Jeanne's Next Chapter: Chamonix Redux

Chamonix-Mont Blanc (or Chamonix, as it is more commonly known), is the quintessential mountain town. Where else can you sit in a French street café in the shadow of an almost 5,000 meter (15,800 ft) mountain? As the evening light fades, the peak of Mont Blanc lights up as the setting sun reflects on the snow. It is a scene like no other.

It is the oldest ski resort in France and the site of the first ever Winter Olympics in 1924. It is a year round mecca for adrenalin junkies who come to ski, mountain bike, or climb Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Europe. But in the summer, it is also a place for people who want to come and just enjoy the clean, cool mountain air. That's what called us back during the heat wave of mid-summer in Italy.

We have been to Chamonix before in both the winter and in the summer. But now, as we knew our time living in Europe was coming to an end, we took advantage of the fact that we could drive to Chamonix in a little over three hours. We were disappointed that our favorite grand old hotel (now a faded 2 star property), the Hotel Richemond was fully booked so we found a great last minute deal at a more modern hotel in the town center. Our small balcony overlooked the Mont Blanc massif and the rooftop hot tub was an unexpected pleasure.

Piazza fountain on a hot day in Aosta.

St Michel Church

Evening street scene

The only thing on our agenda was to relax and do some mountain hiking. One of the hikes we did was the Grand Balcone Nord trail which started with a ride on a historic cog railway to the old village of Montenvers where one gets a great view of the Mer du Glace glacier. Sadly, the glacier had noticeably decreased in size since our last visit five years ago. We hiked for several hours on the trail which traverses high above the village of Chamonix to the middle station of the Aiguille du Midi cable car which returned us to the valley.

Mer du glace

Gran Balcon Norte trail

Another great day of hiking was spent on the trail to Lac Blanc. On the opposite side of the valley, we rode up the Flegere gondola and chairlift into the Aiguilles Rouges Nature Preserve where we hiked for several hours to a small lake. The reflection of Mont Blanc and the massif in the water made the walk there worth it. I was surprised to find a fully operating café there where we happily enjoyed a coffee and French pastry. Somehow, Europeans do a much better job of providing hospitality in the wilderness! We hiked back to the gondola which we rode down to the valley and caught a bus back to Chamonix. One last night to enjoy dinner in Chamonix and bask in the afterglow of a Mont Blanc sunset.