Chamonix/Courmayeur

Ever since I read somewhere that there are a set of cable cars that you can take from France into Italy, it's been on my bucket list.  This past weekend, I organized the trip with a flight to Geneva and then a drive to Chamonix in France to take the cable car up the Aiguille du Midi, which is right below the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest point in western Europe.

The Aiguille du Midi (not my picture) but it really is a "needle" at the top of a rock.

The first of two cable cars leaves from Chamonix at 1035 Meters Above Sea Level.

The Chamonix valley looking west

The Chamonix valley looking east into Switzerland

Chamonix is an extreme sports center.  Here at Plan de Aiguille is the take off spot for parasailers.

Ascending from Plan de Aiguille, we started entering the clouds, but the scenery got even better.

Here at the top is the Aiguille complex with many viewing platforms.

And a stunning view of Mont Blanc.  Yes, if you are looking closely, you'll see some ice climbers in the picture.  There were a large number of climbers with crampons who would all of a sudden appear from nowhere.

I was there!

Brian and myself (in the famous yellow fleece) during naptime.

 

That valley in the distance is the Aosta Valley of Italy.  The point in the distance at the end of the ice field is Point Helbronner, on the Italian side.  There is a cable car that runs from Aiguille du Midi to Point Helbronner, but it opens only in the height of summer.  We arrived two weeks too early.  I so wanted to take the cable car across into Italy....

Pre-dinner lounging

When in the mountains of France.....

.....eat Fondue

Aosta is one of the two regions of Italy that I had yet to visit.  It was a simple drive through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to get there.  48.60 Euro round trip.

The entrance on the Italian side (and French side) is rather bland, but it's a 11km long tunnel underneath a 4810 meter mountain.  What a feat of engineering!

What's this? As we exited the tunnel, we got stopped and I was speeding in the tunnel.  There is a STRICT 70 km/hr limit.  I didn't pay much attention to it....

....and got nailed with a ticket.  45 Euros.

Ticket paid.  And proud to have done it in Italian.

Here right at the exit of the tunnel, looking east down the Aosta valley.  The first town is Courmayeur.

Proof that I've now visited Val D'Aosta.  Region number 19 or 20.

We all were joking back in France during breakfast that our coffee was terrible and so here we are back on Italian soil having coffee.  This is probably THE MOST EXPENSIVE coffee I've ever had.

The river that comes off of the Italian side.

One final highlight of the trip was meeting up with former HRS colleague Sonia G. and her husband.  They recently moved to Geneva and we had an hour to catch up on our lives.