This was my favorite place so far, Chamonix felt like a mix of places I have been before, yet in a very different way. It has a classic ski town feel, a slower pace, and a sense of local people that are all on the same page. There were very few tourists here, which made it feel much less like traveling and more like hanging out in Tahoe. The landscape is dramatic, it makes you feel small, as you look up a glacier looks like its coming right into town from the clouds. The valley floor sits at 3,400 feet above sea level with the mountains going all the way up to 15,781 feet at the top of Mont Blanc. We came into Chamonix on the “Mont Blanc Express” train, which was the best way to arrive. It was an old classic, red train that went up the steepest slopes, as we curved through the mountainside it felt like we were going back in time. We did so many fun things here, but a few favorites were taking the gondola up to the top of Aiguille Du Midi. At the top we had views of all the mountain towns, and the terrain of snow covered mountains and glaciers. We did some hiking up to the snowline and relaxed on the mountain. We took another small train back into this canyon and got to go walk around inside a glacier ice cave. One afternoon we rode the “Alpine Sled” which turns any adult into a child if only for a few moments. I will be here again soon, winter next time.
