Day 8: Mont Blanc

First off, happy birthday Eli!  Our Easy E turned 12 yesterday.  It's been a big week for him--a dozen spins around the sun, braces off, and tonight he gets his first vaccine.  We sure love you, Eli!

So this picture was taken on the morning of day eight of our European adventure.  The saying held true: it's great to be eight!

We started off in Italy, waking up at our B&B Villa Giglio near the Malpensa airport.  Having arrived in the pitch black, we had no idea what to expect.  The bucolic scenery was a delightful surprise, all except for the rooster that began crowing at 3:30 am and continued for the next three hours.  Coq au vin anyone? 

Here's the B&B from the front.  It was comfortable and the staff were very helpful.  We'd highly recommend.

Our only complaint was that we didn't have time to explore the area.  We dined as soon as breakfast opened at seven, then set out for France.

The Italian alps are stunning.  It felt almost surreal to drive past countless quaint towns built high up into the mountainside.  I wish everyone the chance to drive through Northern Italy--just be prepared for some hefty tolls.

Our cozy family all crammed into the Peugeot.  I love Annie's head popping up from the back.

To get into France, we actually drove through a 7.6 mile-long tunnel beneath Mont Blanc.  The tunnel will cost you 47 Euros, but it's worth it.  Don't you love the glacier coming right down into town?

Here's where the story almost takes a turn for the worst.  Most of the parking lots in Chamonix were full, so Jason dropped off the kids and me near the Montenvers train station.  Well, Annika stopped to smell the flowers--literally.  I didn't realize she'd fallen behind and gotten separated until I got a phone call from Jason saying that Annie was back with him.  Apparently he'd left the parking lot and spotted this little girl calling for her mom.  Annie's cries were growing more desperate as she realized I was nowhere to be seen.  Guardian angels must have been watching over her, because Jason noticed and pulled up right then.  I can only imagine what the cars around must have thought to see Jason stop the car in traffic and beckon this lost child to hop into the vehicle with him.  No matter--our Annie was safe.  She'd only been lost for a minute, but it was enough of a scare to keep her close by for the rest of our trip.

The Montenvers-Mer de Glace train is a charming, cogwheel classic.  It's amazing how the cogs help it ascend so steeply!  

Before we knew it, we'd arrived at the Mer de Glace (literally translated, sea of ice, named after the glacier passing through.)  We didn't have time to stop by the ice caves or glacorium, but we did take a moment to admire the jagged peaks of Les Drus.

Plus, it was a good place for a potty stop.

Apparently the Grand Hotel du Montenvers has some phenomenal dining.

We, on the other hand, had already dined on paninis and crepes from a roadside stand.  With some extra sandwiches in our knapsacks, we kept our eye on the prize: the Grand Balcon Nord--a hike from Montenvers to the Plan de l'Aguille.

There are two possible routes to get there.  We chose the route that passed through Le Signal to get an extra viewpoint.  It is also the itinéraire conseillé, probably because it has less exposure.

Personally, I thought our route had enough exposure as it was. 

Le Signal was marked by all sorts of fun cairns and vertical rock slabs.  You could tell that the views ought to be stunning, but the clouds obscured a lot of the mountain.

Continuing on our journey.  The terrain leveled out quite a bit from here, much to our children's delight.

My favoritest people.

Annika had a fantastic attitude throughout the hike, perhaps because we bribed her with a new stuffy at the end.

These gals are the best of friends.  I love it!  I also love how they unintentionally dress as twins all the time. 

More tender sights to make your heart melt.

You can see the end of the trail from here--the building marks the Plan de l'Aiguille--a halfway station from which you can head up or down.

Annika gave the trail a two thumbs-up.

From here, we wondered whether it was worth taking the cable car up to l'Aiguille du Midi (literally translated, the midday needle.)  We could see the cable car disappearing into the clouds and wondered if the view would be completely obscured at the top.  However, since we'd already splurged on day passes, we decided to make the most of our investment.

Into the unknown.

But then, all of a sudden, you break through the clouds and the view is magnificent.

Being relatively late in the afternoon, we had the entire cable car to ourselves.  If nothing else had happened in Europe besides this moment, it still might have been worth it.  It was a pretty transcendent moment.  It's not every day you get to ride in the highest cable car in the world.

So I have a question: who in the world built this stuff and how?

Also, a moment of respect for the mountaineers trekking up in the snow.  Can you spot them on the ridgeline?  We saw all sorts of people carrying ropes, pickaxes, and crampons.

For those unaccustomed to metric, that's 12,604 feet.  Climbing the stairs, I definitely felt the difference in altitude.

Still a happy family.

Just don't fall.  It was so fun to peer down through the clouds and see Chamonix spread below.

Even though it meant waiting in line, we decided to venture into the glass box you can see projecting over the abyss.

Annika was tired so we scooted her along the floor for a while.

Standing on sky (and in slippers, no less.)

Mont Blanc, we love you!  This once-in-a-lifetime experience was so incredible that I can't help but plot how to get back.

Only one way to add to perfection: ice cream.  Plus we liked the pun: La Mer de Glaces (Sea of Ice Cream) is pronounced the same as La Mer de Glace--the glacier that we saw.

And coming full circle, back to the birthday boy.  Our European adventure was everyone's Christma-birthday this year.  Hope it was a good one!

Now off to Walgreens.  It's time for your birthday shot.