Roadside view in Switzerland

Gold-plated macarons

We didn’t exactly get up and at ’em this morning.  Checkout time for our airbnb was 11am and we barely made it.  Bob and Zoe had to run, and Lanie and I had to walk into town for various supplies for the day.  We’d had our whole picnic planned out based on items we’d seen in shops on previous days, but alas were thwarted by the fact that it was a Sunday morning and apparently the whole town shuts down.  Luckily we eventually found a large market featuring local foods that opened at 10am, and were able to procure various sandwiches, pretzels, fruit, and carrots.  Oh, and we found a bakery selling macarons and bought a box, which practically required us to take out a mortgage on our house.

Swiss picnic

In any case, at 11:00 we were on the road.  We’d considered taking a scenic route, but decided to stick with the comfort of our GPS and minimize the length of the drive.  As it turned out, it was plenty scenic in any case.  The most direct route between Colmar and Chamonix, in the Alps, is mostly through Switzerland, so we got to add a new country to our list.  We admired the rolling farmland and picturesque villages along the

Roadside view from the rest stop

highway, and stopped to have our picnic lunch at a rest stop with picnic tables under the trees.  We passed by several towns that have become namesakes for what they produce: Gruyere, Emmenthal, St. Bernard, Evian.  We eventually came upon Lake Geneva, an enormous blue-green lake with mountains towering in the background.

Hiking at the Swiss hotel

At that point the road abruptly changed.  Our comfortable highway disappeared and in its place was a narrow, two lane road climbing a series of switchbacks up the looming mountain.  It was quite…invigorating being on the cliff side of the car, with inadequate guardrails, and I’m sure it was not any better for Bob in the driver’s seat.  It didn’t take long for Nadia to start to suffer from carsickness, and the rest of us were a bit queasy as well.

Hiking at the Swiss hotel

Luckily when we’d summited the mountain we found a little Swiss hotel/restaurant with a parking lot and some amazing viewpoints that made an excellent stopping/recovery point.  We took a few short walks and admired the scenery before hopping in the car for the final half hour drive to Chamonix.

The scenery here is breathtaking.  The road and towns are on the floor of a valley, with dramatic, snow-capped peaks rearing up on either side.  Everywhere has a view, and our rented townhouse is no exception.  Chamonix provides more evidence that the French know how to build resort towns better than we do.  The buildings are lovely, the winding streets

View from our home in Chamonix

full of charm and flowers.  There are restaurants, cafes, and bars with outdoor umbrella-ed tables on pedestrian streets.  There is a bus that will take you up and down the valley and cable cars that will bring you high up on the mountainsides on either side.

We strolled into town along a pedestrian/bike path, alongside a rushing glacial river.  The girls

No screens in France!

decided they could use a relaxing night in, and we actually managed to find a sizeable grocery store in town, so we picked up supplies for them to make dinner.  Of course, we got rained on again on the way back home — and up here in the mountains, it’s cold when the rain starts.  (It’s even colder when you’re walking next to a glacial river.)  Nevertheless, Bob and I made it back in (this time bringing raincoats, which ensured that it didn’t rain again) for an adult dinner in town.  Tomorrow we have to arise early for the girls’ paragliding adventure!

Beautiful downtown Chamonix with Mer de Glace glacier in the background

Glacial river in Chamonix