Hello Everyone,
I’m writing from my bed in Chamonix. From here, I can see Mt. Blanc and watch as the clouds play hide-and-seek with the mountains. I can hear the river cheerfully gurgling by, the birds chirping melodically. The temperature is perfect, about 75 degrees. All of our windows are wide open and the occasional breeze sneaks in and taps you on the shoulder on its way through the cabin. It smells sweet, like fresh laundry or hay that has been sitting in the sun for hours. Our hostess, Jane, is a lovely woman with a pixie haircut and a British accent. She invited us to try the wild strawberries that surround the property. There are also many different wildflowers here. Clovers, fox gloves, forget-me-nots all contribute their colors to the beauty of the mountains.
Our roadtrip yesterday was long, about seven hours plus occasional stops along the way. The French countryside is all rolling fields of wheat and corn, broken only by a tree-lined driveway here or there. The highways are all toll roads. Excellent in that they have very well-maintained roads. Not-so-excellent in the 70-plus euros it cost to get from Paris to Chamonix.
We got into Chamonix around eight last night, dropped our backpacks off in the cabin. We headed into town to grab dinner and enjoy the atmosphere. Parking was insane, as there is an ultramarathon(80K) up Mt. Blanc. We ate outside at Café Valentino, a restaurant right in the middle of town. The end of the marathon was a block away from us, so many people were clapping and cheering as the runners finished their races. Dinner was amazing, as was the Bordeaux that we got with it. It was rich and a little less peppery than the wine the night before.
The sound of the river served as an excellent lullaby last night. We all slept in until noon, then had a breakfast of coffee, bread, cheese and jam outside. The wild strawberries I picked before breakfast were juicy and sweet like sugar, each about the size of my thumbnail. The mountains are just spectacular here. The contrast between the warm temperature down in the valley(I say valley, but we’re 11,000 feet above sea level) and the enormous glaciers that dot the mountain range. Later today, we’re going up the mountain lift to take a walk along the ridgeland of the smaller mountains.
Always,
Paige Finn
