Breakfast in Switzerland, lunch in France, dinner in ItalySep 30, 2009
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The top of the mountain
first glimpse of the glacier
first stop on the tram
Today we had breakfast in Switzerland, Lunch in France and dinner in Italy! What a day! I woke the kids up early and we headed out towards Chamonix, France. Mike and I have talked about going to Chamonix since we were married, so going there without him was bittersweet. The Alps are a special part of the world and driving through them, we were all (relatively) quiet as we gawked at the scenery outside the windows. We ate lunch at a small sandwich shop in Chamonix with excellent deserts (welcome to France) and then boarded a gondola that took us up to the Aiguille Midi, a part of the Alps near Mount Blanc. The first half of the gondola ride was pretty but if you’ve skied Snowbird, nothing new. The second gondola up to the top was so breathtaking, it literally brought tears to my eyes. If it wasn’t so beautiful, I probably would have peed my pants due to my fear of heights because the stinking thing went up a vertical ice covered cliff face… good thing I was so distracted by the view. Being up top was one of the highlights of our whole trip. It was surreal. Cameron said it looked like a painting that you would think was fake. I’m at a loss for words. Once again, pictures don’t do it justice, but hopefully you’ll get an idea.
After we descended, we drove through more lovely, picturesque countryside until we reached the tunnel that goes under Mt. Blanc into Italy. For the convenience of saving several hours of mountain driving, you get to pay $50. We were there, we paid the fee, it took me all of the 15 minutes through the tunnel to recover from the $50 shock.
Out on the other side, we were in another country, and even though it was just over the border, the look and feel was completely different. Even the construction of the homes in Italy was different. More stonework, closer together. Just as pretty but different. We ate dinner in a restaurant in St. Bernardo which was an intriguing little town and we wished we had more time (same old story) but by now it was late and the drive home, mountainous and dark. We pulled into our parking spot in Champoussin at 10:30 pm.
