We arrived in Chamonix, France late afternoon and spent the night. The town sits at the foot of Mount Blanc, which is Western Europe's tallest mountain at 15,781 ft. Chamonix itself is 3,200 feet, which makes Mt. Blanc seem that much more dramatic as it rises so high and steeply from the town's base. The mountain dominates Chamonix and is clearly visible when walking down the main pedestrian thoroughfare.
Chamonix is the origin of mountaineering and remains an important center for the sport. It has a nice river running through the center of town and is a very cool place to spend a day or two, although it is a bit touristy and expensive. There's lots of outdoor activity going on, from hiking, to climbing, to paragliding.
Chamonix is the origin of mountaineering and remains an important center for the sport. It has a nice river running through the center of town and is a very cool place to spend a day or two, although it is a bit touristy and expensive. There's lots of outdoor activity going on, from hiking, to climbing, to paragliding.
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Lots of good cheese in this part of the
world. At night, the whole town smells like a giant fondue pot!
[Note: Click on photos for a slide view.]
Most days we would go into small grocery stores in the afternoon to provision for lunch the following day. The sheer number of cheeses in these places can be a bit overwhelming and confounding. As it turns out, one cannot simply wander into a cheese store in Switzerland and ask for "Swiss cheese." Next Day: http://callihan-haute-route-2012.blogspot.com/p/july-17-argentiere-to-trient-via-col-de.html |
