is also from this station that the glacier hikers depart. Here they are walking out through an ice cave onto the glacier surface.

From the peak of the Aguillle du Midi cable car, you can take another cable car across the glacier to Helbronner peak in Italy. This cable car is 3 miles of suspended cable without a pylon. You dangle on a cable over the glacier for 40 minutes. It is spectacular!

Crevasses in the glacier, probably hundreds of feet deep.

And from Helbronner peak, you look down into Italy.

Hard to tell in this photo, but I am sitting in France and Tim is sitting in Italy. This was the slowest part of the trip, because we had to wait in line behind all the Japanese tourists who wanted the same shot!

A cup of hot coffee at the top of the world.

And then back down to Chamonix.

This area of France is known as the Savoie, and the cuisine is Savoyarde. We needed a good lunch after all that strenuous cable car riding! The lunch special at La Tablee was 12 Euros--the best food bargain of the whole trip!

To begin, Tarte L'Oignon (onion quiche) and salad. And yes, I took a bite before I remembered to take a photo. It smelled heavenly and tasted even better!

And then the main course. (I don't think I hiked enough on the glacier to earn a meal this big!) Choucroute Garnie, which is two types of sausage and a couple of slabs of bacon served with a boiled potato over cooked cabbage. This was not at all like German sauerkraut. This cabbage dish had a sweet, buttery taste--it's French after all!

And in the afternoon, an alpine oompah band concert and beer of course!

We found Chamonix so charming we decided to stay an extra night. Good thing we have some flex days in our itinerary. Next up: Geneva!