It’s funny because writing about a vacation should be the easiest thing in the world, right? But for some reason it’s taken a long, long time to actually scribble my thoughts down (or more accurately, to type what’s on my mind via WordPress).
I think part of the reason it’s clocked in far longer than I’ve hoped is because most adjectives simply can’t do these places justice. It seemed almost criminal that Will and I even tried capturing our new surroundings with our iPhone cameras.
As challenging as that was without professional-grade equipment, snapping a few Instagram-worthy shots still felt far easier than choosing the right words to describe everything I saw. But today I found myself scrolling through our pictures and wanting to write, so here goes nothing…
On our way to Lake Como, Italy, a place so dazzling it’s no wonder George Clooney has a villa there, we passed through a community in Southeastern France that I’d never heard of, Chamonix. See, I’m not much of a skier, but if I was, this is the place to go apparently. It was also the home of the very first Winter Olympics in 1924, which seems fitting given the nearby scenery, the massive peaks of the Aiguilles Rouges and most notably, the Auiguille du Midi.
Aside from enjoying the shops and people-watching in the picturesque little village with a population just shy of 9,000, one of the things that nearly everyone wants to do when he/she visits Chamonix is venture to the top of Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in The Alps. Now when it comes to vacationing, my hubby and I are pretty much on the same page. We love trying new restaurants, going to plays and exploring bookstores and museums wherever we are. Travel is something I love so much, in fact, that I even made a point of asking Will a very serious question during our courtship, namely if he liked camping, something I loathe even more than the thought of consuming a double-double with cheese.
When he said his idea of camping was checking into a nice hotel, it was just one of many indicators that he was, indeed, the perfect man for me.
Of course, having every single thing in common would be a little on the boring side, so it probably comes as no surprise that one of us has a decidedly adventurous spirit, and one falls more into the “I’ll hang out at the chalet while you ski” category. And as you’ve probably already guessed, I’m the one with the hot chocolate and a good book.
Will isn’t a full-blown adrenaline junkie, and I’m thankful for that. But I also love when he gets to do anything that appeals to that side of him. So taking a gondola to the top of Mont Blanc? That’s something I was so happy he got to do without worrying about my fear of heights. Not only were his pictures out of this world (yes, even with the aforementioned iPhone), but he enjoyed a celebratory stogie while I opted for a lunch of French onion soup and baguette with a new friend (and diehard Packer fan like myself) I’d met on the tour.
We weren’t in Chamonix for more than a few hours, but it made quite an impression nonetheless. And just in case you were wondering from the collage pictured here, no, I didn’t try my luck at Blackjack while Will ventured to the top of the mountain. But compared to anything in Vegas, the casino’s backdrop is quite spectacular, no?
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