In my last post about Chamonix and Mont Blanc, you may remember that our plans to take the telecabine up to Plan de l'Aiguille (2317 m) were foiled by a ticket taker and a minimum age requirement...
...so, I did what any adventurer would do. I sulked for about 10 minutes.
Just kidding. Not about the sulking part, obviously. I definitely did that. Talk about First World Problems...
Childlike sulking aside, we decided to hike on the mountain for a bit anyway. We explored, we fed Oswin her lunch in a quiet little rocky spot surrounded by wild ferns, and then life looked a whole lot better. It's funny how fast nature can quiet the mind and shift the whole mood of the day. Also, I may or may not currently be obsessing over ferns because of it.
After our hike we set off to explore the city of Chamonix. Dan hadn't walked around the city in over ten years, and for Oswin and I it was a first. What immediately struck me about Chamonix? Well, it was a Sunday...and everything was open! I felt as if we had stepped into some sort of French bizarro world where you could buy trekking poles, a new sweater, a bottle of wine and groceries all on an otherwise forbidden French shopping day. There were outdoorsy shops everywhere, and all pretty high end: Mammut, Patagonia, North Face, etc. Also a kind of random Chanel store. What struck me next about Chamonix? Aside from most stores being open, it was like stepping into a snowboarding/skiing/surfer town, but with a very different feel from other ski towns we've been to here in Europe...almost...dare I say American? Kind of. But with a French feel.
We had so much fun in Chamonix that day. We ate frites and drank a beer at Le National while Oswin made friends with other diners, bought Mama her first set of trekking poles, and had a generally unplanned delightful city day. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite towns in France, especially after a recent trip up to Montveners via the cogwheel train. But that's for another day...
What's your favorite story of travel-gone-awry redemption? In the end they often do make the best days, don't they?
A la prochaine friends...
Honey
This place is absolutely gorgeous! Talk about the perfect weather.
ReplyDeleteSeriously it was about 70! And then when we went back two weeks later it was about 30! Gotta love how fast the weather changes in the mountains!
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