Last night the weather forecast called for some cloud free skies. So without hesitation it has to be the day to go enjoy the views around the Mont-Blanc.
The problem with the two summer months is that everybody is on holiday. And Chamonix is one very very popular site. So when a day without cloud is forecast, everybody rushes to the little town at the foot of the Mont-Blanc. And we all spend a little fortune to pay for the ride up to ‘L’aiguille du midi’. The view and vistas up there are breathtaking and will get into one brain for life. There is only one place in the world where you can ascend to 3,842m (12,605 ft) in a few minutes.
So if you have not booked your ride ahead of time it might take you a few hours wait to get up. As a result this year as we did not arrived there before 10:00 am I decided to head to a smaller town called ‘Argentiere’ a mere 10 Km up the road. For 2/3 of the Chamonix cost you can get up to 3,275m (10,744 ft) and get a really good view over the Mont Blanc.
The spot is called ‘les grands montets’ and offer an impressive view over the ‘Argentiere’ icefield.
Back to the valley we drove accross the border to Switzerland and then over the Great St Bernard pass which marks the border between Switzerland and Italy.
We eventually ended up in Aosta for dinner and a walk around the old city center. The drive back to France was under many impressive tunnels on the Italian side. But the big excitement was to drive through the legendary Mont Blanc tunnel for the bargain cost of �33 (CAD $51) and 12Km long.
It sure was a long day, but a day filled with incredible vistas.
