And off to Mt. Blanc we go!

   At breakfast this morning I decided to calculate the hours I have spent on trains this week. It added up to approximately 24 total hours of trains and buses. I was in Zurich twice, once in Basel, and the longeset quantity of train time was the trip to Chamonix, France.

   Bright and early Monday morning I awoke to shower and finish packing for a two day trip to Chamonix Mt. Blanc, France. We started the journey first to Luzern, then another train to Lausanne, then to Martingy, from there a special bus to Chamonix. It was an exhausting journey, but I absolutely love traveling on trains. You can see so much of the country and there is absolutely no traffic. I brought books and did a lot of sleeping.

   The last leg of the journey was spent on a bus through the French Alps, which was extremely long and high up, but incredibly beautiful. The mountains, some of which were covered in snow, are breathtaking. When we finally arrived in Chamonix I was completely exhausted, but we were only there  for one night, meaning there was no time to be tired.

  The first thing we set out to do after arriving, was to find the 'Tourist Information'. Martha, my host mom does not speak a lot of French so it was up to me to help find us a hotel. Im fluent in French, five years of a French elementary school gave me that, but when I tried to speak French to the woman behind the counter, what came out of my mouth was a jumble of French and German. It took me a moment before I was able to ask her what we needed.

   After we found a hotel, we settled in and set off to wander the town. Chamonix it self an absolutely beautiful quaint mountain village. What makes it so special is the spectacular mountain range in the back drop. The view of Mt. Blanc, the highest peak in Europe, is absolutely breathtaking. We spent the afternoon wandering through the shops and enjoying the sights. 

   For dinner, we ate at a the hotel's restaurant where we were staying the night. Both of us ordered the  special three course meal. I had smoked salmon, then potato dish with bacon, and finished with a spectacular creme brulee. It was an absolutely fantastic meal, but I ate way to much so food that I needed to walk around the village at night. 

  The next morning we woke up early, because who would sleep when your on vacation, to ride the gondola to 'Aiguille du Midi'. At 12,602 ft, it is the highest point you can reach without any climbing. The only peak that is higher, is of course Mt. Blanc the highest peak in Europe. To reach the top, you have to take two gondola's up the mountain. The first takes you half way to 'Plan de L'Aiguille' , and the second (which is the longest un-supported gondola in Europe) takes you to the top. 

  We rode the gondola at about 9:00 am, so there were still a lot of clouds in the sky, but never the less it was the absolutely most beautiful view I have ever seen. The mountains, all of which are completely covered in snow every month of the year are breathtaking. From the top, you can see all the way to Switzerland in one direction and to Italy in the other. 

  As usual, I did not pack particularly well for this trip. I didn't really think about needing my winter coat or anything, but I should have realized that we were going to be 12,000+ ft in the sky and it would be very cold. As the sun started to come out, the clouds started to disapear and you could really see the mountains and the tiny village of Chamonix down at the bottom. 

  When we got off the mountain we set off to the hotel to pack our thing had head back home. We wanted to leave early enough so we could stop in Martingy, Switzerland for a dog museum, but when we got to the train station there was not going to be a train for 3 hours, very French. They are striking, until the election on Monday meaning they are not having the frequent train service we would have liked.

  Because we had to wait a while for our train, we decided to stay in Chamonix for lunch and then start the long journey home. When we finished lunch, we headed out to the train station to take a bus to Martingy, Switzerland and then home.

Monday- In Zurich, with two exchange students from Canada (Emily and Kim),
one from Argentina (Alejo!), and me!

Tuesday- More exchange students.. (from left to right, Mark-USA, Carly-Canada, Me, Ana-Mexico, Jada-USA, and Andrea-USA) We are in Basel, on the bridge of
three countries, at one time! Switzerland, France, and Germany.

Wednesday- In Chamonix, France!

Thursday- Oh look it's Mt. Blanc!