Chamonix

Ok, a blog from Mike.

I feel like I need to re-introduce myself. A lot has changed since my first blog post about our departure from Richmond and move to Boston (which by the way was just a test during the website build)—Anna likes to poke fun of my lengthy one paragraph summary.

This blog was set up to be a bit of give and take from Anna and me, to ensure our audience (which has grown from 3 to 7) gets multiple perspectives. As you can imagine, when you are being critiqued by someone whose prior job description mandated the aptitude to find every single misspelled word and run on sentence, it can be a little intimidating when you get a turn on the keyboard. Anyways, what you see below most likely only represents the message I tried to convey and not actually the verbiage I used as Anna may have silently edited it.

Now, I want to start by answering a quick question. Why did we spend three weeks in France? Easy answer, we got caught looking at all of our options while time ran out to book an adventure in another country. SO, even though I wanted to do a week in France, Portugal, and Prague respectively, I lost that battle and we committed to three weeks in France (start playing your tiny violin…) Lesson here is, spontaneity is great but a decision has to be made!

Fortunately, the past few days have turned out to be great additions to our already adventurous trip. We had agreed on a lake village surrounded by the Alps called Annecy but an Airbnb booking gone wrong led us to a book a last-minute trip to Chamonix, a place we knew little about prior to making the five-hour trek from Provence. Had I known earlier that we were on our way to the best ski city in the three bordering countries (Switzerland, Italy, and France), I may have been a bit more enthusiastic during our drive.

Chamonix is at the base of Mont-Blanc, which I had known previously as only a fancy pen company. Mont-Blanc stands at 15,700 feet, awarding it the highest mountain in Europe. News to us, Chamonix hosted the 1924 Winter Olympics and from the village you can initiate outdoor sports like mountaineering, mountain biking, white-water rafting, hiking, and even golf, in addition to the epic peaks for skiing and boarding. Paragliding has peaked my interest as the next high adrenaline sport to try… we could see these guys cruising the mountain tops for miles as we drove in.

We arrived in Chamonix around 5pm and the bars and restaurants were packed with travelers from all over the world speaking their respective languages while all sharing a common joyful smile and the classic ski tan. We decided to check into our ultra-luxurious Airbnb which included a bunk bed and a pull-out couch underneath (our bed) and a dry, sour smell from the bathroom. One positive, and truly the only thing we cared about, was the location. We were nestled in the heart of downtown with a short walk to any bar/restaurant and bus/tram to the mountains.

We walked over to the local ski shop to get our rentals. Speaking of rentals, the previous day we were in Monte-Carlo wishing we were in shorts and now we are 1000 meters above sea level with no prior intentions of skiing during our three-month stint, so we needed to rent everything: skis, boots, poles, ski pants, and helmet. We had to purchase cheap gloves, settle on using our sunglasses as goggles, and wear our spring/rain jackets for our ski coats. (We looked like true amateurs.)

Afterward, we decided to hit a cheap, casual burger joint (we are on a budget) for dinner, which turned out to be a little gem with good beer and a unique twist on the American Classic. Rather than buns we had the option of getting a burger in between two hash browns which of course was amazing. I do want to note that fries are served with mayo first and ketchup upon request, soooo, Anna and I may be grossing everyone out upon our return dipping fries in mayo (it’s good try it).

Pit of the day: Five-hour journey to a place we knew nothing about

Peak of the day: Arriving to a thriving ski village packed with happy travelers trying to get in some spring skiing!

(Full) DAY ONE

When purchasing our rentals, Anna and I received a recommendation on which of the five peaks to ski. We were advised the snow at Aiguille Verte (another peak a mile up the road) was best this time of year and went on to say a guide had just come in raving about the conditions. Unfortunately, during our delicious burgers the night before, we were seated next to a few novice skiers from the UK that advised Aiguille was icy. So of course, Anna had it in her head prior to hitting the slopes that Aiguille would be icy…

We arrived at the base of the mountain to buy our tickets for the day We had 2 choices for tickets. One regular ticket that provided access to 90% of the mountain and another that included an additional lift that would take you to the summit which was an actual Glacier with 2 additional ski runs. Skiing on a glacier seemed like a once and a lifetime opportunity so we had to go for it!

We hit the slopes and we both felt a little uneasy on the new skis. For me, I figured it had been a little bit since I skied and it should take a run or two to get comfortable. For Anna, it felt icy. (I am cursing the couple from the night before). We had originally agreed to eat a quick breakfast on the mountain rather than in town so we headed in to the ski lodge for a bite to eat…

((Warning: Rant))

Anna has not really alluded to the difficulty we have had in getting a simple coffee and not just a shot of espresso or a double shot of espresso. I could write a book on our efforts but let me just say it’s nearly impossible to get the equivalent of a grande black coffee for those Starbucks readers. We have exhausted our vocabulary and even when we are successful, repeating what we ordered previously often comes back as a shot of espresso in a Dixie cup you would normally get mouthwash in at the dentist. We have had the most success with just requesting an Americano which we know as a shot of espresso with hot water (perfect, just give me more than one sip of coffee). In the lodge I took the lead in ordering deux (two) Americano from the lovely lady behind the counter. She kindly shook her head left to right and pointed upstairs and said something in French that I understood as the coffee is upstairs. With a big smile we went upstairs to find a closed dining hall where lunch would be served in a few hours. What’s the opposite of success? That’s right, walking back down the stairs (in our ski boots) to order deux café and getting two Dixie cup shots of espresso. Rant over.

Run two, I was feeling great and Anna was looking like a pro on her skis. Halfway down I will admit that we did hit an icy patch, the first one of the day. I told Annaliese to take it slow and stick to the side of the trail and try to get as many turns in as possible. I headed down and waited at the bottom of the run.

The trail had a little bend so I could not see Anna where I had left her but I did all of a sudden see a single ski darting down the mountain on a mission to the bottom. A moment later I saw a big cloud of snow coming down the trail and once the snow settled I could make out Anna in the fetal position 100 meters from where she started. I then saw that she had lost the other ski, both poles, and her sunglasses. Normally a spill of this magnitude is called a yard sale but it’s safe to say this could be classified as an all-sales-final, store-closing-everything-must-go type of sale…

Having it in her mind that she was headed for a plunge off a rocky cliff to her death, Anna was a bit shaken up. She admitted to throwing off the glasses in a last-ditch effort to see where she was going. Fortunately, she was uninjured but unfortunately, she never recovered mentally from the fall and skied like it was her first time for the rest of the day on the (as it turns out, pretty icy) slopes. (Shout out to Mike S and Paul, Anna has now experienced “The Fear” for herself.) So much for paying extra for the glacier runs.

The good news is that it was a beautiful day and our tickets included a tram up to Mont-Blanc, which was absolutely incredible. The tram dropped us off at a measly 12,602 feet with a bird’s eye view of Mont-Blanc’s summit. We were literally above helicopters and planes that were circling below, some for sightseeing and others looking for avalanches and skiers in need—Mont-Blanc averages nearly 100 fatalities a year. (FYI, earlier in the day I turned down the helicopter rescue insurance that was offered when we purchased our ski tickets.)

Skiing Mont-Blanc is not possible if you only know how to ski. The groups of people heading up beside us had backpacks filled with gear, including ropes, harnesses, ice axes, crampons, belays, and carabiners. We were told that it is not possible to ski Mont-Blanc without a guide and when I got to the top I knew that to be totally true. 500-meter drops on two sides and an ice cliff for a path forward. When we did see skiers, they were like tiny dots lost in a sea of white. I was envious of the groups headed out to the slopes, but nothing a beer at 12,000-feet couldn’t fix.

After our tram ride, we headed back to Chamonix just in time for après-ski. The sun was setting on the city and we picked a perfect spot to watch the sunset. We enjoyed a few drinks with the rest of the crowd before heading to dinner.

Pit of the day: Not seeing Anna’s slide from start to finish

Peak of the day: Heading to the peak of Mont-Blanc

DAY TWO

We knew we would not be skiing the second/final day in Chamonix, so we agreed to a morning run. I cannot describe how beautiful this village is (not because there are not words to describe it only that I don’t have the vocabulary). We started the run on the road and wound up on a running trail next to the river that flows through the city. We stumbled across a huge open space where they were preparing for an outdoor festival called Musilac scheduled for the following week. With headliners like Ben Harper this just might make it on the new bucket list for future adventures. A concert in the French Alps surrounded by great skiing and mountain biking? Sign me up!

Once we finished our run we hit a coffee shop to try and settle some of the final details of our trip as well as work to update the blog. Finding a place to post up on a PC is extremely difficult when traveling abroad as there are number of factors at play, some of which we can control and others that we cannot. Here is what we need to go right if we are going to have a successful stint online: 1. PC charged or access to outlet (If you need an outlet you also need to bring your converter). 2. Wi-Fi that is actually good. 3. Americano, Long Black, Café Grande, or any other coffee that comes as more than 1 shot of espresso (have yet to see a French Press, is that American?). 4. Socially acceptable place to post up.

Needless to say, Chamonix was not ideal for sitting online, too much FOMO. So, after our second espresso at our second location (aka two failed attempts), I recommended we pull the plug on Chamonix and do a quick day trip to Geneva as it’s only an hour away and we could knock another country off the list (PASSPORT STAMPS!).

Geneva is amazing. Anna and I both said immediately that we could live there. Extremely clean city, people were all walking around with smiles, and it was busy but not crowded. Public transportation was everywhere and seemed to be widely used. Geneva is on a beautiful lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains with sprawling mansions in the hills just outside the city.

We had not done any preliminary planning prior to arriving in Geneva, so we did what we do best: parked the car and walked the city. High-end stores on every corner and beautiful churches and fountains that were tucked away but continuously popped up out of nowhere. We arrived in Geneva around 4:30pm and had a light lunch so we were both a little hungry. Unfortunately, the Swiss live that European lifestyle where dinner starts at 7 and you only show up at 7 if you’re a tourist, so we had a few hours to kill before settling in for dinner.

After walking around for a few hours, we started looking for places to eat. It was then I realized just how expensive everything was around me. We walked through a number of different town centers and shopping districts and started taking notice to the menus, average item was 20-30 per (we are on a budget!). We decided to settle on Thai food, which in the states is always a great meal at a great price. We stumbled into a Thai restaurant off the main square and were presented our menus… at first sight I was thinking, “should we just leave?” Red Curry with Chicken: 32. I mean, what kind of meal are we getting? Anna and I decided to bite the bullet and each ordered an entrée. Rice was an additional 3-5 euro and they only offered water in glass bottles at 3 per. Anyways, by now I am sweating… maybe from the curry maybe from the bill we are about to get.

The meal was good and we get the check and its 103 CHF for two entrees. I had not seen CHF as the currency listed and all of a sudden, I am thinking “ooh this could be a good thing, because who knows what a CHF is and who knows what the conversion is to the US Dollars.” For the briefest moment I thought this could be hilariously inexpensive. As we had not done our research and Anna and I have been living on internet only, we could not immediately find out exactly how much we just paid. Before hitting the road to Chamonix, I stopped at a Starbucks knowing I could rely on my old friend a regular cup of coffee. Unfortunately, they did not have my pike roast, so I was offered, you guessed it, an Americano. Honestly, I am not sure what the heck it was, but it was not good. Worst of all, the card reader for payment converted my 6.30 CHF to US dollars showing I owed $6.52 (!!!) for a cup of “coffee”… sweat started pouring again.

Pit of the day: The CHF to US$ conversion and learning the hard way the cost to live in Geneva (I guess we won’t be moving there). AND, no PASSPORT STAMP!

Peak of the day: Being spontaneous and hitting Geneva, overall an incredibly amazing city!