Chamonix

We spent three nights in Chamonix, an incredible destination as the pictures attest. Luckily, Martin warned us that it's crowded, but that it's part of the fun, because all you have to do is take a lift or walk out of Chamonix centre and you're alone, strolling along a river or hiking a trail looking over the valley 4000 feet below.

The peaks of Aguille du Midi (12,030), Mont Blanc (the highest mountain in Europe at 15,782), and Dome du Gouter (13, 770) dominate the skyline and it seems the primary recreation here is looking up at the mountains to see how the clouds or light play across the entire Mont Blanc Range--from Aig Verte (13, 190 ft) to Dome du Gouter.

Impressions: well-behaved dogs and languages from around the world abound, people enjoying watching one another, Disneyland clean, fresh air, para-gliders as thick as mosquitoes—no mosquitoes—frigid mountain streams, friendly and efficient hospitality, a heart-stopping telecabine ride to Aguille du Midi, incredible street musicians and mime artists, SERIOUS mountain bikers and mountaineers, excellent cuisine of the Savoie (wine, chocolate, cheese, meats [fresh and cured], bread, pastries, a wild blue berry dessert on the trail after a picnic lunch 5,000 feet above Chamonix. Sit anywhere, look up, and fill your eyes and heart.