So, last weekend I finally made it out to Chamonix, which is in France. My friends, Mira and Arnaud, suggested we get out of stuffy, polluted Geneva and head up to the mountains for some fresh air. It does so much good to get that mountain air into your lungs, I tell you! It only took us about an hour to get there, and then we walked around the village for a little while before heading over to the telepherique (I guess the translation is a cable car?). It cost about $55 just to go up and back down, but it was so worth it. We couldn't have picked a better day to go up to the highest point one can go before reaching the tallest mountain peak in Europe, the Mont Blanc.
The ride itself was extremely nerve wracking for me since I'm terrified of heights. Once we got into the cable car, it took 8 minutes to get up to the next stop. I was thinking, well that's not so bad! But then we had to get off of that one and get onto the next one, which was even higher and steeper than the first! I held onto the bar so tightly that when we got off (of both of them actually), I couldn't unbend my fingers...they were stuck in the same position as if they were holding onto a pole. Mira and I could not look out for fear that we would pass out, as you can see from the picture below.
But when we finally made it up, the view was totally worth all the stress and anxiety! It almost looked as if it wasn't real...like I was just looking at an amazing backdrop or a huge postcard! It was such a great day to go up, so I made sure to take a ton of pics. Of course, they all look relatively similar...but I took pictures from all different sides of the terrace, which means that some of the mountains are in France, some in Italy, and some in Switzerland. In fact, we had an option of taking another telepherique that lasted 5 kilometers and took you to the Italian side of the Mont Blanc for some 360 panoramic views. But we opted for just one trip since it was already pretty pricey. The pic below is of the Italian Alps...
This one is just part of the French Alps...since we were in them it was difficult to take pics of their entirety. The peak that's almost directly under the sun, to the left, is the Mont Blanc.
The ride itself was extremely nerve wracking for me since I'm terrified of heights. Once we got into the cable car, it took 8 minutes to get up to the next stop. I was thinking, well that's not so bad! But then we had to get off of that one and get onto the next one, which was even higher and steeper than the first! I held onto the bar so tightly that when we got off (of both of them actually), I couldn't unbend my fingers...they were stuck in the same position as if they were holding onto a pole. Mira and I could not look out for fear that we would pass out, as you can see from the picture below.
But when we finally made it up, the view was totally worth all the stress and anxiety! It almost looked as if it wasn't real...like I was just looking at an amazing backdrop or a huge postcard! It was such a great day to go up, so I made sure to take a ton of pics. Of course, they all look relatively similar...but I took pictures from all different sides of the terrace, which means that some of the mountains are in France, some in Italy, and some in Switzerland. In fact, we had an option of taking another telepherique that lasted 5 kilometers and took you to the Italian side of the Mont Blanc for some 360 panoramic views. But we opted for just one trip since it was already pretty pricey. The pic below is of the Italian Alps...
This one is just part of the French Alps...since we were in them it was difficult to take pics of their entirety. The peak that's almost directly under the sun, to the left, is the Mont Blanc.
And this is a pic of the view of part of the French Alps, with the Swiss Jura mountains in the background. When I first moved to Switzerland 6 1/2 years ago, I lived with a family in a village in the Jura. I cannot believe it's been that long already!
So, we were up there for a couple of hours, and made our way down to the village to do some shopping. We all splurged a bit at The North Face store, and went home happy campers:)
Other cool news: I signed another 3 month contract at ITC! So, I'm here until end of May, and then, once again, we see where everything goes.
Hopefully, I'll have updated my blog before the end of May;)
So, we were up there for a couple of hours, and made our way down to the village to do some shopping. We all splurged a bit at The North Face store, and went home happy campers:)
Other cool news: I signed another 3 month contract at ITC! So, I'm here until end of May, and then, once again, we see where everything goes.
Hopefully, I'll have updated my blog before the end of May;)
